09/06/2026
Still on Cultural Differences: When American Middle School Starts Giving University Vibes. Is This JSS1 or University?🇺🇸 🇳🇬
One thing that continues to fascinate me about cultural differences is how early American children are introduced to independence and personal responsibility, and working in a middle school has made me notice it even more.
Growing up in Nigeria, secondary school was pretty straightforward. You came to school, entered your classroom, sat down, and the teachers came to you. From one subject to another, you remained in the same classroom unless it was time for the science lab or another special activity.
Choosing electives and building my own schedule? Ah! In my experience, that kind of freedom came much later.
University was where I really experienced that.
Then I started working in an American middle school and I was like.
Wait o! Are these middle school scholars or undergraduate students?
These children are moving from classroom to classroom throughout the day, following individual schedules, taking both core subjects and electives, keeping track of different teachers and assignments, and learning to manage their own time.
Two children can both be in 6th grade and still have parts of their schedules look completely different depending on their interests, academic needs, abilities, and available electives.
And nobody is following them around shouting:
“Your next class is over there!”
They are expected to check their schedules, know where they're going, and get there.
Sometimes I imagine a JSS1 student back home navigating school like this, carrying an individual schedule, changing classrooms for different subjects, and having some choice in electives.
University experience loading from JSS1.
Even the school calendar caught my attention. Growing up in Nigeria, we had First Term, Second Term, and Third Term. Here in the U.S., schools may organize the academic year into semesters, quarters, or trimesters, depending on the school system.
But underneath all the humor, there is something I genuinely appreciate about this cultural difference.
Independence isn't something children magically develop at 18. It can be taught and practiced gradually.
When children are given age-appropriate choices and responsibilities, they learn to make decisions, manage consequences, discover their interests, organize themselves, and advocate for what they need.
Nigeria has many strengths in our educational system and culture, especially our strong sense of community, togetherness, and collective responsibility. I wouldn't want us to lose that.
But maybe there is something we can borrow from this approach too.
Naija, perhaps we don't have to wait until university before giving students more ownership of their education.
Imagine combining our strong sense of community with more opportunities for individual choice, responsibility, and independence.
That balance could be powerful.
Now, Nigerians, help me settle this one.👇🏾
Should a JSS1 student be allowed to choose some electives and navigate an individual class schedule, or is that too much independence too early?
And for those who have experienced both Nigerian and American schools: Which system do you think better prepares children for adulthood, and what could each system learn from the other?
