h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm not sure if anything like this exists in the UK... we didn't have any free periods at all at highschool, and where I am now at sixth form college we have free periods but don't have to spend them in any particular place. Most people, in fact, use the time for playing sport, hanging around with friends or going home and doing whatever they'd normally do. Either way, the art of note-passing is seldom (in my experience) practised over here...

(BTW: After many hours of discussion with friends in the US, I've finally managed to work out that our sixth form college approximates to the last three years those in the US spend in highschool... it's when we earn the qualifications which get us into university)

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We never really had studyhall or free periods in school at all (not even in 5th and 6th year, which are the two final years where you prepare for the Leaving Certificate which is similar to A levels). The only time we had them was if a teacher was sick which didn't happen nearly enough for our liking.

Of course most of us practiced all the note passing, doodling etc. during regular classes so maybe free periods just weren't needed!!

Yes, well I'm in the US and I never had study hall but we would make up for the notepassing in all my classes. In fact I still do it now that I'm at university. Usually the notes are ridiculing the teacher or other students in the class.

Does anyone out there know enough about the varying school systems to do a write-up? I'm completely confused by the U.K. and Germany comments, (A level? College=highschool? Huh?) I have no knowledge of any educational system aside from the U.S., (though someone once told me that we're waaaaaaay behind over here and that U.K. kids are doing algebra in 5th grade or earlier.) Perhaps a collaborative write-up is in order.