<p>What can Americans learn from other cultures?</p>
<hr>
<p>Background:</p>
<p>In another thread, Newstudentmom stated:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>and barrons replied:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1292146-6-biggest-problems-higher-ed-4.html#post13922148[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1292146-6-biggest-problems-higher-ed-4.html#post13922148</a></p>
<p>Since you quoted my message, I guess I would start.</p>
<p>If you have ever visited Europe, you would notice that a lot of people there speak multiple languages and a quite at home all over the Europe. How many Americans do you know (not counting recent immigrants or first generation Americans) who are fluent in any language other than English? You should see the look on my colleagues face when I say that I am fluent in three languages and can understand a few more.</p>
<p>In terms of culture - it is considered a really bad behavior in EU to eat while walking, or on a bus or train - quite common in the US. It is also very common where I grew up to give up your seat to an elderly person or pregnant women - I haven’t seen much of this in here (well, granted, NYC could be quite different from the other places).</p>
<p>I really loved the driving culture in Germany, for example. I think we can learn A LOT from them.</p>
<p>I don’t have much of an expose to other areas of the world, but I am sure other people could add to this list.</p>
<p>In terms of history lessons…I don’t even know where to start. Especially, taking into consideration that there is no “what if” in history.</p>
<p>Europeans travel from one country to the next like we travel from one state to the next. Its a necessity we don’t have in the US. I also think that many Europeans don’t have as much real knowledge of the US as we have of their country. I think if you really talked to the average Joe in Germany, they would think that we are all like those seen on TV.</p>
<p>When I saw the title, the first thing I thought of was that Americans could learn how not to become obese, but then I remembered that obesity is spreading to most countries throughout the world…</p>
<p>Newstudentmom,
Which languages do you think Americans ought to be fluent in (other than English) and how would you expect them to be able to use or practice those languages in everyday life?</p>
<p>My experience is that Europeans speak more than one language because they need to; and most of them speak English.</p>
<p>The image my exchange student and friends had of America was one of FAT and lazy people. They view America as very violent and have a picture in their minds that we all carry guns. Also they think Americans are very selfish and not concerned about the environment and that we are very religious. The good things? Hmmm…I don’t know if this is good but they think of Americans as rich and as a whole, willing to help other countries.</p>
<p>I think Americans need to be able to recognize is truth in these stereotypes. Especially the fat and violent part!</p>
<p>k -12 academic programs</p>
<p>A few things we could learn from European life:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>European restaurants serve smaller portions. </p></li>
<li><p>Europeans walk and bike ride a lot more. I really love the passagiata in Italy when everyone takes an evening stroll. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>A few things Europeans could learn from Americans.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Make your streets and sidewalks accessible to the handicapped. There seem to be very few places where someone in a wheelchair could easily get around even with help.</p></li>
<li><p>Stop smoking. The outdoor cafes are nice but are choked with smokers.</p></li>
<li><p>Take care of your teeth. Crooked, brown, yuck.</p></li>
<li><p>Clean the graffiti off your streets. I thought L. A. had bad graffiti until I saw Milan, Rome, etc. etc. At least we make an effort to paint over it or scrub it off. The beautiful cities of Europe are trashed by graffiti.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>MiamiDAP-I think it is the other way around–European countries could learn a lot from US schools, namely giving all students an education…The comparisons are never apples to apples and I would stack our top 30% against any other country’s 30% when it comes to job performance out of college. Sure, some countries are better at teaching rote learning than we are, but then go and apply that learning in the real world and see how well it turns out.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Definitely, Spanish, maybe Chinese (Mandarin) and French. All these languages are pretty common now day around (at least in tri-state area where I live), French is a little less common, I guess. Italian is pretty common as well, and so are Arabic, Hindu and Russian. It’s not that hard to find somebody speaking Hebrew as well.</p>
<p>-“Take care of your teeth. Crooked, brown, yuck” - reflects the type of care. Dental work is not cheap, teeth are yucky and most likely we will start seeing this more and more here.<br>
-I love graffiti, some street artists are amazing. The beautiful cities of Europe are staying beautiful.</p>
<p>Newstudentmom-that is the issue, Spanish you hear on occasion but Chinese, French, Hebrew, Russian, nope. The only people around here that speak those are those taking that class in the high schools. I think knowing a second language is helpful but in the US, it isn’t a necessity.</p>
<p>“MiamiDAP-I think it is the other way around–European countries could learn a lot from US schools, namely giving all students an education…”</p>
<p>-I hope that this will never happen, we do NOT give anybody education, the low level of k -12 is not education at all, all exchange students are placed in higher level classes despite of language challenges. K - 12 in the USA is a biggest shame and getting worse with more and more $$ poured into it but never reaching the right destination which is not the pockets of few individuals with the loudest voices. More $$ just does not benefit kids at all which is very apparent in comparison when a kid from other country placed into American HS or college.</p>
<p>MiamiDAP-I think your experience is regional. The exchange students in our school have a hard time keeping up in most subjects.</p>
<p>As a host mom to Asian students, I have come to appreciate the manners and consideration that are part of their makeup. Not being a burden, knowing how to be helpful, and knowing how not to be intrusive are wonderful skills. We can meet in the middle with generosity and kindness, rather than thinking about how to have good boundaries as is sometimes required with Americans.</p>
<p>Miami, I am not talking about graffiti “artists”. I saw just crudely sprayed words on walls, bridges, storefronts, on statues. It looks terrible. Don’t they have any pride in maintaining their cities?</p>
<p>“MiamiDAP-I think your experience is regional.”</p>
<p>-Sorry to disappoint, but my experience in international. Yes, you can call it regional, if Earth is a region.<br>
-In regard to grffiti, that is how it always been, more so in the most beautiful cities (like Rome, as one example). Afte awhile (if you have a chance to be there for awhile) you do not see it anymore, it tends to dissapear in your eyes, all you see is an ageless beauty…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Mandarin? Hmmm. Only 4% of the US population is any kind of Asian, let alone Mandarin-speaking Asian. I don’t think the majority of Americans will have the opportunity to travel to China even one time in their lives. I’d rather we spend educational time on something more practical than learning to speak Mandarin.</p>
<p>My son did an exchange with a Spanish student. He taught the Spanish student about running and organized sports. He didn’t partake in their smoking, drinking and drugs. When the Spanish student came here, I’m sure he was shocked that we drive everywhere, instead of walking. I’m sure he saw more overweight people. I also think parents are stricter with kids here in the U.S. I actually had curfews he had to follow.
We all learned from each other. </p>
<p>In Australia, I learned that water is precious. We waste a lot of water here in the U.S.</p>
<p>We had a French exchange student for 3 weeks. He asked, “Why do you cook all your vegetables?”</p>
<p>
</li>
</ol>
<p>Yes to this! Also, when we were in Prague, we noticed that the beer was cheaper than the water. Another European bonus! :)</p>
<p>As for what Europeans could learn from us: clearer road signs. How many times did we get lost in the British countryside because there were so few road signs?! And don’t get me started about roundabouts…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>While this is dependent on country, most international students IME tend to be well-ahead of their American peers except in verbal English. One interesting phenomenon…especially with international/immigrant students from my father’s generation is that while their verbal English was poor…their written English tended to be on par or even exceeded that demonstrated by most native-born US freshmen…even at the elite colleges/universities. </p>
<p>In fact, several international grad students at elite universities like Columbia have remarked with amazement at how students are being admitted with lackluster/atrocious writing and basic mathematical skills. They told me there was no way in hell the equivalent student in their home countries would be allowed to graduate high school…much less gain admission to any of their home countries’ reputable universities*…much less their elites. </p>
<p>In my own family’s experience, my mother was considered a “remedial student” for not taking calculus until her sophomore year in high school as calc was normally taken in middle school as a prereq for gaining admission to a college prep-oriented high school. Moreover, all college-prep high school students were expected to write well enough to not only be coherent, but of a standard acceptable for publication in a regional/local serious newspaper/literary magazine.</p>
<ul>
<li>Anything other than their equivalent of a dubious for-profit college/vocational institute which tends to be more widely regarded with skepticism and disdain than average Americans have for our equivalents here.</li>
</ul>