Do you believe that the American school system does a good job of preparing youth for adult society?

Question

FYI, this question is not aimed at teachers.

I believe that we fail to educate our children about the following:
1) Managing finances.
2) The importance of college, what will happen if you don't go and what steps you need to take to go. I believe this should be taught from a very early age.
3) Starting in KG we should be taught why we are even in school...I asked both my son and his friend whom are in second grade and considered above average intelligence if they were aware that they are in school to prepare them for the adult world; they had no idea.
4) Proper diet. Look at the menu on the average school menu, its loaded with Fats, Sugars, and bad Carbs.
5) Positive thinking. I feel we don't teach kids to believe in themselves.
6) Innovative learning techniques. The only one I was taught was to create an acronym out of something to remember it. I have seen entire books on tips and tricks for more effecient ways to learn. This should be a course in itself.

Answer 1

Of course our schools are not preparing them for the adult world. However, the problem starts at home. How many parents instead of reading to their young toddler will simply turn on the TV and let them become numb on Elmo's world. Educational TV? Maybe but it is no substitute for interaction with mom and dad. As for nutrition, that too begins at home. Managing finances begins at home with allowances earned for chores completed in a timely fashion, without begging and bribing. Our children's self esteem is directly influenced by how you treat them at home from day one. If you have no time for them, then how are they supposed to know you love them and care about them. And if the school is not doing it's job efficiently enough then it is up to us as the parents to pare down some of our non essential activities and take up doing extra things with them to move them further along. Children do much better when they know that the parents not only read their report cards but take a daily interest in what they are doing and how they are performing. We simply cannot lay it all on the steps of the school. There is major need for reform at school...that is obvious from the results of the basic skills tests given each year. But we, as parents, have to step up to the plate and put up or shut up with regards to teaching our children how to be good productive members of society.

Answer 2

The American system is preparing kids to work at McDonald's. A reason why the ruling class (who can afford private education) has not changed in the past 100 years.

Consider India (British system) graduates 300,000+ engineers per year compared to 30,000 in the US - startling.

South Korea is developing stem cell research that puts the US 10-15 years behind - wow!

The US ranked 24th ouf of 29 in reading and science literacy. Suprising for a country with 17 of the top 20 universities in the world. Not surprising when immigrants make up about 30 - 60% of the students in those universities.

27% of American under age 26 have Bachelor's Degrees compared with 56% in other developed countries.

Then there's Britney Spears ("Well he's our President if he says so it must be true!"). As dumb as they come!

Answer 3

I think the larger major cities are struggling more than smaller rural area schools. I lived in a major city for a very long time and recall my eldest child telling me many times there were not enough books or the books were so damaged and out of date it was almost impossible to learn. However, I now live in a rural area, the test scores are some of the highest in the state. They have a very high graduation rate and college rate. And many of the young men and women return to the community to work as teachers, lawyers, doctors, professionals, etc. So, i really think it is horrible in some areas and better in others. Also the parents must take some responsibility of teaching their children and preparing them for the adult world. God bless

Answer 4

Not all manual labor jobs are low-paying, btw. Especially if you own the company. There will always be slackers out there to perform the 'low end' jobs as you put it. But something I've noticed is kids will not work for peanuts anymore. There are summer jobs around here that kids used to jump at the chance to get when I was their age, but now they don't offer enough money to interest the kids, and so they've gone to immigrants and even the Amish. Why do teenagers feel they need to have such large salaries? it's ridiculous.

Answer 5

No I don't, other countries education systems are far more comprehensive. If you gave a test of the caliber of say a dutch student to one of the brightest american students at almost any school in America the american student wouldn't be able to finish it. Now how are american children supposed to compete in an increasingly global economy. School hours need to be longer, and more emphasis needs to be on the core subjects as well as learning a foreign language.

Answer 6

not in florida schools all the teachers get to do here is prepare students for is the fcat test they do not get to truly educate , it is sad the student can pass fcat test yes but they really dont know how to read or speak or write proper english . and the schools that get a rating of a-f and if they fail F they do not get funding to help the studnets to improve but the schools with a good rating A-C do get funding but they already have students that are smart and the parents most of the time especially in a schools are rated A are financially well off

Answer 7

I remember my teachers voice being very monotone, then waking up with slobber on my desk, and everyone laughing. How did they stay awake? How far do you think I got? Then reading about quotas for the school systems to "PASS STUDENTS" no matter what the child's ability was made me realize how did I get to where I am, and how other people are in the situations they are in now. Teachers are our children's HOPE for a better world, Parents, you could be first or second, at this point it does not matter parents and teachers are making a difference in children's live. yes teachers they are under paid and under appreciated. I want to know how to make a difference!! WE NEED OUR TEACHER'S, OUR CHILDREN NEED THESE TEACHER'S... Since teacher's stay teaching, I want to know from them how to get on board and help you to keep teaching our future.

Answer 8

No we do not teach them properly. although I was taught all these things by my parents. Self discipline or motivation is another thing parents do not teach. Self discipline is something that I learned when I was 7 by being in a Karate class for 2 yrs before I had to stop due to an injury.

Answer 9

You have a great list. Having hired a couple of people in the last month let me assure you that the school system is not doing anything on your list.

I get kids who come to work for me making 30 a year and every month they are broke

Answer 10

No, I don't really think the system is perfect. And I don't expect the system to be perfect either. That is why kids have parents and other adults at home. I don't believe the state or the school district has obligation to prepare kids for adult life. They only provide basic education. They provide lunch for convenience. If you don't like the system, you have option to home school your kids.