School-system in BTVS and real-life

[Ripper666]

Does the TV-show gave you a convincing overlook for the american school-system related on the students, teachers and system? Or was it the other way around: Nothing there was how it would be in real life or at least overrated (for example Cordis Gang)?
I am just interested because our English teacher told us about the school-system and now I want to compare! For those who hadn't been on an American High School, could you imagine that the school system is how it is portayed in the show? Or completely different?

 

[wickedtiger86]

I think it depends a lot on the school that you went to. I didn't start High School until 2000 but the main difference I remember, is that our dress code didn't allow for most of the stuff they wore to school. No spaghetti strap shirts or short skirts. And most of the staff was pretty nice, as long as you paid attention in class.


I went to a different high school for 1 year though, and they were more like the Buffy high school in terms of cliques, anyway. The popular people were really popular and looked down on people. The principal there was practically Snyder. Right down to the irrational dislike of me. . . I suspect it was because my hair was blue and it bugged him. lol

 

[Vamp Jenny]

I guess American schools do look like that, except that I'm not sure if their dress code is that permissive...

There weren't cliques in the school I went to, but there were popular people and rejects... As for the principals (we had 3, one for the youngest students, one for the oldest students and the general principal), they were generally nice, except if you wanted them to hate you...

 

[Cast No Shadow]

I think there's a "typical" American high school perception that's drawn on hugely by the media...but I doubt that's really what it's like.

My high school was crap...but I'm from the UK so I can't make a comparison.

I mean...

THAT is what I had to wear for 5 years. Ew.

 

[white avenger]

Way back in the '60's, there wasn't any particular dress code, but the principal or any teacher could send a student home if they were dressed "inappropriately," which usually meant a girl with a skirt too short or with too much cleavage. Girls wore dresses or skirts, no shorts or pants. There were cliques, we just didn't call them that. We called them "the football team," "the cheer leaders," which was the female support group for the football team, "the Beta Club," (students with a consistent A or B grade level) and "everybody else." I was a member of the latter, and also a member of the sub-group, the "book worms," (we didn't have the term "geeks" back then.)

There was no cutting classes, no coming in late, no leaving early, no spitting, swearing, arguing with the teachers, and no pocket knives allowed (if the teacher caught you with one, it was taken away, and hopefully, returned on the last day of school)

 

[sisterofmercy]

It seemed typical in terms of how the media portrays it on shows like Glee and 90210 anyway. In terms of how it matches up to the UK system it's a bit different in terms of secondary school but not so much with sixth form/college. At my college we didn't have to wear uniform and could get away with pretty much anything (one of my friends turned up in a Borat swimsuit once :| ). Plus the cliques were vaguely similar, think it only changes a little bit with time. The teachers were also really relaxed which I guess is different to Buffy.

But at secondary school it was 'uniform' (though mine was very causal compared to the posh schools).

 

[david4wt]

I often wonder if the US school system is really how it's depicted on tv! In Italy things work really in a very different way so I'm always confused with your system 😛

 

[SlayerFest]

It was pretty accurate. I mean we had...pretty much no dress code at all for the first three years of school in high school. You could wear just about anything. Girls wore some pretty darn revealing stuff. Senior year they tried to enforce one but that didn't go so well. The only thing I found unrealistic about Sunnydale High was how old the students were haha but that's to be expected on a 90s television show. Also, the library was so small. It worked because it was supposed to be their little bat cave but I found it unrealistic how small it was and no one was ever in there! Oh and they never had any rainy days! 😉 Lucky them.

---------- Post added at 01:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:00 PM ----------

I think there's a "typical" American high school perception that's drawn on hugely by the media...but I doubt that's really what it's like.

My high school was crap...but I'm from the UK so I can't make a comparison.

I mean...

THAT is what I had to wear for 5 years. Ew.

Is it weird that my friends and I dreamed of a day when we'd have to wear uniforms? Haha it would have made getting ready for school wayyy quicker/easier and we could save all of our best outfits for the weekend 😀. I sometimes felt like I was wasting a cute outfit on school. Haha I find some uniforms cute...🙂. Plaid skirts, tights, ties, and cardigans, yes! However, I would have drawn the line at khakis.

 

[david4wt]

[MENTION=11629]Ripper666[/MENTION] I can't explain it clearly, so I'm coping from wikipedia 😛
There are 5 years of primary school (6-11 years old), 3 years of lower secondary school (11-13), 5 years upper secondary school (14-19).
Primary school and lower secondary school are the same for everyone, but there are many kinds of upper secondary school. The main ones are:
-"Classic", which features Latin, Ancient Greek, Italian, History and Philosophy as its most important subjects.
-"Scientific", whose programme reminds in part that of Liceo Classico in teaching Italian, Latin, History and Philosophy, but is more oriented towards Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Natural Sciences.
-"Social sciences", where the emphasis is more on psychological, social and pedagogical topics, such as Pedagogy, cultural Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology and Law. (This is where I went)
-"Linguistic" puts emphasis on language learning and the languages usually taught are English, French, Spanish and German.
-"Artistic", which is oriented toward arts teaching - both in a theoretical (i.e. Art History) and practical (i.e. drawing sessions) way.

All of these have History, Phylosophy, Maths, Biology, English and Italian Literature but the emphasys is on the additional subjects.
Then there are:

-"Technical Institute" is more oriented toward practical subjects, such as aeronautics, business administration, computer science and chemistry.
-"Professional Institute" offers a form of secondary education oriented towards practical subjects and enables the students to start searching for a job as soon as they have completed their studies (3 years long usually) and is even more specific in terms of vocational course offerings than the Technical Institute. It does not grant access to University.

We cannot choose what subjects we want to take, and there are not different levels for the subjects. We choose what kind of school. The first two years of most schools are pretty much the same, the last 3 years are more diverse. It's pretty easy to switch schools especially in between the 2 and the 3 year if you understand that you don't like it.

We have the same "class group" throughout all upper seconday school. There are some changes because of people who don't pass the year so someone either leaves or enters the group but generally, after the first year in which many people get flunked, the "class group" is pretty much stable. Oh and professors change classrooms, not us 😛

Any kind of secondary school that lasts 5 years grants access to the final exam, called Maturity Exam. This exam takes place every year between June and July and grants access to University. The exam is written and oral and the result usually is important because access to some university courses are based on a test and the Maturity Exam result.

We don't have cliques like you. Sure there are some people that are more popular than others, but since we don't really have the tradition of schools like a place where to spend free time like in clubs or play sports we don't have cliques or groups of people labelled in a certain way. I'm not saying that we don't have bullying, just is a different kind. Oh and no uniforms.

Private schools are the minority, most people go to public ones that are really good. There are a lot of rumors about private schools, mostly regarding how easy the are and how easy is to get the final diploma. Public university are also very good and almost everyone goes there.

University also works in a different way I think but it's not the point of the thread. 🙂

 

[Lurconis]

As others have said other than the dress code or lack there of at Sunnydale and the Monsters it is pretty spot on. There were cliques but unlike in shows most people hung out with at least two different cliques if not more. At least from my high school experience.e

 

[shadcat]

Every time I watch a show that has High School on tv nowadays I think.. "It's nothing like that"
Every time I watch a show that was from before my generation I think.. "Was it REALLY like that?"

 

[jellybean13]

I would have loved to go to high school in America. High schools in England are rubbish! Well mine was anyway. The uniforms are fugly and my school was really strict on uniforms too, right down to the bag, shoes, jackets/coats. If you didnt buy the school approved coat (which was really expensive), you would have to go without. And no jewellery apart from plain stud earings. Boys couldnt have their hair cut too short either.
I had a sub maths teacher for the last 2 years that didnt speak English and his false teeth used to fall out or he would take them out for abit of comedy. Not so good when you are trying to study for your GCSE's.
Anyho, schools in America look awesome 🙂

 

[arabella]

Minus the monsters and hell mouth stuff, I found it to be quite similar to my high school experience. My school was very cliquish, as evidenced by the pictorial groupings in the yearbooks. The cliques were always the worst during the first 2 years and generally began to disband in the last two years as we grew up and grew less petty. Prom and school dances were extremely important as was running for and becoming queen or king of said event. Life revolved around the football games (my school could've doubled for the one in Varsity Blues), parties, and hanging out with friends. Class was an after thought to whatever you were wearing that day. That said, the majority of us did manage to make it to university.

 

[dexeded]

You think English schools are strict? Try mine. Not just the uniform pickiness, but our shoes have to be a hundred percent pure white. If you have a black logo or stripe or something, you would have to paint over it. All hair longer than shoulder-length has to be tied with either a white, blue or black hairtie, and you're not allowed to dye your hair. And no ear studs allowed; earrings have a maximum width of 0.5cm (or something to that degree). Sigh.

 

[Cast No Shadow]

You think English schools are strict? Try mine. Not just the uniform pickiness, but our shoes have to be a hundred percent pure white. If you have a black logo or stripe or something, you would have to paint over it. All hair longer than shoulder-length has to be tied with either a white, blue or black hairtie, and you're not allowed to dye your hair. And no ear studs allowed; earrings have a maximum width of 0.5cm (or something to that degree). Sigh.

Haha that sounds like mine!
We had to stand behind our desks before a teacher came into the room, and could only sit down once we were told.
If we wanted to take our jumper/blazer off, you had to raise your hand and ask.
We had stripy ties (see pic above) No less than 4 stripes could be showing.

RIDICULOUS haha.

 

[white avenger]

The hardest thing for me to understand about schools today is when things like Columbine happen. I know that I sound like exactly what I am, a crusty old man spouting off about the "good ol' days, but if one of us, back in the 60's, had brought a gun to school, the first teacher to catch us with it would have taken it away from us and sent us to the Principal's office, where our parents would be called to pick up the gun. Our punishment might be something as severe as having to stay after school for a month and clean up the gym. (What our fathers would have done to us once we got home was another matter, but it made sweeping the floor for a few weeks seem absolutely fun) There were times, however, when we actually could take a gun to school, under very specific conditions. I did, once, my father's Walther P-38, to use in a report about World War 2. It stayed in the Principal's office except for the hour that I actually used it in History class.

The point is, however, our teachers had real authority over us. We respected, even feared, and obeyed them, and almost always, our parents respected and supported them and their judgement concerning our education and discipline. Somewhere in the last 40 years or so, we lost, or just plain discarded, all of that, and I think that we're paying the price now.

 

[BuffyBro]

Aside from demons and vamps my high school was very similar I live in the USA, pa. It was almost just like it. Cali schools are even more similar set up wise


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[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

I think Sunnydale High is a pretty accurate description of a suburban California pubic school.

I attended private school in an urban area, which is much different. For instance, we were not allowed to leave school for lunch, and we were required to wear uniforms. Then, for my last two years of high school, I attended a public school, but I did a college-prep program called Running Start, where you get high school and college credit for taking college classes on campus. So, I was never on campus except to see my Counselor.