What Does The Younger Generation Think About The Fact That The Older Generations Had A Better Education ?

Question

Rather than just complain about how kids nowadays score lower on all their tests , I'd rather first ask the opinions of those of you who are younger... .. . I suppose we can start at 30 or under or maybe 25 or younger is better . Both Dem and Rep administrations have spent Billions on the problem and no matter how they distributed the dollars , an incredibly lower amount was spent while we got a better education . Go Figure !
But I'm curious as to what it's like and how do you feel about not getting the same level of education as people who are, say 30 and older ?
Mad ?
Don't Care ?
Feel Cheated ?
Didn't know this until now ?

Other ?

Mike - Yes I realize it started with the baby-boomers but only a percentage of them and that certain little percentage that thought the liberal ideology way of teaching was better. . . . .and it most certainly isn't and as more and more of that ideology gets instituted , then the test scores keep declining .

Answer 1

They should feel like...
For every thing (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
A time to be educated, a time to be brainwashed
A time to think, a time to be programed,
A time to kno-ow the truth, a time to be misinformed!


More cowbell!

Answer 2

I'm not 25 or under and you know that....but my son is in the 'education' years.

What I have found with public schools (which is where I was educated) is that all the classes are leveled at an average. Which means that my son would be bored to tears in that class. And on top of this...I have seen friends of ours over-schedule their children. There is a constant run-run-run mentality when it comes to children from early morning until bedtime.

There are no more children hanging out at a friend's house after school watching cartoons....This kind of over-scheduling doesn't allow the children to relax between school-time and homework. And without this, they will become rebellious.

And the utmost important factor in a child's education is interaction between parent and school. This does not happen much anymore. This results in children not learning because they know their parents don't have the time to deal with the issues of their education. Teachers are in the system to teach, not to discipline and guide each child. That would be the parents job.

You can pour all the money you want into the education system in this country, but until parents take the responsibility for their child's education, the children will not get the same fair shot we had.

Answer 3

Must congratulate you on a terrific question!!! Also, I agree with iceman's answer as to "kids being smarter". But what he's probably referring to is "streets smarts". It is totally different to what you're concerned about. And believe me when I tell you I reason the same way you do. Although a few years from 50 still, I consider myself to have a better advantage where learning is concerned, than where most young people are now.

While government does seem to be putting "millions" into education, there seems to be no real progress, if we are to take as true all the news about the FCAT and about all the "gradings" done to schools now, something is indeed definetely VERY WRONG with education in the US, mostly. Since apparently in Asia, for example, and in many other places around the world, it appears there's broader knowledge in general. There's the fact that Asia, China included, has many more graduates, especially in Engineering.

Now, there's something we can ALL do: Keep on encouraging young people, not only to go on to acquire a college education, but to give it all they got. After all, they're not going to do so only for themselves as individuals, but for the whole of humanity in the long run.

Answer 4

I do not fit the criteria that you put in place for this question but I will add my two cents anyway because I am like that.

I have grandchildren in school and my children are of the age that you wanted replies from.

The biggest problem that I have noticed is that too much emphasis is placed on standardized tests. So the schools have the children study and study for certain tests. They don't learn the things that are important, only what the school will be judged on in the tests because the schools funding is based on the test results.

I have a 9 year old grandson that is in the gifted program and every year at the beginning of the school year his teacher complains about him so my daughter took him in for a bunch of tests because her doctor told her there was nothing wrong with him.

The tests came back and said he has an I.Q. of 135 and he is bored with the regular class studies. He aces every test but he has problem in some ares. It turns out that those areas that he is having problems with are not on the standardized tests so they are not addressed. Now that he is in gifted, those problems are being addresssed and he is doing much better.

Parents need to take charge of their children's eduacation but the Education system needs to make sure that all of the children's needs are being met too.

Not sure if this is what you wanted but here goes anyway.

Answer 5

It's not that they're not getting the same education. It's that they're not taking it. The material is there, but kids seem much less motivated to explore and learn.

Blame that on lack of incentives for good teachers. Blame it on parents. Blame it on video games. Blame it on the state of the world and the realistic hopes for success.

Fact is, curiosity and intuition are neither being fostered, nor even encouraged, as far as I've seen. It's all about standardized test scores and GPA. Do the homework, get the grade. Not even time for physical ed, recess or art. There's nothing exciting about school, and that's a very bad thing.

Answer 6

Kids are too busy with their classes, and extracurricular activities, and after school jobs, to even know what their parents' educations were like.

In the past several years, schools have been given a makeover to be the step-up into university but it seems like kids of today need a full-scale resume (good grades, after school job, sports, arts programs) in order to get into a good college. Never mind the spikes in tuition costs.

The baby boomer generation had fewer restrictions in their schools and they didn't have to be in such a rush to be here and there and everywhere all at once. I think the baby boomers got more of a chance to be kids and relax... which probably helped with their concentration skills, which turned into better grades.

They most likely learned more than today's kids as well because they didn't have to deal with political correctness and so many standardized tests which now are a necessity to pass in order to get a high school diploma. There was more time to learn back then... not to be tested on things they may have never learned, through no fault of their own.

Answer 7

I really don't think the younger generation has a worse education than the older generation.I believe it comes down to how much they want to apply themselves.My 17 yr old son is getting great grades and without much promting other than seeing what I had gone through being a factory rat and wanting better for himself.Kids today by in large are lazy and spoiled into thinking everything will be handed to them.That comes down to the parents .I as my parents did don't just GIVE him everything he has to work for it in one way or another. Be it getting good grades,having his own job,doing chores.He goes to a PUBLIC school but he takes mostly honors classes because he wants to get into the U of M .

Answer 8

You are touching on a prospect of finding out that kids today don't feel there is any use in an education. They are feeling depressed as they figure their future isn't none too bright as they learn what is in store for them. Kids today learn at a much faster rate than we ever ever ever did back, say in the fifties, or in the attempt to stay IN the fifties. Even some of the younger parents are un wittingly just spoiling their kids, as they figure their fate is just deplorable. Look it up.

Answer 9

You realise, of course it was the Baby-Boomers that mucked up the education system. I started school in the early '70's and at that time you were still required to actually show that you learned something to advance to the next grade, but by the time I reached High School, the erosion was already starting to be visible. Classes were getting easier, instead of harder. Math and Science were still getting harder, as expected, but everything else was just getting easier.

Answer 10

I am 21 years old and I am one fo the few of us who is fortuante enough to see that our public education is a joke. I was in high school and I knew I was getting nothing out of it. I knew something was wrong when I am a dang genius and they put me in special ED cause I quite doing my homework. Of course the very first test I toook I aced it a hundred percent adn they realized I was actually smarter then mos tof the honor students. The problem is the rich people wnat to stay rich. Therefor the first cuts to budgets are always things like public education. I am pissed. So pissed I try not to think about it, especially in Texas where schools actually asked teachers to passed football players so they can play. I try no to think about it becasue I cant change it. I got away with a good education because of my parents. I did a lot of work on my own in a little amount of time but most people dont want to put fourth that effort.

Answer 11

It seems to me people are getting dumber in schools. I graduated high school in '93 and I knew more then than most do now. The problem is the social passing. If a kid can't do the work, then they need to be held back, instead of passed, so they won't have their "feelings" hurt.