Educational Differences

Learning about Australia's educational system has been a great experience and has provided me with a wealth of knowledge. A typical primary level school day begins at 9 and ends at 3:30, with a morning break as well as lunch. All schools have what they call "morning tea", during which time children have time to eat a snack and play while teachers have thirty minutes for a break. During the lunch break students also receive a thirty-minute break for playing outside. I have really enjoyed these breaks, not only because I get a break but because I have seen the positive benefits the students gain. Although there are still behavior issues, the students get the adequate amount of time to be outdoors and exercise and then enter the classroom a little more calmly.
All of the subjects are very much the same to ours at home. The majority of the time is spent on reading, writing, and math (essentially the same as us). The atmosphere in the schools is a whole lot more relaxed compared to home. There are very little standardized tests given, and time is spent of students actually learning (not just teaching to the test). After explaining how our educational system works, the testing and scripted lessons, many of the teachers were appalled and surprised.
The major difference of our school systems involves the districting aspects. In Australia there is a large sense of competitiveness between schools (and NO this isn't based on test scores!). Parents are free to choose any school they would like for their child, even if it is an hour from where they live. They are not districted and are allowed to send their children to whichever school they desire. Since this is how things are done, many schools struggle to get a decent amount of students. Schools really have to market themselves (i.e. provide better technologies and more interesting excursions) to appeal to the parents. As a result many schools are under funded and do not receive very large student populations. I believe this aspect makes me thankful for how we decide school populations at home!