WOW! Ok, I know this is still way off topic but I want to add my two cents worth to this education topic. Not sure it will be very well received coming from me but here goes....
Yes, I have a major issue with the way our education system is now but I wouldn't trade it for what is elsewhere. There might be a few places I would consider, but very very few. Things that irritate me about the current college student? Sometimes a lack of common sense because our education system has taught many of them to regurgitate stuff, and the use of 'texting lingo' bugs the crap out of me when used in emails or papers. Things like that irritate me to no end. They don't mail much or check snail mail because this generation uses other forms of communication which is electronic. Communication with them is sometimes through email, more often through texting but even more through Facebook. I don't like it but this is this generation.
I do believe that, in general, the students that I see are FAR more prepared for college than I was. Students coming in often have had 2-3 years of advanced placement calculus and AP physics, and statistics, and advanced placement chemistry and biology. Their computer skills and use of software and other technology is awesome!! Some of these kids are doing things in high school now that I didn't get into until deep in college and I have attended at least a couple of years of college. The demands put upon my kids in High school I thought were ridiculous in comparison to my Podunk little school in my puny little town. But they were far FAR more prepared for college than I was and most of my class mates. Now the lower level schools is a different story because they lump everyone together in one class and can't nurture the top students for fear of leaving the other students behind. But all in all, the opportunities to excel academically are much MUCH better than when I went.
Also, I have had the awesome privilege of traveling to over 30 countries all over the world and interact with both educated people and those that have not had the opportunity to get a formal education and I can assure you that 95+% of them would leap at the chance to get an education in the US. Places like China are often revered for their wonderful education system, and yes they do some great things that we should be doing here but can't for many reasons. 'We' often compare our HS students test scores to theirs and marvel at how smart they are. I am not saying they aren't, but in China kids take a test after the 8th grade and only the top ~50% (it varies in some areas) are allowed to continue through the government school system, the rest have to go get a job. If we removed the bottom 50% of our kids at that age and then only took the test scores of the rest, our scores would be much MUCH better than they are now. Am advocating this system? Not really, we just can't shouldn't compare apples to oranges.
Also, why is it that our universities are becoming more flooded with international students who are the best of the best in their countries? Because they want to further their education in the US. At the University level, if you look at the life sciences and other biological sciences you will notice that nearly half, and often more, of the graduate students are international because they want an education in the US.
Have things changed? Of course and I do have some fears for the future generations because we, as a society, are allowing a lot of this BS. But I could not disagree more with the notion that kids in the 20's, or 40's or even 60's were far better educated than kids today. And I completely disagree with the idea that kids today are getting material in the second year of college that people 40 years ago got in High school. In my experience I have not seen that at all!!! Of course there are many differences between public schools across the country and between universities too. So, with that I will get off my soapbox for the day and hope the thread gets back to 'H' chickens
Last edited:
