“Not Better … Not Worse
… Just Different”
by Dan Byler
Aleksandra “Sasha” Altapova is
fond of saying things in America are
‘Not better, not worse, just different.’
That sums up most of her time as a
Russian exchange student experiencing the American school system at
Westview and family life at the Felder
household.
Considered a senior here, Sasha
will need to spend the summer catching up with schoolwork she missed
while here this year, so that she will be
ready for her final year of high school
in Russia in the fall. She has been
doing some school work all along for
her home school, Gymnazium No. 9,
in Togliatty, Russia, as well as all her
assignments from Westview.
In Russia, she attends 17 classes
per trimester on a weekly schedule as
opposed to the daily seven class schedule at Westview. There, school starts at
8 a.m. every day, but the ending time
might vary from 2 to 4 pm.
Each of her class periods
are 40 minutes, but
she might have
some only once a
week; others more
often.
While some
classes are what
Americans would
Sasha (middle) with her Host Grandma, Ruth Felder and her host Mom, Teresa
see as “normal”,
she also has classes Felder. Angel is by grandma and Caramel is with Mom. Hometown Treasure Photo
such as “oratory” where they learn how it is all in good condition. There are no
to be better public speakers.
sports in Russian schools, I would have
Her school schedule is five weeks
to pay maybe $400 per month to join
of school, then a one week break, five
a tennis club. Here I can play on the
more weeks of school, another week
team for free! There are supplies availbreak and then a final five week secable in every classroom if you need
tion for each trimester. She gets about them; pencil sharpeners in every room.
two months off for summer vacation.
“I think the school here cares
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