What is wring with the American Educational system

[Kuraikiba]

And people wonder why I think everyone is a moron... I don't meet people that weren't schooled by America!

[marharth]

I honestly think that the biggest issue with why American education lacks is because its a general American trait to not find education important.

 

Think about the "American Dream" of making good in bad circumstance. How many stories have we heard and have had glorified that talk of 'Mr. Smith who is now a millionaire. He started this huge business and only has a forth grade education!" You remember these? This kind of thinking started long ago and has just continued on.

 

I believe that many American's view people with advanced degrees and a great deal of education as either "untouchable" or as arrogant and pompus. Think about peoples reactions to folks with many advanced degrees. Who needs that fancy book learning?!! LOL

 

Ultimately good education requires a strong commitment. People need to believe its one of the most important things, be willing to make the sacrifices to get education improved and remember...we give our children up to teachers all day long for a third of the year. These folks have a MASSIVE effect on our kids. We need to make sure they are the best. I firmly believe teachers need to be held accountable but not merely as reflected by standardized testing which does not show the entire picture. I also think teachers (along with police and fire fighters) need to be paid very well. Their jobs are important and often thankless. You get what you pay for folks...every time.

Interesting theory, but I have to disagree that that is the main reason.

 

I think the main reason is subjects being taught not to teach, but subjects being taught so people will pass tests.

[draconix]

Think about the "American Dream" of making good in bad circumstance. How many stories have we heard and have had glorified that talk of 'Mr. Smith who is now a millionaire. He started this huge business and only has a forth grade education!" You remember these? This kind of thinking started long ago and has just continued on.

 

One might argue that the current school program doesn't teach much after the 4th grade... It is my firmly held belief that one should never let one's education interfere with one's learning, to draw from Mark Twain. I think it would be great to dash the current system as it is, because it doesn't work. Most of my learning occurred after high school ended. So what's wrong with the system?

 

The curriculum is slow-paced, some of the required classes aren't necessary, and people's parents raised poorly behaved children. Philosophic concepts should be taught along-side arithmetic, reading and writing. History lessons should be aimed at teaching big picture concepts rather than the trivial dates of sub-events. Earlier math classes should center around money and budgeting. Teaching life-concepts instead of trivia should be the goal. Core classes should teach basic things that people will actually need to know in day to day life, like how to do basic math, how to use reasoning to think for themselves, and how to read and write. Aside from those core classes, everything else should be elective classes that focus on getting children ready to work in the real world. Computer programming, art, music, advanced mathematics, different languages...

 

I could really go on for hours about this... but it's like beating a dead horse, and I don't want to be president, and congress would sooner collectively roll over and die, rather than listen to what I'd have to say. I guess that the big goal should be to recover some lost ground... Like starting with making "common sense" common again.

[marharth]

Think about the "American Dream" of making good in bad circumstance. How many stories have we heard and have had glorified that talk of 'Mr. Smith who is now a millionaire. He started this huge business and only has a forth grade education!" You remember these? This kind of thinking started long ago and has just continued on.

 

One might argue that the current school program doesn't teach much after the 4th grade... It is my firmly held belief that one should never let one's education interfere with one's learning, to draw from Mark Twain. I think it would be great to dash the current system as it is, because it doesn't work. Most of my learning occurred after high school ended. So what's wrong with the system?

 

The curriculum is slow-paced, some of the required classes aren't necessary, and people's parents raised poorly behaved children. Philosophic concepts should be taught along-side arithmetic, reading and writing. History lessons should be aimed at teaching big picture concepts rather than the trivial dates of sub-events. Earlier math classes should center around money and budgeting. Teaching life-concepts instead of trivia should be the goal. Core classes should teach basic things that people will actually need to know in day to day life, like how to do basic math, how to use reasoning to think for themselves, and how to read and write. Aside from those core classes, everything else should be elective classes that focus on getting children ready to work in the real world. Computer programming, art, music, advanced mathematics, different languages...

 

I could really go on for hours about this... but it's like beating a dead horse, and I don't want to be president, and congress would sooner collectively roll over and die, rather than listen to what I'd have to say. I guess that the big goal should be to recover some lost ground... Like starting with making "common sense" common again.

I would argue against teaching music and art in schools.

 

I don't see art and music as something you need for your life, and it takes away time from other courses.

[Keanumoreira]

And people wonder why I think everyone is a moron... I don't meet people that weren't schooled by America!

 

That is a sterotype and is therefore invalid.

 

I can still speak, I can spell just about any word vocalized to me, I can read, I can multi-task, I can walk, I can solve problems independently, just like everyone else. On top of that, I've mastered the basics and excelled with a learning disability. If you want to call this honor student a moron just because he was raised in the states, then I got news for you: You're wrong buddy. :thumbsup:

 

I suggest you restate your bias conclusion.

Edited July 30, 2011 by Keanumoreira

[Kuraikiba]

And people wonder why I think everyone is a moron... I don't meet people that weren't schooled by America!

 

That is a sterotype and is therefore invalid.

 

I can still speak, I can spell just about any word vocalized to me, I can read, I can multi-task, I can walk, I can solve problems independently, just like everyone else. On top of that, I've mastered the basics and excelled with a learning disability. If you want to call this honor student a moron just because he was raised in the states, then I got news for you: You're wrong buddy. :thumbsup:

 

I suggest you restate your bias conclusion.

 

Perhaps I did not phrase this right. What I meant to say was of people I personally have met. Most of the people in my state have an IQ that is floating somewhere around that of a mailbox. I know a kid who can barely spell in 10th grade. Shoot, I know people who can barely SPEAK properly in 10th grade.

 

Then again, I DID mention people from one of the most notoriously awful school districts in the entire US.

[marharth]

And people wonder why I think everyone is a moron... I don't meet people that weren't schooled by America!

 

That is a sterotype and is therefore invalid.

 

I can still speak, I can spell just about any word vocalized to me, I can read, I can multi-task, I can walk, I can solve problems independently, just like everyone else. On top of that, I've mastered the basics and excelled with a learning disability. If you want to call this honor student a moron just because he was raised in the states, then I got news for you: You're wrong buddy. :thumbsup:

 

I suggest you restate your bias conclusion.

 

Perhaps I did not phrase this right. What I meant to say was of people I personally have met. Most of the people in my state have an IQ that is floating somewhere around that of a mailbox. I know a kid who can barely spell in 10th grade. Shoot, I know people who can barely SPEAK properly in 10th grade.

 

Then again, I DID mention people from one of the most notoriously awful school districts in the entire US.

IQ has to do with how logical you are, education won't change it.

[Kuraikiba]

According to my school district, I went from borderline mentally retarded to the equivalent of a MENSA genius in four years. That's pathetic.

[Deleted472477User]

Is it the money we spend or the way it is spent.

Is it as political as the rest of our society is, or is it favoritism that works against itself.

Is it because the dept. of education and the teachers unions, like the right says or the lack of funding, like the left says.

 

I sometimes believe that it is an orchestrated attempt by those in power to dumb down the populous, so they can be easily lead. Wither they are on the left or the right. The power of the government is increasing and that of the citizen is depleting.

 

 

Edumuhcation: learn me a book! Is our children learning? :D

 

I have to say I agree with the last statement. My room mate and I were discussing this just the other day.

[Kuraikiba]

As Congress grows, it appears the system gets worse.