When the 2:50 P.M. bell rang

Question

When the 2:50 p.m. bell rang, I threw my books in the locker. Free until tomorrow morning! I ran to the parking lot, excited at the thought of driving a car and being my own boss.I'm curious about the time 2:50 in the above. Is it the set time that middle school kids leave school in America?

Verade · Accepted Answer

Yes, my grandson leaves school at this time! He goes to school very early in the morning. In my part of the country this is because school buses are needed to transport elementary and high school children at different times.

Angliholic · Answer

VeradeYes, my grandson leaves school at this time! He goes to school very early in the morning. In my part of the country this is because school buses are needed to transport elementary and high school children at different times.

Thanks,Vera.

Could you shed more light on the part in bold? I'm still all at sea.

BarbaraPA · Answer

Within a school district, the same buses are used for different schools. The high school kids go very early, and as soon as they are droppped off, the buses start making the rounds to pick up the middle school/junior high kids. Then as soon as they are dropped off, they go get the elementary school kids.

So the high school kids get out the earliest, and soon as they are home, the buses go to the junior high... and so on.

Verade · Answer

Because we have a very large school system there are not enough school buses to transport every school child at about the same time of day. Because of this they take different grade level students to school at different times in order to go back to pick up other ones. For instance, one school bus driver might transport high school students first, then begin the route again to transport all middle school students to their school, then return again to pick up elementary school students and take them to their particular school building. One bus driver may therefore spend many hours just to get everyone to school in the morning! The scheduling at each school building is different from the others. How is it done where you live?

Angliholic · Answer

Grammar GeekWithin a school district, the same buses are used for different schools. The high school kids go very early, and as soon as they are droppped off, the buses start making the rounds to pick up the middle school/junior high kids. Then as soon as they are dropped off, they go get the elementary school kids.

So the high school kids get out the earliest, and soon as they are home, the buses go to the junior high... and so on.

Thanks, GG, for the interesting info.

Here it is the other way around! The elementary school kids get home first because they have the least pressure from schoolwork. The high school kids can't get home usually until 4:50 pm. Some even have to go to cram school and stay there until 10 or 11 pm. Poor kids!

Verade · Answer

There is a scientific study that shows teenagers perform better if they sleep much later in the morning than an adult or a younger child does. It seems our school system is scheduling the wrong way around! I believe we will not change though, because high school students often have after-school jobs or participate in sports, and the early dismissal time allows a lot of time for this.

Angliholic · Answer

VeradeBecause we have a very large school system there are not enough school buses to transport every school child at about the same time of day. Because of this they take different grade level students to school at different times in order to go back to pick up other ones. For instance, one school bus driver might transport high school students first, then begin the route again to transport all middle school students to their school, then return again to pick up elementary school students and take them to their particular school building. One bus driver may therefore spend many hours just to get everyone to school in the morning! The scheduling at each school building is different from the others. How is it done where you live?

Thanks, Vera.

Since there are many people who live in a smaller area here, and there are many kinds of different transportations, therefore, we have different practice from yours. All the kids go to school almost at the same time. Maybe the younger ones can go a little later since they don't have as much schoolwork as the older ones.

By the way, I wonder why you write "The scheduling at each school building ..." instead of "The schedule of each school ..." Could you shed more light?

Verade · Answer

Yours is the better one!

Angliholic · Answer

VeradeYours is the better one!

Thanks, Vera.

But I'm more interested in the reason why you said it that way. What are its different meanings from my version?

Nona the brit · Answer

I'd never thought about this before..the logistics of the US school bus. I suppose I thought each school has its own buses. It does seem the wrong way round though - as littl'uns bounce out of bed at the crack of dawn yet teenagers are the walking dead until lunchtime!

Over here there aren't really any school buses in that sense. There are a VERY few, mainly for colleges though, so if kids need buses/trains they just use the normal public transport ones and get a free travel pass for them. Best to avoid the buses near the town centres at school kicking out time. Otherwise it's down to the parents to take the kids to school, which clogs up our roads with mums in cars on the school run exactly at rush hour when everyone's trying to get to work. The US school bus idea is an excellent one!

When the 2:50 P.M. bell rang

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