How come immigrants are smarter?

Question

How come some immigrants are smarter than people who were born in America even though they have to learn English first. During school a high school kid born and raised in America did not know what the meaning of ally meant.

I am an immigrant and i definatly know what ally means. I am one of the smartest people in my school just to get acroos a point Rifz.

I do not work as hard as everybody but i am still more intellectual than the average American.

Answer 1

a) because in many "feeder countries" for america, education is held in much higher regard than in the us, and thus immigrants will often have enjoyed better schooling
b) because they or their parents came to america for a better life and are thus more ambitious than their american neighbours, meaning they work harder for getting the best education they possibly can
c) because even the process of having to learn a new language in itself will increase your brain power by forcing you to organise knowledge, utilise parts of your intellect you didn't have to use before etc.

Answer 2

As a former public school teacher, I have to disagree with your generalization. So rather than answer that question directly, I'll address the perception instead: Why does it seem that immigrant kids are smarter?

There are a few contributing factors here: There is a selection bias in immigration: Coming to the United States requires resources (even if you're crossing from Canada or Mexico). Obtaining the resources to immigrate, in turn, requires some level of success/intelligence in the home country on the part of the parents, and one of the predictors of intelligence in kids is parents' education and income. So there's the first consideration.

Next, there's another selection bias in the classroom itself. The students whose English is critically limited will often be moved into sheltered or bilingual instruction. This is, in fact, often deleterious to those students' education (although not always: There's a lot of variation between schools and between classrooms). So you're going to tend to see only the above average students in the mainstream classroom.

And finally, there's a cultural norm in America which makes showing intelligence an undesirable trait (a rather undesirable cultural norm, but a cultural norm nevertheless). An immigrant student will be less aware of this norm and will be more willing to admit in a classroom that he or she knows the answer to a question.

Answer 3

49% of the American population is smarter than the average American. Duh!

I don't think that percentage is higher among recent immigrants, though. (Most of us are immigrants or of immigrant stock.)

Currently in America there is a lot of noise about *illegal* immigrants--a direct result of political attempts to get people's minds off the *real* problems. This leads to those in the lower 48 (percent, not states ) stomping their feet and screaming about those "stupid immigrants."

Just because they're wrong, doesn't mean that immigrants are *more* intelligent than the average American. *You* may be, but I don't know that, especially based only on the fact that you knew a definition another didn't. I am in the top few percent of intelligence, but there are lots of people who know words I don't. Maybe everybody knows at least one that I don't. But their intelligence probably depends more upon the nutritional value of the food their mothers ate during pregnancy than where they were born.

A stereotype, positive or negative, is a stereotype, and seldom proves true across an entire group. More often, it doesn't even prove true across a tiny section of a group!

Answer 4

I think the majority of immigrants have a greater drive for success than the average American. The immigrants that come to America are the driven individuals of that particular country that want more than they think they're offered in their homeland. So when they get the chance to live the "American Dream", the greater majority of them capitalize on the resources available for success here in the U.S. Also in modern society it is encouraged for the minority to succeed. Even though they feel burdened by that same society, many opportunities are offered for those individuals. Obviously this doesn't apply to every immigrant and every American.

Answer 5

Immigrants are smarter simply because they have to face lots of hardship when they grow up. In countries where there are not enough natural resources or third world countries where life is rather hard it is very difficult for people to grow up in luxury. Because of this such people realize at a very young age what their mettle is and what they should do to achieve their goals. People who grow up in luxury do not know or do not care to know what it is to work hard to have even the basic luxuries of life.

There are also other factors like the attitude of the parents during the growth of such kids. In USA parents basically take care of their kids during the earlier periods of their lives, but once kids reach teenage then the parents are too busy trying to make both ends meet. So we have both parents who work and the kids do whatever they feel like. Unless and until such kids are exceptionally thoughtful and able minded they do not think about future. They are busy thinking about girls, Pot etc.

In case of immigrants parents are always in tune with the day to day activities of their kids even at a stage when their kids are beyond the teen years. As such the immigrant parents are well able to guide their kids using their own life experiences and world view.
It is also a fact that when one thinks of immigrants they have the experiences of their lives (the ones they lived in their respective countries) and the lives they live here in USA (or other Western countries) to use when they deal with their kids here. The combination of the impulses and wisdom of these two different life experiences imbued into the lives of the immigrant kids make them much more appreciative, clever and sensible. They learn from these and try to better themselves more than their parents. They work hard at this and put a whole lot more effort into succeeding in their lives.

For immigrant people education is always a major priority. The parents of immigrant kids enforce this on their kids well, thereby making the kids put in a lot more effort and time to getting a good education. From a very young age such kids are made to understand the importance of a good education and how it will enable them to better their life. Unlike native American born American kids, these kids understand why getting a good education and getting a better understanding of the world is important.

There are also issue that may actually impact the mental growth aspects of Kids in USA. I have not seen or heard any other country in the world feed ' Ritalin ' to kids at school to keep them docile and under control. Also, when the Kids are young the parents want them to grow up quickly. So essentially if a teenager, say about 14 or so does not have a girlfriend or a boyfriend the parents in USA think something is wrong with their kids.
So essentially there are lots of pressures on the Kids. All such pressures indeed create, maybe some kinds of apathy in the kids, such that they do not care about succeeding anymore.

Answer 6

you have got a lot of nerve you immigrant reeloader,if you are all so fuckn smart go back to your shithole countries and fix them.you idiots are just memorizers,americans are doers we ont just discuss things we build them and make them a reality,while you colored arrogant assholes ride our coat tails.you don't seem very smart to me so I'm not sueprised at your insulting question,the bottom line is the more blacks and Mexicans in our country the stupider we get.whites are smarter than all you immigrant copy cat reverse engineers.america kicks your countries asses at everything ,so I suggest since you are so intellectual go back there and improve the dump.we don't need or want any more immigrants.

Answer 7

What the hell do you mean how come? What an insult! Like Americans have brains.
Okz. Its in there genes. Immigrants are mostly Aryans. And mixed breeds. This combination gives them the edge over the natives.

Answer 8

Define smarter? Define intelligence? I wonder, because it sounds as if you are being so arrogant as to ask why you are smarter than other Americans just because you are from another country. Honestly, being from another country has nothing to do with intelligence...intelligence comes from a seeking of knowledge, knowing how to appropriately apply that knowledge, and actually applying the knowledge. It has nothing to do with race, creed, religion or otherwise.

Answer 9

I think its because alot of americans have gotten lazy. Generally parents are either to busy trying to support there family or earn an income or just dont care. Teachers are underpaid and underappreciated so many of them just pass kids through the system.

Answer 10

First thing they have to survive. Second they cannot go back and face humiliation from friends, relatives and society. Third in any new place/environment. nobody comment or criticize about what they do, why they do, how they do. This new found freedom, and absence of social,societal pressure makes them smarter.