com, 2003). Fitting into the system of France is very important, and creating a good French citizen is one of the goals of the educational system. Students in France, for example, cannot wear religious clothing or other affiliations with national, non-French institutions of identity.
As in France and Japan, in the United Kingdom, education is free and compulsory until age sixteen, as an educated workforce is highly valued. There is also a great deal of respect and deference given to the role of the teacher. "Teachers in primary schools (4- to 11-year-olds) are always addressed by their surname by parents and pupils alike, always Mr., Mrs. Or Miss Smith
In secondary schools (11-16 years), teachers are always addressed as Miss or Sir" ("Introduction to School Life," Woodlands Junior School, 2007). Students in the United Kingdom must wear a uniform, which enforces a certain sense of national and school cohesion, although individualistic expression is more encouraged within the classroom environment of teaching than in Japan or France.
Still, there is less flexibility in United Kingdom curriculum planning than in America. Compulsory national testing is routine at the ages of 7, 11, 14, in England and Scotland. Students at state schools are also tested in science and math. Like Japan and France, students must take state exams to exit from university, and there are advanced level exams one must take to attend universities ("Introduction to School Life," Woodlands Junior School, 2007). However, while most students attend state schools, private schools are much more common in England (called 'public schools'). Often these schools are extremely expensive and criticized as vestiges of the English class system, as only the very wealthy and connected...
Culture
Make eye contact with the person to whom you are speaking.
If you're trying to make a new friend -- smile! Or if you don't feel like smiling, know that people smile more often in the United States when speaking to strangers or in public.
If someone says they're in a hurry, don't take it personally. People in the U.S. tend to be very impatient. They don't take leisurely lunches at work or spend a long time talking when they have things to do.
If a child 'talks back' to a parent this does not necessarily mean that the child was poorly brought up -- parents and children often fight, almost as equals, and the make up.
Don't be offended if people address you by your first name very soon in America, or if they ask you questions that seem very personal.
Works Cited
French state education - an introduction." FrenchEntree.com. 2003. 20 Oct 2007. http://www.frenchentree.com/fe-education/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=70
Introduction to School Life." Woodlands Junior School. 20 Oct 2007. http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/education/index.html
Primary and Secondary Education." Country Studies: Japan. 20 Oct 2007. http://www.country-studies.com/japan/primary-and-secondary-education.html
Samovar, Larry a., Porter, Richard, E. And McDaniel, Edward R.
Communication between Cultures. 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2006a.
Samovar, Larry a., Porter, Richard, E. And McDaniel, Edward R.
Intercultural Communication: A Reader. 11th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2006b.
