Things you didn't know you didn't know

I'm sure I had more than one of these things in my WIP, but once I corrected them I suppressed their memory out of embarrassment and shame.

Couple of things-I-didn't-know that I do recall, both of which still make me squirm, even though I couldn't have known better at the time:

As a sophomore in college, I joined the concert choir. We were doing the Berlioz Requiem, and I was suitably impressed. In my journal I wrote something about "Berlioz's lyricist," referring to the writer of the Latin words as if he were someone who collaborated with him. I felt really stupid later on when I found out that the requiem mass is a standard text of the Church and it's been around since the tenth century, if not before.

Other time was when I was in theological college in the UK. The principal had me design and sew a set of altar hangings and commissioned another student, an ex-architect like myself, to design a pair of large banners for the front of the college chapel. The sketch for one featured a loaf of bread that looked like this:
I said that looked too elitist to represent Communion bread, for who eats brioche every day?

He smiled, said nothing, and went ahead with his plan. It wasn't till later that I found out that this was a regular, ordinary, typically-English cottage loaf, and I'd been talking out of my American ignorance. All through my third year I had to sit there every morning thinking what an ass I was for shooting off my mouth about something I knew nothing about.

And yes, if it hadn't hurt my pride in My Great Knowledge of Everything it wouldn't have galled me so much.

 

Eton is a high school? The Battle of Waterloo was won at a high school? Shit, I always assumed it was like the Princeton School of Government, or Tokyo University or something, but it's a high school? And it's pronounced "eatin'", not "etton".

These are the days of miracle and wonder.

 

LOL! Yes, it is technically a secondary school. It is the most posh, famous secondary school, though.

Am I right in thinking that in America, public school is what we call state school?

 

I didn't know I didn't know Iain was a USian and not a UKian. I (think I) know he's living in Japan at the moment but I though he had emigrated from here, not over there.

Huh.

 

Yes ma'am, our high schools are the equivalent to your British red brick universities.

 

I've seen it in films. Do you really have camps of jocks, preps, nerds, and all the rest?

 

Public school in America can be any level...elementary, middle school, high school or college. All schools of any type would be called either public or private.

 

In American high school, you mean? Yes. Also, band geeks, and depending on the year, either goths, emo kids, rockers or what have you.

 

Not to trash your narrative, but here in the Midwest, I'm reasonably certain we don't. We call it elementary school (k-5), middle school (6-8, usually), and high school (9-12). Those are grades, not ages, in case anyone was confused.

 

Maybe it's changed since you were at school, but I started in nursery (3-4), then went on to reception (4-5), then Year 1 (5-6).

 

Thank you for that explanation! I knew a few of the things you mentioned, but not many. That was helpful! I'll often be reading something by a UK author and have to either skim over things, Google it (which can be a rabbit hole), or take my best guess because I don't know what the heck the author is referring to. (Happens most often when I read YA by an author from the UK.)

I wonder if this would make a good sticky, a la the "Differences is UK / American English" thread? It really does come up fairly often when reading.

 

In the US we call it preschool, kindergarten, and then first grade. Elementary school (aka primary school, grammar school) officially begins with first grade...but you must have gone to and passed kindergarten to enter first grade.

 

What do you do in Kindergarten that you can "pass"?!

*Has mental image of forty five-year-olds sitting exams*

 

Learn to get along and play well with others. Also finger paint.

 

I don't have kids, so I'm not sure what kindergarten proficiency in most states of the US involves, but I do know there is some expected level of proficiency and that kids can flunk kindergarten. There's also a level of proficiency expected before they're allowed in kindergarten. It's usually called "kindergarten readiness" but if the kid doesn't have it, they're not getting in. This is just what I've picked up from friends who have kids.

 

Little kids have to be potty-trained. That's the test, and other things. In the UK we show them a picture of the Queen and Winston Churchill, weed out extremists to the mincer.

No, ach - even in the UK there's a 'test' at one year - with plastic farm animals - and such...

'What's this, little darling?'

'Ka'

and this?

'Ca'
...

Let's not be snow-blind in the blizzard.

 

WTF!!! I thought SATs at seven was a push! (We don't have them in Wales, only found out about them a couple of weeks ago.)

What age do you start middle and high school, by the way?

 

I almost flunked Kindergarten, even though I was a "bright and capable student" because I had this thing where I didn't like listening to people telling me what to do all the time. Not that I would raise voice or fight, I would just keep doing whatever I wanted to do regardless of others wishes. I was a gem of a child.

 

Hmmm...I think 12/13 for middle school, and 14 or 15 for high school? A lot depends on what month you were born, and what a particular state's requirements are. In a lot of states it's that you have to be five by September of that school year to start kindergarten, which messes up kids who were born in October November Dec etc.

ETA: I turned 13 in the middle of sixth grade, which was our state's first year of Middle School. So 14/15 for high school (9th grade-12th grade) I think.

I graduated early, at age 16, so it's confusing.

 

I Got my GED at 17. But high school is from 14-15 to 18-19 depending on when you start kindergarten or get held back.