３月３日（金曜日）２０２３
我が家の地域には小学校が４つ、中学校と高校が１つずつありますが、最近中学と高校が一体になって立派な校舎がこれまでの高校の敷地に建てられました。校舎が大きくなった分、様々な変化が生じています。その一つが駐車スペース。我が家はこの高校の近くで、今回アメリカに帰って家のそばの広いバス通りの両側が高校生の車の駐車スペースになっているのに驚きました。
マサチューセッツ州では法律で車の免許証は１６歳半から認められています。高校生を持つ親御さんの報告によると、課外授業で運転免許の講習を３０時間受け、筆記試験にパスすると４０時間の路上での実技練習に入るそうです。アメリカでは運転を教えるのは免許を持つ親で、試験日には規格に合った車に試験官（警察官）が同乗します。興味深いのは筆記試験の後で親も２時間の講習を受けて証明書をもらわないと子供の実技試験が受けられないとか。免許証を受け取るまでの費用も日本に比べると驚くほど少なく、２００ドル（２万円）もかからないようです。
こんなふうに簡単に免許をとって通学してくる高校生の車を見ると結構立派です。先週は小中高と１週間の春休みでバス通りは駐車の車がなく、以前のように広々としていましたが、今週からはまた道の両側にズラリと車が縦列駐車で並んでいます。
There are four elementary schools, one middle and one high school in my district. Recently the middle school and the high school became one and a big building at the high school site was named Belmont Middle High school. Since it happened, various changes occured and one of them is parking space for student's cars. My house is near the high school and there is a wide street where a bus is running between the school and my house. When I came to Boston this time, I was surprised that both sides of the street became a parking space for the high school student's car.
In Japan people are able to get a driver's license when you become 18 years old, but in Massachusetts you can get it at the age of 16 and half years old (it is different depending on the state, though). So Japanese high school students go to their school by walking or by train and bus but many high school students in the US go to school by car. In my area, students park their cars at the space at the parking lot in school or designated on the side of the road.
Since elementary, middle and high schools were in the Spring Break last week, nobody parked the car on the road, so it was very spacious, but the break is over and many students have been parking their cars on the side of the street again. 
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