I am sorry to those who think that everyone 'should be nice and plant daffodils and go to their local pond and skip stones,' but the world out there (and i do not mean just the US) is rife with hyper-competition. And while we are telling our kids not to be competitive because it may hurt the feelings of those who lose other nations around the world are enhancing their education systems (and note in the near future the workplace will be truly global...actually it has already started, just ask those worker in the IT industry).
And what is next....no more sports like football because the losing team will find themselves lacking? Or no exams because some students might fail and start crying?
Actually the following is a post i put forth earlier today on a similar topic...that of some school systems doign away with Failing grades since they may make some students feel inferior:
This is an appalling trend in the education and tutoring system of the United States that really does not bode well for the US in the near future and onwards. The distressing thing is that while our US education structure atrophies those of other nations are going through sustained and unremitting leaps and jumps in a myriad of areas apart from one…accents!
I know it sounds ludicrous that I listed ‘accents’ as the only ‘lacking factor’ in foreign education systems…but literally that is the only viable weakness inherent in them. Foreign based education systems have become extremely competitive and exceedingly comprehensive. Your average foreigner would have better grades in every single subject…including English….with his/her only weak point being the oral smoothness brought about by the accent (and note I am not saying the English is grammatically incorrect…it is actually perfect, just with either some nuance or shadow of an intonation, inflection or brogue in the enunciation).
And in scrutinizing this subject area I will delve in the educational systems of India, Taiwan and Kenya high school systems (which by the way are the world’s hardest in that order) and compare them with the US high school educational system, which sadly is not considered a forte when it comes to preparing students for college and life! In the case of all these nations you will notice that there is a practical necessity for the comprehensiveness and toughness of their educational systems….and that is that it is grueling hard to acquire meaningful employment over there! The competition for every single placement is crazy, and having straight As is not a guarantee or a job offer. Hence the education systems have gone into overdrive to create a slew of virtual ‘ubermenchs’ in a bid to best prepare the kids for an ultra-competitive environment!
Now to tie in the US into this mix. The US high school system is sadly not up to the mark….however our university system is one of the best in the world…if not the best (which is somewhat ironical considering the state of the high schools). Hence these students from the foreign high schools come to the US for a tertiary education in an American university (since universities in the US are quite effective in developing the whole person instead of just cramming facts and figures…which is the bane of other tertiary systems like the that of the British) and thus they get to have their analytical and inter-personal communicative abilities developed in the US (and note they already have a grasp of the ‘facts and figures’ aspects from their education in their home countries).
What happens then? Suddenly the foreign students (at least the ones who came here for an education and not to just enjoy the American way of life or learn how to fly planes into buildings) become much superior to their American counterparts. They have a stronger work ethic, are more learned, read through the night, are extremely meticulous, do not complain, do not expect curves and handouts from their professors, and take learning as an opportunity instead of as a chore! Hence their grades are straight As and so on.
Then let us take a frenetic jump into graduation day and the search for employment in the US. Ok…..we have an American kid with a GPA of 3.1, and an Indian kid with a GPA of 3.9. The Indian kid is willing to work for a tenth of what the US kid even begins to expect, and the Indian kid is exposed to a wide variety of stresses and strains, and was taught from back home how to not only thrive under pressure but to excel! And his work ethic is just crazy!
Now, based on the law of economics, who do you think will get hired! I really doubt the workforce would let go of such a gem just because his accent has a little inflection pertinent to East Indian cultures! After all eh competes and even excels in every other facet and aspect when it comes to his educational background, and he is meticulous (probably even more so due to the ‘hostile’ conditions back home that require him to ensure his work is perfect just to ensure job security), and he is willing to work for a salary no self-respecting American counterpart would deem appropriate! A parallel analogy is to have to cars for sale…..one is a brand new Chevrolet and the other is a brand new Jaguar. However the Jaguar is selling for either the same price as the chevy, or for less! Most people would opt for a Jaguar.
And although the analogy is rather crude I can say I have had some experience in this. In my university I was frisking through the honor rolls (the Presidents by the way for students with 4.0s) and almost every person was international! And in my classes I always know my greatest competition in class will come from an international student! And I also did a stint a couple of years ago at one of the Kenyan educational systems (they have like 4 or 5 parallel programs) and I was just astonished at the level of absolute and total flawlessness when it came to learning. Actually the top tiers of that particular educational system actually had teachers whose only job was to ‘indoctrinate’ the students into believing they are better than every one else, and making them get such superiority complexes that they go into any situation already ‘knowing’ they have won. And their levels of scholarship and focus were so impressive that I think the best word is not that they were getting educated but that they were being turned into erudite individuals.
Anyway my point is that our US high school system needs to stop being so darn politically correct and start actually educating students (instead of debating whether it is ‘appropriate’ to teach kids about homosexuality and such stuff). After all kids go to high school to do two things: be educated (if not being turned into erudite individuals) and to learn how to get along with others and integrate themselves into society! Fighting over ‘rights’ to teach them about same-sex marriages, or lifting up skirts to ensure they are not wearing thongs (that crazy case in the news recently) should be secondary….although in my opinion such stuff is best left at home (although sadly few families are capable to assist their kids grow into mature responsible adults).
Anyway that is my experience....and my opinion.
...And the 'Dumbing Down of America' is simply the name we give to the larger plot to remove all vestiges of individuality and indoctrinate all of us into the Third Way, EU-style, collective conciousness.
"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated"
If the left gets it's way, the earth will be taken over by so-called 'lower' life forms, which will become the intellectually 'higher' life forms on the planet, after the left takes us back to the pre-stone age era.
Maybe in the education system, but Amazon's outsourced customer service group, a component of which is based near Mumbai/Poona, coaches their employees in imitating American accents, keeping up with US news etc, so that someone calling has no idea that the Harry he's talking to is really Hari.
I said that about homework once - and got whacked with a ruler.
And today in other news: A recent FDA sponsored cancer study confirmed the link between oxidative free-radicals and cancer. Lead researcher Iggy Dimwiddle was quoted as saying "This major study has proven conclusively that oxygen is Bad, Bad, Bad."
Taking his cue from Dimwiddle, FDA Chief Mengele moved to issue a directive reclassifying oxygen as a toxic carcinogen and a controlled substance. He also added that "We are also working with Congress to draft legislation that would impose a 20 year sentance on anyone convicted of the use or distribution of oxygen."
RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! THE SUB-MORONS HAVE TAKEN OVER THE WORLD!
" The principal said children playing tag suffered both physical and emotional injuries. "
It's also about the touchy feely.