By Maggie Glenowicz 

In Brazil, the education system is broken up into different, progressive stages; Elementary school (Ensino Fundamental) – six to 14 years of age, high school (Ensino Médio) – 15 to 17 years of age, and higher education (Ensino Superior). The United States has a different system than this as we all know and experience.

Students in Brazil study similar subjects to the students in the United such as math, English, history, and various languages. An academic year in Brazil must be 200 school days versus an academic year in the United States must be 180 school days.

Sports and music are popular in Brazilian schools. Football (soccer) is the most popular sport played; along with volleyball, foot volley, tennis, rugby, etc. Schools in the United States mainly have soccer, volleyball, field hockey, football, tennis, track, lacrosse, and cross country and a host of others which shows the variety of sports as compared to Brazil.

The grading system in Brazil is also similar to the grading system in the United States. The only difference being the point system in Brazil which is on a scale from 0-10, and in the United States it is scaled from a 0 -100. The grading system is usually either based on percentages (from 0% to 100%) or on a scale system, where 0 is the worst and 10 is the best mark.

Like in the United States, the amount of homework given varies depending on the teacher, course or level of the course. For example, a student in an honors math class will most likely receive a heavier homework load than a student in a standard math class.

The dress code in Brazil is similar, if not the same, to the dress code in the United States. Unless it is a school that requires a uniform, as long as the student is wearing something that is respectable and dignified to the school’s standards, they are free to wear what they want.

It is interesting to discover that two different countries, on two different continents, that have completely different cultures, mostly share similarities when it comes to school.