I feel sorry for American School Students

[Blitzkreg]

I go to a private high school in America, so the public school system doesn't apply to me.
I would like to pose a counter question, as I'm sensing strongly anti-American sentiments.

If the American public school system is broken/inferior/failing, then how could the country as a whole still be the most powerful, wealthiest, and technologically advanced (as far as the government goes) in the world?

School systems educate children who grow up to become members of the workforce. It seems a logical step to me to say that the better educated the children, the more effective their workforce will become. If the US has the most powerful workforce, then it's educational system must also be similarly powerful.

I could be wrong, but it seems to me the driving mentality of this thread is incorrectly anti-American.

 

[Saint of M]

The reason why i bring this subject up is because i have recently been watching Jamie Oliver's food revolution. I was completely stunned by the reaction of the superintendent (i'm not really sure how important this position is) and how he is allowed to make a universal decision in regard to what children eat.

This just proves to me that the American education system fails at the most basic fundementals.

Please do NOT take this as an attack!!!

If you think that's bad, look up the film "Killer at Large: Why Obesity is America's Greatest Threat."

That just confirms my theory that it was the parents that needed to go back to high school.

Yeah, our school systems are quite screwed at the moment.

 

[PneumaticSuicide]

I'm willing to sacrifice the health of America's school children to spite Jamie Oliver. Thank god I was in 6th form when they removed the vending machines...

yep nothing like manifesting fat cunts just to spite one man who is trying to stop obesity, goddamn people and their concern for people they don't have to worry about but do just to keep them alive long enough to realise they have only one shot at life and not to waste is on cheeseburgers

http://www.wikihow.com/Have-a-Sense-of-Humor
It's the first thing google gave me, maybe you should take a look.

I completed comedy way before you got your first pube. Even as i sit in silence and ponder the very meaning of what its means to create complex brain destroying hilarity, my mighty minions of miniture madness defacate upon your most treasured items

Funny that, because you sound about 12.

In any case, I am merely pointing out that many kids found it annoying that they were suddenly no longer allowed to buy a bottle of coke with their lunch, even though the actual food they served hadn't changed. The guy has a point, it's just been poorly implemented in the UK and probably would be in the US too.

GOOD!! They shouldn't be allowed to buy coke with their lunch, or any soft drink/soda for that matter. Water should be all that is available

 

[philzibit]

New Football field? Fuck Yeah!

Lower school lunches? No! We have to pay for the football field!

Get new text books so the students aren't using old, worn down ones? FOOTBALL FIELD!

How about more parking spots so the students don't have to park 3 blocks away when it's 12 degrees in the winter and 94 degrees in May? FOOTBALL!

Put RANDOM FUCKING 32 INCH, HD TV's IN THE FUCKING HALLWAYS TO DISPLAY WHEN FOOTBALL GAMES ARE!?...ok.

Thus was the case at my old high school. I'm glad I graduated 2 years ago, because the stupid tax payer spending has only got worse.

 

[aashell13]

This just proves to me that the American education system fails at the most basic fundementals.

The fundamental notion of the American school system, beneath everything else, is the notion of local autonomy.

As a community you are free to determine what is most appropriate for your unique situation and use that to chart your own course to success. the flip side of that coin is that the state government will be slow and ineffective at rescuing you if you decide to sail your proverbial boat into the nearest cliff. There are many successful school districts (I went to one), but they seldom recieve much media time because they don't have many scandals that can be made into political hay.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

I'm willing to sacrifice the health of America's school children to spite Jamie Oliver. Thank god I was in 6th form when they removed the vending machines...

yep nothing like manifesting fat cunts just to spite one man who is trying to stop obesity, goddamn people and their concern for people they don't have to worry about but do just to keep them alive long enough to realise they have only one shot at life and not to waste is on cheeseburgers

http://www.wikihow.com/Have-a-Sense-of-Humor
It's the first thing google gave me, maybe you should take a look.

I completed comedy way before you got your first pube. Even as i sit in silence and ponder the very meaning of what its means to create complex brain destroying hilarity, my mighty minions of miniture madness defacate upon your most treasured items

Funny that, because you sound about 12.

In any case, I am merely pointing out that many kids found it annoying that they were suddenly no longer allowed to buy a bottle of coke with their lunch, even though the actual food they served hadn't changed. The guy has a point, it's just been poorly implemented in the UK and probably would be in the US too.

GOOD!! They shouldn't be allowed to buy coke with their lunch, or any soft drink/soda for that matter. Water should be all that is available

Oh hey there food police. It's nice you think that you should enforce your opinions so strongly upon everyone else. Clearly, people shouldn't be allowed to make decisions, and we should do as you say.

 

[hawkeye52]

I'm not familiar with the show. Could you describe the decision he made?
I feel sorry for us, too, actually. Just the other day, I was at my high school graduation, and they were giving out several $200 prizes for perfect attendance. It was unsettling to me that the administration was essentially paying kids to show up to school. It seems to enforce the wrong reasons to go to school. It just...bothered me. You know?

We did have that in England as well (the Tories are scapping it) but thats just for sixth form colleges (years 16-18) where its not compulsory to be in since all education after the age of 16 is optional (again however thats gonna change from what i hear where its either you go into further education or a form of training such as plumbing).

It was called EMA (educational maintanence allowance) however it was like £30 a week and so most of it was used on transport.

 

[PneumaticSuicide]

I'm willing to sacrifice the health of America's school children to spite Jamie Oliver. Thank god I was in 6th form when they removed the vending machines...

yep nothing like manifesting fat cunts just to spite one man who is trying to stop obesity, goddamn people and their concern for people they don't have to worry about but do just to keep them alive long enough to realise they have only one shot at life and not to waste is on cheeseburgers

http://www.wikihow.com/Have-a-Sense-of-Humor
It's the first thing google gave me, maybe you should take a look.

I completed comedy way before you got your first pube. Even as i sit in silence and ponder the very meaning of what its means to create complex brain destroying hilarity, my mighty minions of miniture madness defacate upon your most treasured items

Funny that, because you sound about 12.

In any case, I am merely pointing out that many kids found it annoying that they were suddenly no longer allowed to buy a bottle of coke with their lunch, even though the actual food they served hadn't changed. The guy has a point, it's just been poorly implemented in the UK and probably would be in the US too.

GOOD!! They shouldn't be allowed to buy coke with their lunch, or any soft drink/soda for that matter. Water should be all that is available

Oh hey there food police. It's nice you think that you should enforce your opinions so strongly upon everyone else. Clearly, people shouldn't be allowed to make decisions, and we should do as you say.

NO i'm not in anyway trying to dictate peoples lives and just think schools should take more responsibility in teaching their students about being healthy. A 600ml coke bottle contains 65g of sugar which quickly becomes fat when you sit down all day at school. Now you might enjoy not being able to see your feet but its such an easy problem to fix but due to an immense amount of ignorant people its becoming more unlikely by the minute

 

[DJROC]

If the American public school system is broken/inferior/failing, then how could the country as a whole still be the most powerful, wealthiest, and technologically advanced (as far as the government goes) in the world?

Because we carry heavy, heavy debt.

It's not anti-American to say that our public school system is awful. It's objective assessment. If you think otherwise, that's probably more evidence of our poor system trying to convince our students that we're still this diamond of the modern world that everyone aspires to be.

We've got big problems with our healthcare, our schools, our unemployment rates, and our deficit spending.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

Democracy, dear Watson. There's a reason why you can take your own food too, if you're like that.

This just proves to me that the American education system fails at the most basic fundementals.

Please do NOT take this as an attack!!!

How the fuck should I not feel that was an attack?

 

[spwatkins]

There are so many problems in our schools that aren't getting fixed, and they're all usually the result of too much politics. The lunches are just the tip of the iceberg. For example, now in Pennsylvania (where I live), school budgets are being cut, leading to awesome newer teachers being let go while old lazy ones stay. It frustrates me sometimes.

same things happening here in Florida :/ theyre laying off my last english 4 teacher after her first and only year. there are only 4 english 4 teachers in total, probably 3 or 2 next year... but they arent laying off any of the like 10 math teachers.

i dunno about you, but i consider english to be quite a bit more important than fuckin calculus and trigonomics

You could have fooled me based on the spelling and grammar in your post

Also Calc and Trig are *very* important to the engineering professions, which is one of the few high-paying careers available to anyone who applies themselves.

 

[Tdc2182]

You think that's bad?

Go to the international English schools in Germany. If a teacher has been there for a certain amount of time, they have almost complete immunity from the school board. They can not get fired by the school. It has to be instigated by an outside source such as a parent.

A woman came into my Uncle's class while he was teaching and tore the room apart looking for a book (She had made my Uncle keep all the old useless books in his room), right during the middle of his class, and when he asked if he could help her she flipped out on him and started screaming.

The principal had absolutely no control over her.

 

[Resonantscythe]

The reason why i bring this subject up is because i have recently been watching Jamie Oliver's food revolution. I was completely stunned by the reaction of the superintendent (i'm not really sure how important this position is) and how he is allowed to make a universal decision in regard to what children eat.

This just proves to me that the American education system fails at the most basic fundementals.

Please do NOT take this as an attack!!!

The funny thing about you saying it's not an attack is the fact that most of us attack our own school system for being really shitty. It's actually constantly in the papers and some magazines how much our schools are garbage and way behind the rest of the modern world. The food is only one of many problems our school system has.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

Le snip.

NO i'm not in anyway trying to dictate peoples lives and just think schools should take more responsibility in teaching their students about being healthy. A 600ml coke bottle contains 65g of sugar which quickly becomes fat when you sit down all day at school. Now you might enjoy not being able to see your feet but its such an easy problem to fix but due to an immense amount of ignorant people its becoming more unlikely by the minute

It's not the schools responsibility, it's the responsibility of the individual. In lower age groups, it's different, but in teens people are responsible for their own diet. If people are too stupid to look after their bodies, that's their own issue, but it shouldn't be handled with such sweeping actions that affect perfectly sensible healthy people.

To the bolded part, yes, yes you are.

 

[Gindil]

I go to a private high school in America, so the public school system doesn't apply to me.
I would like to pose a counter question, as I'm sensing strongly anti-American sentiments.

If the American public school system is broken/inferior/failing, then how could the country as a whole still be the most powerful, wealthiest, and technologically advanced (as far as the government goes) in the world?

School systems educate children who grow up to become members of the workforce. It seems a logical step to me to say that the better educated the children, the more effective their workforce will become. If the US has the most powerful workforce, then it's educational system must also be similarly powerful.

I could be wrong, but it seems to me the driving mentality of this thread is incorrectly anti-American.

The final statement says so much, i'm not even American or a Teacher!!!!11 However i'd be willing to invest my time for next to nothing put in the effort that people complain about. Rome wasn't built in a day (cliche i know) but it is an appropriate analogy. All it would take is a committed effort with the enthusiasm i know Americans have and you have such a proud history and it would be a shame to see that lost.

First, we would have to change our education paradigm:


Second, there's plenty of ways to change education for the betterment of society. The problem is all of the money that goes into it, and how we have politicians messing it up. That's a rant for another time. My view, based on how our educational system is lacking is to adapt our students to different standards, similar to Montessori. We lose a lot of divergent thinking, and the public system spits out people for factory jobs.

There's more ways, it's just incredibly difficult to get anything new into the system that allows a smarter population in general.

 

[PneumaticSuicide]

Democracy, dear Watson. There's a reason why you can take your own food too, if you're like that.

This just proves to me that the American education system fails at the most basic fundementals.

Please do NOT take this as an attack!!!

How the fuck should I not feel that was an attack?

easy to answer


You fukn take eveything as an attack, even if i farted in the general direction of the USA it would be considered an attack. As a country in which i have much admiration, it stills amazes me by the sheer precious self importance of on a small amount people who don't think any other country exists outside of youe shores

 

[PowerC]

The reason why i bring this subject up is because i have recently been watching Jamie Oliver's food revolution. I was completely stunned by the reaction of the superintendent (i'm not really sure how important this position is) and how he is allowed to make a universal decision in regard to what children eat.

This just proves to me that the American education system fails at the most basic fundementals.

Please do NOT take this as an attack!!!

agreed, finished my freshmen year today, the US policies on education are absolutely terrible. Its sad that in the past 100 years we have invented airplanes, TV, the internet, and Iphones yet were still using the same means of teaching a kid math.

\


You're absolutely correct!!!11 We have moved so far forward yet we leave alot to the wayside.

ridiculous it absolutely is... that was my public school grammar at work

 

[Prof. Monkeypox]

Don't pity us, we don't know any different.

We have enough trouble trying to get any one thing changed in the school system, without trying to worry about a total overhaul.

 

[Bags159]

The reason why i bring this subject up is because i have recently been watching Jamie Oliver's food revolution. I was completely stunned by the reaction of the superintendent (i'm not really sure how important this position is) and how he is allowed to make a universal decision in regard to what children eat.

This just proves to me that the American education system fails at the most basic fundementals.

Please do NOT take this as an attack!!!

You do realize we can pack our own lunch in our country, right?

 

[direkiller]

Another part of the problem is that now from several cases I have seen, like with at my little nephews school, the only kids that get special rewards are the bad students that do slightly better on assignments. My little nephew came home and showed us a little smiley face that was drawn on his paper by the teacher for a 95%. He then proceeded to tell us another boy in his class got a piece of candy and a smiley sticker. I asked him if that kid got a 100%, he said, "No, he got a D. He got rewarded because he didn't get an F this time."
If anybody should have got a sticker and candy, it should have been my nephew. The "D" kid should have just got some words of encouragement and that he needs to work harder. People in real world jobs don't get rewards for finally doing their jobs at least half-assed.

As cruel as it sound the kid may have been special, mainstreaming dose do that sometimes.