I have been at Starr’s Mill for more than a semester now, which means that I have seen many of the differences between here and my Danish school. 

Denmark has many daycare opportunities even for toddlers and a kind of preschool. Our system goes from 0th grade when kids are about 6 years old to 9th grade about 15 or 16 years old. Afterward, we have an opportunity to take 10th grade and it could be at something called efterskole, which is a type of boarding school that many students enjoy. 

Then at the age of about 16, you can go to high school or trade school either a business kind HHX, technology HTX, or a basic kind, STX.

High school is usually three years and afterward, people take a gap year, which is awesome because you get to work and earn money to travel around the world, which a lot of people do. People go to university and apply to a certain major like medical school based on the average of their grades. 

The Danish taxes are higher than the American. This means that we have a free and great education system including free college. Yep, you heard right: We do not have to pay any money to go to school. In fact, when we turn 18 we get money from our government to go to school. This means that there is less pressure on the students to make good grades to get into a good college or get scholarships. 

I have had almost all of my classes with the same people throughout school. When I start high school I choose a path of classes to take that puts me in a class. Therefore, I get close to the people in my classes, which I really like. We usually stay in the same classroom all day except for classes like science, PE, and electives. 

Also, my schedule changes every day and every week, which means that my days often look different. My class is about 1.5 hours and I usually have three to four a day. We have more interactions because of a lot of group work and teaching where we have to raise our hands. We get graded on our participation, assignments, skills, and collaboration, and it does not have to be perfect to get an A. 

My high school day is usually from 8:10 to either 1:35 or 3:15. We do not have substitutes in high school, which means that the class normally would be canceled/postponed if the teacher is absent. However, we have a lot of “afleveringer” assignments outside of school without counting homework. We do have a lot of focus on the students well-being through activities and games to bring us closer to each other. 

Another perk of our schools is that we have fewer rules. We do not need a pass to walk around the school. In fact, we do a lot of our group work outside of our classroom. Our absent system is also different. We do not have an attendance office or someone to check in/out with. We have written absences and physical presence in which they take a percentage of the assignments we have not turned in and the days we have not been at school and keep track of our absences.

Tests. I have never had this amount of tests before. In Denmark, we only have tests if we really need them unless it is the exams in May and June, which are required. Therefore, there is less pressure on students and we have more time to do our “afleveringer” that we get grades on.

We have many benefits in our school system that make it great and so different from what Americans are used to. We focus on less stress and pressure of student’s future/college.

The American education system is the most diverse there is in the world. With all my years going to school in America, I have gotten so much exposure to many different cultures and experiences.

Here in America, I like that students get to pick the electives. We also get to have more than one elective, while in Denmark students get one for the whole year. In America, most students’ schedules can change along with having two semesters in the school year as opposed to Denmark and their lack of any semester altogether. 

Here in America, we can choose an assortment of different types of subjects to study throughout school. I have so much involvement in other fields of education. In America we get to choose what pathways we want to go down and get to change when available. We also have montessori schools which have a lot of hands-on learning and help students get real world experiences, rather than being in a traditional classroom. 

In the American education system, we also have many tests which give us an idea of what level of learning we are at. Giving us tests the teachers and the students know what they need to focus on while teaching and learning. 

Schools in America also have AP and dual enrollment classes which allow students in high school to take college classes for little to no cost compared to college. If you do well in the class then you will get a college credit for the class, lowering the cost for college. 

Even though college could get expensive, here in America there are many ways students lower the cost other than AP classes and dual enrollment. There are scholarships and grants you could get for it and then athletes go for D1 scholarships. 

In America schools are very involved in sports. Students in other countries play club sports like football and volleyball. In America when most children get to high school they stop their club sports, mainly until around summer, and play their sports in high school. This is how many colleges look at student athletes to give out offers and scholarships. 

Also in education in America, mainly in high school and college, you have different people in every class allowing students to make new friends and interact with tons of people at our school. Every class period in high school and college classes we usually go to another class with a whole set of 20+ new kids. In many cases sophomores and seniors are in the same class. 

Student life in American schools is also the best. We have things like prom and homecoming. Homecoming week is the best part about being a student in America. All week long students get to dress up like characters, dress up like nerds vs. jocks, along with many other themes throughout the week. Then on the Friday night of the week students get to watch the homecoming football game. The day after that they get to dress very nicely and go to the homecoming dance. 

Education in America has many opportunities for their students. With the way school operates to homecoming and sports, American schools are the best for students with everything that they offer.