@ucbalumnus is absolutely correct. The people who the US allows to come here via our visa system are disproportionately well educated and particularly STEM-ey.
It’s one reason (among many) their children generally do very well here.
“we don’t have poor in this country. You people have no idea what poor is.” He told me that the type of poverty he grew up in was his motivator."
That’s totally a false statement. Maybe that doctor should go to inner city neighborhoods throughout the country to get his/her eyes opened. We went few times in a one week mission in downtown neighborhood of York, PA, and you can see some of the people there were very poor and their houses were rundowns. Same as some DC old neighborhoods and Baltimore neighborhoods. Even in the rich neighborhoods of San Francisco, there are tons of families squeezed in a single room arrangement with no private bathroom. There are just as many places in the US as third world poor countries.
Believe me, and that’s the view point from someone who also grew up in some so-so Asian neighborhood, where sommy friends’ families living on the same street would sell their academic accomplished daughters (after just finishing their elementary or middle schools) to bar/massage salon (sex trade) to make quick bucks.
“Other people have are literally starving to death so the children going hungry, the thousands of homeless, the people dying of preventable diseases because of lack of healthcare shouldn’t complain.” - what people who say “you don’t know what poor is” are really saying.
So what is “really” poor? Not having access to clean water? Welcome to Flint. Not having a place to live? Welcome to the disgustingly large homeless population in the US. Not having access to education? Welcome to Detroit. Having to fear for your life from the people who are supposed to protect you? Welcome to being a PoC.
People who have never been poor in this country have no idea what it’s like to be poor in the US.
It is socially acceptable for American parents to push their kids in sports, less so in STEM fields. Parents will spend the weekend traveling to a club sport then complain that teachers have given their kids too much homework.
American culture is sports driven. There is much acclaim for the gifted athlete, or even the mediocre athlete, but little attention paid toward the academically inclined. My son’s school stopped the academic honors day because too many parents complained at having to watch other parents’ children receive awards. However, the sports award ceremonies are still going strong - and dinner is served.
“The value of education that their culture had was fierce. 8 hours + independent studying a day since they started school, enforced by their parents. No resources aside from government funded schools and textbooks, paper, pencils, the family dining table and a gas lamp after dark.”
Ever wonder why these immigrants and their children can achieve in the US, but majority of them (or their kin) can’t achieve that in the countries where they came from. Because when their peers and other kids are also doing the “8 hours + independent studying a day since they started school”, these immigrant kids won’t be any special and stand out in their native lands. Therefore, after not having the competitive advantage, they would be just an average students and won’t be easily landing in top schools, spots in professional school, and later high-income jobs.
“Why can’t we as a rich nation with near universal internet access even get many of our teenagers to read at age level, let alone graduate high school?”
US maybe a rich nation, but the education system is still funded by local government (the public schools) or a family’s own resource (private school). The funding for public schools comes from local property tax, and for rich county/state vs inner city/middle state, the school qualities and resources differ greatly.
It is a laughable statement claiming Flint water issue to be at the same level as in developing countries. Even only counting the lead content, it is not even a fraction to compare. Availability of education in Detroit is nothing to compare with areas that have no school at all or need to walk 5 hours to attend. Large homeless population, but in what percentage of the population?
No private bath room is nothing to complain. There is not even a single bathroom in many areas in developing countries. These comments just reinforced the idea people don’t really know what “poor” is.
Hey the sports kids (the ones who are also able to hold their own academically) are working towards the preferential treatment they will get as recruited athletes in admissions at elite colleges. So they may be on the right track.
@msdynamite85 I don’t know if the wedding you were at had an unusually large amount of people that had higher education or their parents had a high level of motivation for their children. I am from a family in the USA, that valued education as long as it didn’t cost them money. Although I, and my child’s father are successful we didn’t graduate from college. I decided to do things differently when I had a child. I saved, even when it was difficult, to give my child a better life then I was given. My Child’s father agreed. I didn’t have Internet, cell phones, access to a computer, yet I grew up, at the time, considered middle class. There are poor people everywhere, there are also richer people in developing nations. It’s all relative to what is consider well off in that nation. Now, just recently it seems that billionaires are elected and coveted by the the poor to lead in our nation. I know of homeless people in our country that have kids and I would bet they hope their children have a better life than they have now. I am glad that the Universities in our Country are almost always financial need blind. This is why our country is already great.
@stardustmom Your point makes so much sense as stated. I agree completely.