Do American high schools have homeroom teachers?

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In Taiwan, we have homeroom teachers from elementary school through high school (Grades 1-12). I know American elementary schools have homeroom teachers. Do American high schools have homeroom teachers?

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Hi, here in the US, your elementary teacher is not referred to as a “homeroom teacher”, but just your teacher. The term “homeroom teacher” is not used until students begin going from class to class throughout the school day - usually in middle school. At that point, and continuing into high school, “homeroom” is a class where no specific subject is taught. It is also called “study hall” or at my kids’ school, “advisory”. This is sort of a free period where announcements are made, where students can study or catch up on their homework, or where they can visit other teachers to get assistance or ask questions. The person who supervises this class period is called the homeroom teacher. At our kids’ school, we have parent-teacher conferences, and the homeroom teacher is the person we meet with who tells us how our child is doing.

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Hi T.J. please correct me if I’m wrong but as far as I understand there is no law in the US requiring parents to send their kids to school. They are free to decide whether or not they want to homeschool their kids, right?

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Yes, exactly. We have two families on our one block who homeschool their kids, so it is not that uncommon. In my experience, there are generally two categories of homeschool families. 1. Those who are very religious and do not agree with the “liberal values” stressed in school and who feel the public schools are “indoctrinating” kids with secular ideas. 2. Those who are very free-spirited, sort of modern day “hippies” who see school as being too regimented and want their kids to develop naturally and who think teaching through experiences is a better way of education than forcing kids to sit in a classroom.

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Do you have any idea as to the percentage of kids in the US who are being homeschooled?

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A quick Google check says 3-4%.

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That’s very interesting because in Germany we are currently having a debate about whether or not it is legitimate for school kids to take part in the Fridays For Future strikes. The government says the strikes are illegal because every child in Germany is required by law to attend school. However, a growing number of people don’t agree with this arguing that the Fridays For Future movement is way more important than the ancient law.

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