G

I don’t know what to say other than I agree 100% with that entire thing! It captures schools and students so well and it’s so very, very true.

I think one way the education system could improve would be to stop sucking the fun out of everything. Especially math and science…OK, just science. There is no fun in math

Next, I think the purpose of education should be to inform us well enough so we can find who we are. We’re so busy with scrambling to get 3 essays done, study for a test and do 2 labs every week that we never get to just be. I think that in the long-run, the system only ends up giving us strokes and gray hair

Air

It was a very interesting read. I agree with the pressures of getting the A’s and being told you need the good grades to get into college. But, I also think, that kids today are also being pushed to take the more advanced classes even at a younger age and it only gets worse once you hit high school. I think this generation of the youth has a the world riding on their shoulders with regards to grades and school. For the most part it’s get a degree and a high paying job. I also think money has a factor into peoples’ decisions to push themselves for those A’s and go to college. I don’t think most people would like to work a minimum wage job for their entire life, I know I don’t. Even though the article said something about finding your passion and what you want to do equals to die happy, that’s not always the case. If you can’t make ends meet with your current job how will you be happy?

My friends as well also say they don’t like to read. My one friend hasn’t read a book in years, until she read Twilight lol. My former HS (I’m not sure if it’s a state requirement or not)but that no matter the grade you were in you had to read 25 books in a school year and then fill out a sheet for it.

I’m not a specialist on the US education system, but I know there’s national requirements and then state requirements, so I think those need to be more aligned with another. And it seems like when there’s a budget cut,libraries and education are the first things to get their funding cut. And if schools meet requirements grade wise, then the school gets more funding, but a school can’t improve unless there’s money to help fix the failing system. Education should be about learning from every subject out there and life experiences and not give kids so much homework, because even if you’re striving to get those A’s or just trying to pass, homework and studying takes up a lot of time. Plus kids these days have jobs and other responsibilities outside of the classroom. And college needs to be heck of a lot cheaper or more scholarships need to be easier to get ahold of and more of them.

I don’t really agree with the statement that kids don’t try because their lazy or don’t care, but that they’re tired of being dictated. From, my own experiences kids choose not to push themselves because they don’t care because they have a future in mind which doesn’t require them getting a higher education, like running the family farm. Though others think they’re going to be able to drop out and make it and sometimes maybe they will, but I think in this day and age with more jobs requiring a degree of some sort, the odds are stacked against them. Some people are book smart and others aren’t, just like some kids are better at memorizing materials. But, if running the family farm is what they want to do then more power to ‘em, but if they chose that path because they thought they couldn’t do any better then, that’s their decision. There could be a complete remodeling of the education system for the better and some kids still wouldn’t take advantage of it.

But, I know that 5 years from now, it won’t matter and I won’t care that I didn’t get that A in chemistry; yet it will matter 5 years later that I don’t have to pay as much on my college loans because I pushed myself to get those better grades and receive those scholarships and in the end save myself a bunch of $$$$.

Marilyne

wow, he knows how to say what he thinks and convince reminds me of Obama’s speeches hehe and I absolutely agree with what he said!
great blog too, thanks for sharing tarrow!

DeannaRochelle

I can relate to every word he had to say. I AM one of those people who stays up until 2 A.M. memorizing (and that’s all it is…usually I’m not LEARNING anything)so that I can get an A on that history test. It’s because I have an irrational fear of failing. I’m not exactly sure how this fear came into play…I suppose it came from our education system brainwashing us to be “perfect” students. I always frown whenever I look at the list of top 20 students in my class, because I know for a fact that several of them got there because they cheated. I believe it’s because pressure from their parents and the school push them so much that they crack under all of the weight. They tell them that in order to get into a good college they have to be model students, and for them that means getting an A at any cost. I think that they should definitely try hard, but not to go to that extreme.

I strongly agree with what he had to say about reading. I LOVE reading. This coming fall I will be a junior in high school, and for my AP English class I am required to read 3 books during the summer. For these books I have to take notes, keep a journal, write a paper, and answer in-depth questions. I’m not complaining about this, I’m always up for a challenge, but it really takes the fun out of reading them.

Tarrow

I think it can be easy for people to take the wrong idea from this article…I’ll just quote him directly b/c I can’t put it better than he did: “In no way am I suggesting getting good grades is a bad thing; that would be foolish. Getting good grades is not the problem. Allowing grades to dictate one’s life is.”

So it’s not whether or not you get good or bad grades, or if you want to get into a really good college or you don’t care about college…It’s about how you choose to let these things affect you.

I think it’s important for all of us to give our best shot, whether it’s school, relationships, careers, etc. But many kids these days (maybe due to pressure from parents, peers, media) think that they HAVE to get into the best colleges in order to get a good job and be successful in life. This fear could lead them to do extreme things. And if and when they don’t get into their dream school, they are horribly disappointed and think they’re never gonna succeed. It’s to these people that the article is addressing.

Everyone’s situation is different. Depending on our own personal circumstance, we should adjust accordingly. If you’re on the “If I don’t (or didn’t) get into a good college, I’m not gonna be successful” side, it would be helpful for you to realize that that’s really not the case. On the other hand, if you’re kinda like “Grades don’t really matter THAT much anyway. I’ll just aim for a 2.0. Whatever”, this article is exactly what you like hearing. But it may not be what’s beneficial for you personally to take away. Gotta find that balance

Animator

Yes, it is indeed failing! Especially in America and this is due to the “No Child Left Behind Act”. In my parents generation (the 1950s, 1960s and so on) their education was MUCH better and they were taught just about everything.

In colleges today, there are beginner classes, such as English 003, English 043, 075, 099 and finally, English 101. There shouldn’t be classes like these in colleges. You were supposed to learn this material in elementary school, middle school and HIGH SCHOOL. But thanks to George W. Bush, the No Child Left Behind Act carelessly pushed kids along regardless of whether they know the material or not. This whole ‘Act’ has affected education greatly.

Watch the vid on Youtube, ‘Stupid in America’ and you’ll understand what I’m saying.

genvixen79@yahoo.com

..Passion+Determination+Positive Attitudes=Success…this is sooo true in real life.In fact i knew a lot of people who didnt get the chance to even finish college…’coz of poverty but because of their strong determination plus tremendous patience and hardwork they we’re able to improve the quality of their lives.

Ramanatha

I’ve just read Bud’s article and I left a comment at his blog. As a teacher, with experience in education in Thailand, both in Thai schools and international schools, I would like to give my point of view.

I couldn’t agree more with Bud. Educators around the world have started to realize the need to implement radical changes in the educational system. In Thailand, for example, the problem has persisted for long and, even though teachers are trying to implement reforms, it will still persist for some time to come. In countries like England and the United States, education is in great crises. But not only in those developed countries, the crises is global. The main problem with education is that it places a great emphasis in academic and intellectual achievements leaving totally aside the true holistic development of the individual. We all have great potentials and we can unfold that potential. It doesn’t matter whether you are average or especially gifted, you can become a genius if you are properly led to discover your infinite potential. Therefore, education should be truly holistic, that is, capable of developing all three realms of life – physical, mental and spiritual. This type of education is called Neo-Humanist Education, and it was propounded by a great humanist whose name is P. R. Sarkar. One day Neo-Humanist schools will be established all over the planet, and it will really address the needs of all. If you want to know more just contact me at: http://www.facebook.com/roberto.echanes

God is always with you. Take care.

Roberto