Elvira Burgo

It’s school time, folks!

If you don’t know me by now, I'm a lifelong learner. I was that kid who enjoyed school, and yes, there were some strict teachers, but I hold those to higher standards because they demanded more from me. And so, it’s no coincidence that I became a teacher and had a ton of books in my home library. So much about me, let’s take a look at some exciting facts about schools around the world.

Facts About Schools Around the World

1. Kids travel to school on a zip line in a remote part of Colombia.
2. A school in Germany is built like a giant white cat.
3. 78 million kids enter school every fall in the United States.
4. There are no janitors in Japan, as children clean their classrooms. 
5. In France, meal time is embedded in its curriculum. Children learn about different foods, where foods come from, good manners, and etiquette.
6. Battle School in the Philippines is made up of soda bottles that are recycled.
7. Bangladesh has a boat school, preventing school disruption during the rainy season when rivers rise as much as 12 feet and roads flood. 
8. The oldest public school in the United States is the Boston Latin School, which was founded in 1635.
9. Currently, in the U.S., about 55 million children are projected to be in K-12 schools.
10. Some students in Denmark and Sweden learn in the forest, emphasizing problem-solving and teamwork.
11. The highest school was Phumachangtang in Tibet, standing at 16,476 feet above sea level. The school closed in 2017, and students relocated to a lower elevation.
12. Between the 1600s-1800s, schools focused on community, family, and religion rather than math or reading.
13. The United States has around 8 million teachers.
14. When erasers were first introduced, teachers were against them because they thought they were “incentives for mistakes.”

Here are some more facts.

Did you know…

Your brain is approximately 75% to 80% water.

Butterflies taste with their feet.

A cloud can weigh over a million pounds.

A kid invented the first ice pops.

Listening to music can reduce anxiety.

Something to think about…

• Do you like learning? 
• Did you like school when you were younger? Why or why not?
• If you did not like school as a child, could that change? What would help?

Thanks for reading.

Elvira