Why is it that students of Asian, Europe, ETC. Have a better education?

Question

To clarify, what I mean is while education in America is Prestigious, kids that are 13 years of age are learning calculus abroad(for example). I've talked to many Asian immigrant friends and they say school here is a breeze, and they have learned what it takes to get a degree here in high school. Ive been given the answer of as Americans, we don't teach students to be competitive enough. Instead we worry about ruining thier selfesteem. Your thoughts?

Answer 1

I studied in Asia (Singapore) and went to college in the US. The primary reason is because we do not lower the standards. In the US, people expect to pass simply because they are paying the fees. This is absurd. If you are not up to the standard, you should not be given the certification. This is the reason why we have high school graduates who can barely read. Parents want their kids to feel good about themselves and not have them fail and hurt their self esteem, but guess what, handing out diplomas like candy hurts kids more than an F. Lying to our kids and telling them that they are good enough when they are not, instead of telling them to shape up is killing our work force. I have college course mates graduating with a baccalaureate business degree who are not even able to do a break-even analysis.

Our teachers are also dismal. Teaching should be a profession that people aspire to. The best talent we have should be the ones teaching the next generation. The situation we have now is that teaching has such low esteem and compensation rates that we have only the few dedicated able, and the severely unable teaching our kids. There is a saying that 'those who can't do, teach.' This saying only exists in the US. We really need to change the way our society looks at education. Education should be about imparting knowledge, not making people feel good.

The last reason would be the fact that students in Europe and Asia spend more time in school. The average student in Europe spends an hour more in school each day than the American student, and the Asian student, two hours more. This means that by the time they are in their senior year in high school, the European student would have spent and entire school year more in school than the American student, and the Asian student would have spent two years more.

Edit:

The difference in school hours is usually not due to students overseas having longer school days, but because they do not have a three month summer vacation.

I actually had to correct my English professor on several occasions in college. If the teaching staff is this bad at an accredited college, I can only imagine how bad it is lower down on the payscale.

Answer 2

I'm not sure that cramming more information into children is ALWAYS desirable. Yes, it's good for children to learn and to be challenged, but there also comes a point where you take away childhood by stressing kids out and trying to turn them into little studying machines. I had to quit brownies in third grade because my teacher was giving me so much homework that I wouldn't get it done before bedtime if I took 2 hours to go to brownies, and I think that was just not healthy. There's a happy medium somewhere. Just because it can be done doesn't necessarily mean it should.

For instance, if a child likes advanced calculus and wants to learn it, (s)he should have the opportunity, but a child who isn't very interested in math will be suffering for no good reason if (s)he is forced to learn advanced calculus just for the sake of keeping up with the Asians. As long as a person learns how to learn, it will be possible to pick up the calculus later if it turns out to be necessary. I did that with science; I dropped it after 10th grade and learned it 10 years later when I decided I wanted to be in the medical field.

That said, I don't like the fact that kids can pass even when they don't know the basics. My stepson is getting an A in math in summer school for showing up and "doing most of his work." Last year he got an A in math for helping the teacher look up drink recipes online. A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of taking English 101 with a bunch of high school graduates who still didn't know when to use a period vs. when to use a comma.

What if instead of trying to teach students to be competitive or being really hard on them, we just insist that they actually learn the course material in order to pass? I think that kids (and some adults too) tend to have a pretty good idea how much goofing off they can get away with, and they goof off just that much. I don't think anybody's self esteem is going to be hurt if we just insist they do something they're perfectly capable of doing it in order to get credit for having done it. If anything it would be better for their self esteem to know they passed because they learned something and deserved to pass than to know they passed because their teacher took pity on them.

Answer 3

Wow! Loaded question.

But, I've hosted a bunch of European exchange students, and I know you are correct -- partially. In fact, just this year my German son aced AP Calc, practically with his eyes closed.
I think part of the reason is how teachers are viewed (speaking from a European perspective). Teaching is an honored profession, it's difficult to get into and well paid. That helps.

Here is the reason you are only partially correct. In most European countries, kids are sorted out just prior to high school according to performance. Those who are put on a university level go to what's called a gymnasium. Academically, they are about on the level of junior-senior in high school through to junior college. So, most of the kids we meet in our schools, the exchange students, come from this upper level. Trust me, the Europeans have their share of dumb, unmotivated kids too -- they are just weeded out. Also, the kids who are motivated in more vocational areas are sent to different schools.

I don't think it's a matter of teaching our students to be competitive -- it's a matter of expecting them to do their work and making them responsible for it. If they don't do it, they fail. Simple as that.

Answer 4

Because American and Canadian parents are lazy. They expect the schools to teach everything from sex ed, to all fine arts, sports, etc.
In Europe the schools focus on the basics, Math, Language, Sciences and Humanities. Parents are responsible to put their kids in other activities AFTER school, if they are interested..ie. music lessons, sports.
Also, in Europe they spend time figuring out what the students' strengths are. So, if you are great with animals/math/science, you start specializing early, let's say, to be a vet. You will stay in the academic school sector. If you have a knack for food prep, maybe you will be a chef and will be put into that sector.
In the US and Canada, we all do the same thing until after grade 12...which is usually a mix of all sorts of stuff. Most kids don't make it to grade 12. In Europe, kids are tracked into a specialty before grade 8.
If parents in the US and Canada would get off their asses and be more involved with their kids, schools could focus on the core areas of importance, like the European schools do.

Answer 5

I come from an Asian family. My mom has been telling me that when Asians first immigrated over to America, people have mistreated them so they worked hard to make a name for themselves. I haven't personally been over to Asia or Europe before, but I know that the education in Asia is in no comparison to America's. ;)

Answer 6

Shane I can only speak as a European here. But we value education a lot more here. I suppose its to do with languages, maths etc. Funny how as a European I can do the American homework in the homework section in Q&A. The stuff the kids do over there is nothing compared to what they learn over here in Europe.

Answer 7

We are too test-oriented here, and focus on the curriculum. If we focused more on teaching about the concept of stuff I think kids would get better educations. The No Child Left Behind program definitely isn't helping with this.

That's just my opinion, I'm not sure of the right answer.

Answer 8

From what I understand, overseas schools are much more rigidly segregated according to ability. The students who are receiving a tough education are going to the schools for the highest achievers.

American public schools are by law open to students of all abilities. Some American private schools offer the kind of rigorous curricula you're describing.

Answer 9

I think kids in the U.S. waste way too much time watching tv and playing videogames.

I didn't know about calculus at age 13. Quite honestly, though, I think Americans catch up, at least on the math.

But American kids don't read enough at home. This reduces their reading comprehension and certainly that impacts their future employability.

Answer 10

well it all depends on beliefs in were u are there might be jobs and things here that nead higher education but i belief that in certain areas certain knowledge is neede and that maybe expectations are lower or we are afraid we would leave a child behind in svchool!...so dude it is all very strange!!=]