I've been thinking about the education system in the US and why it has been turning out students that are less prepared for college compared to their foreign counterparts. There are of course those structural arguments that the way we set up our education system is completely different than the way they do in most countries. We try to educate everyone, even those who will have no hope of living independently and holding down a job. However, I've been concerned lately with cultural factors more lately.
I may be teaching in a school that represents the extreme for this, but it seems that students in the US don't take their educations seriously. Going to school is something they have to do, for most of them. If they weren't forced to be there, they wouldn't be. Contrast that with some other countries, where students take their educations very seriously, going early, coming home late, and going to a tutor in between. By the time they get to college, they have spent more time on scholastic achievement than the average American college graduate. It's no wonder there are far more students overseas that are interested in math and science, because they have lived and breathed it for the previous 12 years.
I heard the results of a troubling study recently. The study said that the rising generation will likely be the first generation in US history that is less educated, less successful, and poorer than the previous generation. I don't think this has much to do with the teachers being trained, but more with the students' willingness to learn.
I have to agree with you. I was listening to proposals on "fixing" the education problem, and specifically the drop out problem, and the phrase came to mind "He who is given everything appreciates nothing." If our kids aren't forced to earn their education (and, yes, that would necessarily mean that some kids fall behind) it won't be worth anything. I'm not sure how far I would take that. I think kids should be able to learn in spite of their individual situations. But, if they choose to forfeit on that, so be it. Given the current state of things, the fall out may be horrific. I don't know what the answer is, aside from making sure MY kids are receiving as good an education as they can.
ReplyDeleteI really think that it all comes down to the parents and the family kids grow up in. There is nothing teachers, schools, or the government can do that can't be undone in the home, be that for good or bad. Overall in our school system though I also feel as though our schools have become so focused on "catching up" by pushing the kids harder that we have removed a lot of the fun from school, so honestly I don't blame a lot of the kids. We have to get back to helping the kids love to learn as opposed to placing more and more pressure on them to score better on tests.
ReplyDeleteI realize that there are lots and lots of wonderful teachers out there who do a great job of instilling that love of learning in their kids, but unfortunately it is hard for them because the entire system is built around pushing harder on these kids. Until that focus changes and parents stop thinking school is a nice daycare nothing will change in the attitude of the kids. - Matt
You are so right, Matt. "No Child Left Behind" has become a waste of time and a meaningless joke. The standards that all states are supposed to reach, with at least 90% (I think) proficiency in math, reading, and writing is greater than the number of students that aren't in special ed. On top of that, the "qualifying" tests have been dumbed down so that states can make federal mandates for passing rates and keep federal funds flowing. Even so, there are large numbers of students with no interest in passing the tests who sabotage all efforts on teachers' parts to work (essentially) towards their quotas.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is all the fixes are satanic - what can be done to dump education on someone with no concern for exercise of agency by the person. Encourage not order.
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