<ul>
<li>Broad specialization (not ‘mechanical engineering’ but ‘engineering’)</li>
<li>World focus - not just language and cookies from India, but a more world-view of events and history that is largely absent from the US education system (often with undesirable side effects :-))</li>
<li>Serious emphasis on critical reading (US and world literature)</li>
<li>Even more serious emphasis on writing</li>
<li>Some focus on STEM (never mind I’m an engineer)</li>
<li>Serious focus on the creative process thru music, art, and the like</li>
</ul>
<p>needless to say, my home country’s school system had none of the above except a heavy dose of STEM type coursework, largely rote problem solving.</p>
<p>I don’t agree with most of you philosophy. For the secondary education that’s already how my school is run. What I really don’t agree with is the grouping at such a young age, in my school district they have implemented “cluster classrooms” for grades 3-5 where they put the brightest kids. It has turned out horribly, the cluster kids say that they feel isolated and the normal kids have a lot of hurt feelings (especially among the girls) </p>
<p>Nine foreign languages, what the heck? I 100% agree with the need to start foreign languages sooner and it’s good to have a sampling before you decide on one… but nine? Kids wouldn’t really remember anything and it would be a waste of money to pay for the staff. </p>
<p>Standardization = bad. Quit trying to use a cookie cutter formula for education because it won’t work.</p>
<p>Personally, I disagree with everything katica had to say. At such a young age, most children don’t know what they want to specialize in. They need time to mature and discover for themselves what they are most passionate about. And online classes are overrated; children and teenagers probably learn better being in a social environment with other students. Plus, it’s much more fun being in a classroom environment. Social skills are much more important than being the most educated and smartest person around. I do agree, however, that people should start learning a foreign language as early as elementary school because of the many benefits if the student is successful in mastering the language. I just don’t think taking introductory classes in nine different languages is necessary; only one or two is enough.</p>
<p>This is just the opinion of recent high school graduate (now college freshman), so take from this what you like.</p>
<p>K - 12 is lacking tremendously. Program needs to be demolished. Yes, it is a good idea to look at other countries. No, it is not a good idea to look at profeesional development at 12. It is a good idea to prepare EVERYONE for college. There are no stupid kids (aside from certain illnesses), all could be taught and given enough background to go to college. Not everybody will decide to do so, which is fine. But, it definitely will benefit society as a whole. Kids love to be challenged, they hate to be bored, despite of adults’s opinions. Yes, problems need to be hard to get brain going. Yes, hard problems should be for everybody, not selected few. Young person needs to learn to work hard to achieve, not to glide thru and get passed from one class to another. Physics absolutely cannot be taught in one year, impossible task. The best teachers realize it and teach only small and most difficult part of it. This is just one example. The same goes for many other subjects. Knowing English very well is very good, but it is not enough by far. Education is not just English, there are other classes that develop critical thinking, they are lacking in a big way in k -12.</p>
<p>In terms of etiquette, I would like to see manners for both genders such as improvement of listening skills of another’s opinion and responding appropriately. </p>
<p>Have you walked through the halls of a middle or high school recently? Much of the behavior demonstrated is self centered, loud, brash, discourteous, and crude. The teachers & administrators do not address it (nor do the parents). Long time ago parents taught their children that it was admirable to be mannerly and it is important component to succeeding. Just saying I miss politeness. </p>
<p>Patriotism - I am a big fan of our War Veterans. Visited the National Cemetery in Normandy France. Eldery US WWII vets were present & weeping with their family. Just read Unbroken-- wow what those POWs went through. The Lincoln Memorial, DC - I cried when read the Gettysburg address.</p>
<p>I think the kids need to learn more about the sacrafices made (vs. obscure dates & names of the first governor of NJ & the 21 counties - truly part of NJ 4th gr curriculum) and maybe they will appreciate our country and contribute towards its greatness.</p>
<p>FYI - I had to look up xenophobia - hey I’m in favor of foreign language but probably should put a vote in for better Vocab lessons…</p>
<p>I don’t think anyone should be tracked to early. As a high school sophomore I was confident I would go into engineering. As a junior I decided I would be an English major. I would be fairly surprised if I never change my major in college.</p>
<p>Don’t agree with so many languages at such a young age. The “core languages,” sure, one of those can be started early, but teaching young kids a bunch of languages before they have any chance to even begin to master one isn’t going to work. People who want to learn more languages will have opportunities to do so later.</p>
<p>Dunno about patriotism. I enjoyed my high school US History class far more than previous classes because it covered everything–and you do earn the valuable perspective that the US has had a disgusting past and present. Patriotism is important, but it should not supersede critical thinking about institutions that you’d otherwise take for granted. There is a good idea behind the US that can be emphasized, hopefully encouraging people to contribute to the correction of its faults, but I certainly don’t think that US schooling would be taking the right course to assert further its supposed grandeur.</p>
<p>also, I like livesinnewjersey’s wish that history focuses more on patriotism. Too many history books are written that pose the US as a state of horrible monsters that rape and pillage every country on earth. I don’t think I have ever had a book that wasn’t at least slightly unnationalistic.</p>
<p>But the U.S. DID pillage a lot of countries on Earth. I’d rather have an honest history book than a nationalistic one. The U.S. is a great country, but neither our past nor our present is perfect.</p>
<p>Like the previous commenter I had a fantastic U.S. history teacher in high school who taught us the good AND the bad about American politics and history, and how to think critically about events and not just take everything at face value (including the neutered tripe in most history books). The result didn’t make me less patriotic; it made me MORE committed to improving my own country and being proud of it. People who love their countries can change them for the better.</p>
<p>As to the OP’s question - I’m kind of meh on the school.</p>
<p>-Like everyone else i think the language learning should start earlier - during Year 1. And I think it should be a set language. Most other countries have a set language you learn starting Year (usually English), and usually with the second or third you can pick. I think ours should be Spanish.</p>
<p>-Also like most I think focusing in middle school is far too early. If you’d asked me what I wanted to do in middle school…well, I don’t know what but I’d tell you I hated geometry, and I might opt out of math completely because to a 13-year-old it makes sense not take classes you don’t like. I think high school should focus on breadth, not depth. Save that for college/tech school.</p>
<p>-Part of high school, I think, is socialization - learning how to function in society, so I think a strong emphasis on online classes is not good. (I’m not knocking homeschooling, because usually those parents are dedicated to making sure their children foster relationships and get a lot of the same experiences they would get in traditional high schools. Parents who don’t want to homeschool wouldn’t be doing that, especially the parents that don’t have the resources to have someone at home to watch their kids and make sure they do things.)</p>
<p>Personally, foreign languages just seem like one of those things that rich white people think are great which they try to push onto everyone else. I don’t know if it’s a subtle manifestation of white guilt or what it is. It’s useless to most people. Most people aren’t doing international business. Most people aren’t even going to remember the language. </p>
<p>I also think it’s unrealistic to expect kids to have a career plan which they will actually follow. How many kids go into college thinking they’ll become doctors and how many actually become doctors? How many bankers? How many lawyers? How many consultants? How many kids come out of high school with the plan of being in and out of work making close to minimum wage their whole life and for how many is that the reality?</p>
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<p>If by practical application you mean something which can be readily applied to productive activity, many academic subjects have no practical application. </p>
<p>What percentage of high school students in the US do you think do (do, not copy) 50% or more of their homework in all of their classes? Take a guess. A hint, it’s low. 90%? It’s even lower. </p>
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<p>The average high school student tries to balance what is easiest and what looks best to colleges. </p>
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<p>What does different levels mean? I hope you don’t mean something like the European education system. </p>
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<p>Intermediate school starts at age 9? Rather than the student’s interest we’ll get a great view of what student’s parents want their student to be interested in. Beyond video games or something, how many 9-year-olds know what they’re interested in?</p>
<p>livesinnewjersy: my kids are lacking etiquette. I know that. Fortunately in school (at least the older one) has a good attitude. Now the youngest…we were told she had a “bad attitude” from one of her teachers. She probably does but she is also very stubborn and opinionated and got into it with this teacher over politics. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, I think it is a rule that adolescents are obnoxious…a lot of the time. :)</p>
<p>I wonder no one mentioned any physical activity. It seems Gym has been all but gotten rid of and children’s obesity rates are astronomical. I say, make them move…</p>
<p>I do not believe that this pedagogical approach is at all feasible. </p>
<p>The splitting of students into the different levels has been tried through both teacher recommendations as well as testing, and the school district always ends up in court.</p>
<p>The focus on art and music is noble, however in today’s underfunded school systems who is going to pay for this? In addition how are teachers going to focus on these things when curriculum is being pushed down to lower levels?</p>
<p>The idea of an inverted classroom as the OP discussed where students watch lecture at home and then go to class to work on homework and discuss has been tried many times before, Dallas ISD began using this approach in 1971, and it is useful… until the administration decides to save money by firing the teachers and instituting aides for the homework and discussion. It has happened in many districts across the country and every time the administration comes up with the idea that inverted classrooms do not work, however almost always aides have replaced teachers in these classrooms.</p>
<p>As a final criticism I think that the push of foreign language is unneeded, my parents have a gardener that speaks Portuguese, French, and Spanish fluently, however he is not well paid. Truthfully it will be an uphill battle to convince most educators that foreign language is at all useful. Sure it may help you on that summer pub crawl through Western Europe, but what does it truly benefit the student?</p>
<p>In all I think it is wonderful to question education and to be a champion for reform, however most of our schools seem to be lagging behind in the sciences, math, english, and vocational departments. These might be areas to focus on first… that and the lack of any motivation from today’s students.</p>
<p>Queen’s Mom,
“I wonder no one mentioned any physical activity. It seems Gym has been all but gotten rid of and children’s obesity rates are astronomical. I say, make them move.”</p>
<p>-It is not school’s responsibility to make them move on taxpayer’s dime.
Gym became non-sense since all this liablity insurance garbage. They take written tests for gym classes. It is a joke. Might as well be completely cancelled. They can spend time outside, it is enough or engage in after school sports at the family cost. The problem is not lack of gym, the problem is too much food, too much TV and Computer time. All 3 need to be scaled down about 80%, they will be in great physical shape if we do it, will save us whole ton of $$ as a nation too, as most of our costs associated with health problems caused by obesity.</p>
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