Thread: Problems With American Education

I understand it is good to be well-rounded, however I do belive American education does not teach us all we need to know. Rather they teach us what they want us to know. I am currently in school, and really, i see it as a waste of my time. Also higher education should not cost a dime. How are we suppose to get good jobs if we can't afford to get them damn degrees. Well what do you all think?

I've been spending some time this Spring Break with American friends who've been visiting Toronto. They find it shameful that their understanding of geography and global politics are underwhelming compared to their Canadian counterparts. Perhaps a simple re-tooling of the education system to allow for more discussion about major global events, the impact of decisions made by the world's gov'ts, and a more well-rounded geography lesson are in order. That doesn't seem to be so hard to achieve, does it?

Maybe it has a lot to do with America's standing in the world. In Canada, we study and scrutinize and learn about America as though our societies are weaved, which in many cases they are: except for the gap in time it takes for certain pieces of legislation like allowing gays to marry(which will come to the US eventually, but after a harder fight than in Canada)we share mostly the same values. I can think of only pot use and the death penalty as differences, although a moderate Canadian and a moderate American probably agree more than disagree. The Health Care Systems are quite different, too.

In America's case, I believe that my American friends and family only need curiosity and interest in our nation, and that much of this can be achieved partly in school, but that it should continue as an adult.

There are several problems with American schools, but the overwhelming one is rather simple: students and parents simply don't place a high priority on it, or at least enough don't to create a sizeable minority of uneducated people. It's not the schools themselves. Our schools consistently turn out Nobel Prize winners. It's just that some students work and others don't.

As for free college, why should all taxpayers pay for what only some will use? Anyone can go to college if they are willing to work hard enough. The obstacles for the pennyless young adult are difficult, but not insurmountable. Take out loans, apply for scholarships and financial aid, work while in school.

I wouldn't mind a program where the top 10% of every high school get free college, but I don't like the idea of giving free college to those who might not be serious or have no chance to succeed. College is an investment and it doesn't help anyone to throw good money away on people who won't make use of it.

Originally Posted by adaher

work while in school.

I feel tempted to ask if you did that, adaher. Sometimes, studies can be hard. We manage in my country due to loans. Those wo educate right away earn enough money to be free of debts at 40-50 years of age. That works now, and it will for me.

Senior high is free for me, sure. Education later on won't cost me much, but living will. Anyone CAN efford it here, I guess. the banks sort it out.

Oh, and Jason. I'd like to sort one thing out. IS it really just a myth that Americans in general are BAD at geography?

I haven't gone to college much. A few classes here and there. Perhaps I'll go soon, but right now my career is doing okay.

And I'll answer your question Fasces. Americans are horrible at geography.

For the National geographic Global Geographic Literacy Survey see

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geosurvey/

Americans are bad at geography, 30% could not find the Pacific Ocean.

Only 17% could find Afghanistan. The survey did not have any trick questions. For most of the “find a country’ questions a map of the world was shown with the countries numbered. You were to find a country form a list of 5 numbers and the country was the only one in its region whose number was on the list.

Thus if you knew that Italy was in Europe and could find Europe, you could get the number.

Unfortunately young adults in Canada and Great Britain did almost as badly.

As to why education is struggling I see several related reasons. The common thread in these reasons is that we say that we value education but we don’t put our money where our mouths are on this issue.

Teachers are not well paid. For teachers at the high school level anyone capable of teaching math and science can make more working in a math or science field than teaching.

Schools are not well funded. How many schools lack enough computers to go around, computer literacy is a major part of being a functional literate person in a modern economy.

Parents and students do not value education. How many parents will spend hundreds or thousands for extra sports training for a kid but will not fork over a dime for extra academic training.

Society does not honour educated people. I live is a small town. Our local paper will have a full sports page on local high school (and sometimes junior high) teams and individuals once a week. The only mention in the last several years of academic progress was the young girl who got an advanced acceptance to Harvard.

We honour someone’s ability to run or throw a ball more than we honour the intellectual achievers in our society. Who will do more for us in the long term?

We tend to advance the learning in school by the speed of the slowest child. The high achievers are bored and turned off by learning. We have no problem separating kids, even at a young age by athletic ability and to fund and promote the better athletes at the expense of the poorer ones but somehow intellect is not seen as something that is worthy of differentiating students on.

We do not teach critical learning and thinking skills. That’s because the teachers are helping the slowest students of basic concepts and have no time to help the advanced ones. (Some teachers lack critical thinking skills as well so they are incapable of teaching them.)

I believe that we should stream kids based on ability and progress. These streams should not be hard and fast nor should they start at too young an age. Kids should be able to change streams if they demonstrate ability to do so and the differentiation should not be great for young kids until they are mature enough to understand.

We should honour the educated in our society. We disparage them by calling them geeks and eggheads. The schools should make learning fun and challenging for all. They should put as much more extra effort into the intellectual development of the gifted as they do to the athletic development of the athletically gifted.

Originally Posted by adaher

And I'll answer your question Fasces. Americans are horrible at geography.

Why? I'm not good either. I don't really like it too much...

But next year and the year after, I'll have geograpy. I'm good at cramming, so I'll probably get better.

Why are Americans bad at Geography? you need it! More than most!

Because Americans don't travel much. We have a country that's really big and there are so many places to see most of us don't really bother to leave the US.

Originally Posted by adaher

Because Americans don't travel much. We have a country that's really big and there are so many places to see most of us don't really bother to leave the US.

Canada is a larger country than the US with many things to see.

We scored better than the US (but still poorly) on the geographic quiz.

Sorry I cannot buy your argument that the US geographic literacy problem is due to its size.

I can buy the argument that the US is so arrogant that you don’t care about the rest of the world.

However as your educational standards decline and the third world’s rises, you will lose more and more jobs to places like India that you will soon care.

Maybe the US is just "too important" to bother.
We need it, but they might not have until now. Geography is pretty easy, so maybe the school-system is to blame? Stupid teachers?