How old were you when you started school?

[Moiraine]

In France, children start primary school at 6, but before that there is a pre-school system called "école maternelle" (Litterally "maternal school") where children go for 1 to 3 years, depending on the parents' decision and the capacity of the local pre-school. I started pre-school at 3, 'jumped' the last pre-school year and thus started primary school at 5. My son started pre-school at 3 (half-time the first year), started primary school at 6, and did 2nd and 3rd primary school in one year instead of two (mixed class, joining the two levels) and thus 'jumped' one year of primary school.

Normal ages :
* Pre-school ("école maternelle") : Ages 3 to 6
* Primary school ("école primaire") : Ages 6 to 11
* First cycle secondary school ("collège") : Ages 11 to 15, at the end of which is an exam called "brevet"
* Second cycle secondary school ("lycée") : Ages 15 to 18, at the end of which is an exam called "baccalauréat" which gives you the right to enter university - or you can attend 'professional' schools that give you different kinds of craft diplomas.

Attending school is mandatory to the age of 16.

[ 08-02-2003, 05:55 PM: Message edited by: Moiraine ]

[Jorath Calar]

Okey I''ll tell you how the system here works, didn't really read the original post, just the question... anyway:
Kids in Iceland start going at 6, 1st grade is much like kindergarten, you don't learn much except maybe counting and what the letters are called.
Then it's elementary school till you are 15.
Then you either go to kind of college were you stay till 20 or you can go to "craft-school" were you can learn... well, a craft (carpentry or electronics)
If you finish the College you usually end up in University because the "Diploma" you get from College is almost useless in the jobmarket.

I'm currently in University, I took a 5 years break after the college and did all sorts of shitty jobs.

[Madman-Rogovich]

Originally posted by andrewas: I started at 4, but that was cos my birthday is before march. Normal age over here is 5.

YOU GOTS THE SCHOOLIN?!?!?!?! out here in the east o the 'deen didnt do no schoolin atall...... (seriously tho i'd be 5 years of age on my first day)

[Kakero]

I start Kindergarten at age of 3. However at the age of 1, my parents have already arrange me to have private education.

[True_Moose]

Wow, they must really have wanted you gone! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[/)eathKiller]

I started at 5 in kindergarten, though I know its now quite practical to throw your kids in school at 3 in the US with either private establishments or day-care pre-school facilities, this is usually done by parents who don't have the time to care for a child... I would also like to point out that Dr. Zimbarto did some early childhood studies for Harvard a while back and he found the earlier a kid is sent off to school (before five) the more socially seperate they are from society, where at 5 seems to be the exact age fit for a child to begin learning, but only if assisted in a kindergarten program.

I myself only went to K-11 so I attended exactly 12 years of school (I graduated early the last year and was technically regarded as a Senior without having been a Junior) and through the Department of Defense Dependant Schools System I have gained what some call the highest education available to Americans. And that makes me proud... Though I'm even more happy to have logged 50 Semester hours of college work before turning 18 [img]tongue.gif[/img]

The DoDDs system proceeds as follows:

(age 5) Kindergarten - Basic motor skills
(age 6) First Grade - begining elementery school - Reading, Denilian Writing
(age 7) Second Grade - Advanced Reading, Cursive Writing, Arithmatic
(age 8) Third Grade - Advanced Arithmatic, In Depth Reading/Comprehension
(age 9) Fourth Grade - Typing, Computer-based math, Classical Reading
(age 10) Fith Grade - Pop-Culture Reading, Computer Programming, sciences
(age 11) Sixth Grade - Now entering middle school Biology, Algebra
(age 12) Seventh Grade - Still middle school, Comprehending Literature, Geometry
(Age 13) Eigth Grade - Last year of middle school, Algebra II
(Age 14) Ninth Grade - Freshmen - Essay Writing, Calculus
(age 15) Tenth Grade - Sophomore - Term Paper Writing, Trigonomitry
(Age 16) Eleventh Grade - Junior - Fiction/Non Fiction Publishing, Adv. Calc.
(age 17) Twelth Grade - Senior Year - Nothing important really, its over!

Outside of DoDDs:

(age 18) By now they should have graduated and are begining lives out of home
(age 19) By now they should be experienced outside of home
(age 20) By now they should have a family of their own and a job
(age 21) By now they should have a Bachelors Degree
(age 22) By now they should have a pay raise
(age 23) By now they should have a Masters Degree
(age 24) By now they should have another pay raise
(age 25) By now they should have a PhD.
(age 26) They should begin specialization and certification

Please note: This system works only at the pace of average FULL human potential! Otherwise it does't mean jack, people can graduate a year late (like a freind I know) or a year early (like in my case) , and it won't effect the system, only their age..

[ 08-02-2003, 10:11 PM: Message edited by: /)eathKiller ]

[wellard]

I started at 5 and left at 15 years old (going on 12 maturity) it still amazes me when I work with a new starting apprentice who is 19. I had finished my apprenticeship by then [img]graemlins/heee.gif[/img]

Our oldest child could have gone to school a year earlier but after my experience we decided to hold him back a year. We think it has been a very good decision.

[Cloudbringer]

I started first grade at 5. Skipped kindergarden altogether as I was already reading beyond first grade level by then. Funniest thing is, the teacher in the private school I started in said I wasn't ready for school and would never make it.....we moved and I went to public schools (and school for dependant on an Air Force base) and ended up 4th in a HS class of over 600 and cum laude from college. Wish I could see that first grade teacher again...LOL Hope she didn't give up her teaching to work for Miss Cleo!

[Dragonshadow]

4, I belive. Around here, we start at about 3- 5, or something like that.

[liz76love]

I started pre shcoll at age of 3 and then elementary school at 5 this is normal. for my area.