Our World

We are Falling Behind

I have heard multiple times in the past about how the students of the U.S. (you and me) are falling behind the rest of the world in the level of education. After having a discussion with a certain German foreign exchange student I found that these things are quite true. He told me that school is much harder in Germany where they spend hours a night studying. He also impressed me with his fluency in three separate languages including French, German, and English. A recent addition of Times Magazine had this same subject as its cover story. It states that the gap between the students of the U.S. and those of foreign countries is becoming disturbingly wider. Less than half of U.S. students are enrolled in a foreign language course. Speaking more than one language is a skill that will become more and more important as globalization continues. Also the article claims that core social studies classes tend to focus mainly on U.S. history, which I have found to be very true in the classes which I have taken. Many adults are concerned that we will not have the knowledge needed to compete globally when we enter the working world. I believe that this is a serious problem that is not being addressed by the government. We take for granted our education and many do as little as possible to receive an often inflated grade. What needs to be done to solve this problem? Well we can start by not whining about every small assignment given to us. We can also apply ourselves more fully to school work and make an effort to understand and retain the information given to us. I also believe that the government should set higher standards in education. Raising the funding for education and the pay of teachers will also benefit the educational system. The stereotypical laziness of Americans can easily be seen in this counties students and needs to change.

posted by Anonymous @ 12/14/2006 05:03:00 PM