American Education

Originally posted by ianpickering
Beats me but the yanks seem to love them. These parasites represent everything that I hate about the class system in Britain - sorry. Hope you didn't think I was going to defend them.

Don't care, just wanted to know what their purpose was

Originally posted by mmanuel
The thing is Ian, is that you keep making all these comments about how crap the American way of doing this is, and how crap the American way doing that is... etc., etc. Quite frankly, you should be more concerned with what is going on in our own country.

A study of 11-14 year olds in Britain found that 35% could not place London correctly on a map of Brit ...[text shortened]... the same statisitcs for Britain.... but then I guess you won't have a leg to stand on.

Mark

I teach at the secondary level (11-16) and you don't have to tell me how little general knowledge many of our teenagers have - i'm often staggered! You are right about this country being no better than the US in many respects (although i'm certainly glad that we don't all own a gun and generally (I believe) have more idea about what is going on the world) .

However I think the problem with a lack of general awareness of world events in the US is that it can lead to poor foreign policy. This could have bad consequences for us all. That's my main point.

Originally posted by latex bishop
I agree. There are major problems facing the entire education sector in most western nations.

I think a better way of thinking about it is "what do I expect the education system to deliver" and compare it to "how revolutionary is that to the actual system we have in place".

In the UK school standards seem to be steady, and even going up (rega ...[text shortened]... s much more on these than the good ones. I am sure this is the case in the US as well.

Andrew

My experience as a teacher is that most of my colleagues over the years are vey good, dedicated and want to have a positive effect on the lives of our young people. There are many things wrong with our educational system, not least that this country does not value education as they do in many other countries (eg Scotland). 'Teaching to the tests', as we have been forced to do, has done little to give people the skills that they need in later life. Children see much of what is taught to them as irrelevant. The current proposals from the ex Chief Inspector of Schools to include more vocational choices, key skills and extra curricular elements within a 'Diploma' seem interesting and may offer us a way forward.

You are right about the problem of poor behaviour. When I first went into teaching I couldn't believe how rude some of the kids were. Whose fault is that? It's a general problem in Society, which appears to be getting worse, of a lack of respect for adults and others. Many children don't appear to have ever been told that they can't have someting or they can't do something (at least not on a consistent basis) by their parents. Unfortunately our culture seems to be that if you want it you can have it now and nobody can tell you otherwise.

It makes me laugh when Politicians or Ofsted Inspectors (who are often failed teachrs) tell us that we are not doing a good job. Maybe they should do a few weeks incognito in a school and see what they think then.

Originally posted by knapperja
One point on the American education system. We educate everybody, whereas I don't think that is the case in all countries. Students are tested, and if you don't pass you don't continue the education. That means the test subjects from other countries are a more select group.

You lost me there. Run that by me again. Do all Americans stay in Education until they are 18? I teach maths (or is that 'math'😉 and all our pupils take the final exam. Not sure what your point is.

Originally posted by Omnislash

The "old school" system (pardon my pun) fails to address this in almost any way

One of several posts... I think...

I guess it is a matter of age.

In "My" old school... in Fairview, Wyoming and Lincoln and Ammon, Idaho ...

We had 40+ students per class... Baby boom, don't you know.

We each had to stand and read aloud each day. One paragraph each. The teacher thus "knew" from listening which of us could read. She taught us the art of "dramatic reading". That is the ability to "be the character" you read. My. How that made reading good and fun.

Then she paired off the Worst with the Best. In the hall. The Second Worst with the Second Best. Just like she exspected us to learn and teach.

Amazing. It worked. I was always number one... in the hall with Marian Martin, who was mentally challenged. But... by god she learned to read. I made sure she did.

Can you imagine the politically correct crowd of today actually labeling "best" and "worst"?

I think not.

Thus the great loss.
Mike

Ps... great post.

<edit>... yes, she used the terms "Best" and "Worst". She also gave us an "all-knowing eye" as she labeled us the "Best". We in turn made a joke and/or a kind repost to the "Worst"... This usually took the form of "Well. At least Marian didn't get a bloody nose at recess!" or the equivilent. Teachers then knew the importance of noblese oblige. I dare say there is not one in a million who could define it now.

Originally posted by ianpickering
You lost me there. Run that by me again. Do all Americans stay in Education until they are 18? I teach maths (or is that 'math'😉 and all our pupils take the final exam. Not sure what your point is.

Not all, but most. This is probably one of the reasons for the problems Omnislash pointed out. The basic material required for graduation could be completed by age 15 or 16 in most cases, but North American society doesn't know what to do with teenagers, so high schools have to keep kids busy with make-work projects until they're 18 and ready to venture out into the world, get a job, vote, buy guns and cirarettes (not alcohol mind you), join the army, etc.

Originally posted by richjohnson
Not all, but most. This is probably one of the reasons for the problems Omnislash pointed out. The basic material required for graduation could be completed by age 15 or 16 in most cases, but North American society doesn't know what to do with teenagers, so high schools have to keep kids busy with make-work projects until they're 18 and ready to vent ...[text shortened]... the world, get a job, vote, buy guns and cirarettes (not alcohol mind you), join the army, etc.

Some of us know what to do with children. My own grandkids... age 4 and 7 are quite able to fire up the computer and point the telescope in the back yard at orions belt.

They know how to make a buck on their own. By clearing fallen, snow broken branches for example. They just did the work yesterday and presented me with a bill. $6.88 if you want to know. Eight branches. I made them cut them to 'no more' than twelve inches and put them into the recycle bin.

So... Rich, while I know where you are coming from... and being a "cynic" by NATURE. It devolves onto all of us to improve the world. Not?