After watching 2 Million Minutes, what are your thoughts about how American education differs from other parts of the world? In your opinion, how does education in other parts of the world compare and contrast to education in America? Do you think American education should be more like education in China and/or India? Why or why not?
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I do agree that America is taking a very relaxed approach to education. I think we should hold our students to higher standards for their own sake because they soon will be competing with students from China and India.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that we should give our kids so much homework that they do not have time for other activites. The girl from America made some really good points about how she believes that American students are happier and more well rounded becuase they can have extra curricular activites. I believe that socialization and exercise are important aspects of Americans lives that shouldn't be taken away but we should emphasize education a bit more than we are now.
I also agree that America has a less aggressive education system than other countries. We are capable of learning more than most people give us credit for. A bunch of my teachers know this and try to challenge us. They usually get reputations of being extremely hard and no one wants to take their classes.
ReplyDeleteAs for making our education more like China or India, I do not think we should make our system like theirs. I do believe that our system needs to step it up a few levels. Children are not given enough credit as to how much they can learn. If they were expected to learn a little more each year, by the time they graduate from high school they could learn the equivalent of 13 or 14 years of information instead of 12. Kids still need to have free time to spend playing sports or with friends and family.
Monica...
ReplyDeleteI agree that we should hold our students to a higher standard because they will be competing with other countries. Especially for jobs, companies are going to pick the person most qualified for the job and if other countries are preparing their students for that then Americans are going to have a hard time finding jobs.
After watching two million minutes, I don't feel like our education system is the problem. I think its the motivation and drive of the students that is inadequate compared to that of the other countries. Parents these days are becoming just as lazy as their kids and they aren't pushing them to be all that they can be. I think another thing too that has caused Americas kids to become more lazy is technology. Kids are more worried about playing video games than ever before. Im speaking out of weakness because I know that I used to do the same.
ReplyDeleteKelly M...
I agree with Kelly in the fact that I don't think we need to change our education system to be like China's or India's and I do think that a good thing about Americans is that they still make time to have fun, but I do agree that we need to step it up a few levels or Americans will not be getting very many jobs.
although america's education system is more laid-back then other countries i dont see it as a huge deal. it's really up to the student, if a person wants to learn more about something then they could just go to the library and check out books. just because our education system doesn't require 10 hours of homework everynight does not mean that students aren't learning outside of the classroom.
ReplyDeleteive got to agree with monica. the american students on the video were involved in plenty of activities and socializing is also an important tool when it comes to landing a job. i mean the kid from india seemed like he had a personality of a doormat and that could work against him when it comes to finding a steady job.
ReplyDeleteI understand that America is behind India and China in the educational stand point, but i believe that the world is coming to a point to where it will not matter what country we are from, we will all have the same oppertunities and compete for jobs on a fair level. I do not think this will happen anytime soon, but it will happen.
ReplyDeleteMonica,
i do agree that our educational system is way behind everyone in China and India. and we do have to make steps to improving that.
@Steve Belfi
ReplyDeleteI think you made a great point about how American teens may not be spending as much time behind a textbook, but they are still learning valuable lessons outside of the classroom. There are many lessons to be learned through social situations and athletics that you will need in your professional career and those should not be discounted.
The us is falling behind but it’s something that can’t be helped because unlike china we require student to go to school until there 16 where as in china they star kicking kids out at an early age and make them go work in factories and there athletes don’t go to school but they get put into a high intensity training program so if you look and our countries as a hole and not based on the handful of genius students china has our education is much better. Most of china’s population can barely read and that’s because they weren’t up to snuff and china’s school system kicked them out where in American those kids would be put in special programs which cost a lot of money, and if we took that away and started kicking kids out of school you would see our grades rise and if we completely got rid of special Ed. programs that would put a lot more money back into the school system as well. My girl friend is a teacher at the center for autism and it cost public schools 55 thousand dollars a semester to send one kid there which when a school district sends 5 students there all threw school till there 21 that’s roughly 9 million dollars that could be put back into our schools. That’s why I think our education system is just fine.
ReplyDeleteI agree with steve belfi it is up to the student if they dont want to work hard you can always go into construction or something and make a really good living so there's no motivation
ReplyDeleteAfter watching two million minutes I think that yes our education system is more relaxed, but that cam also be better. The students on the movie admitted to already knowing exactly what job they were going to hold when they are through with school, but most of them didn't say that they liked it. They said that they were doing it because their parents or siblings did it so it wouldn't be difficult for them to learn. How fun is that? Yes, we are competing for jobs with them, but if we stopped importing and depending on them so much and did our own work here we wouldn't have to worry about them taking our jobs because they would have to find their own.
ReplyDeleteMonica...
I agree with you that the Americans on the movie seemed more relaxed and well rounded which will benefit them when trying to find a job. Having an imagination, in my opinion, will benefit you so much more than just being book smart and having no other life outside of that because being social and easy to talk to will also help you get the job you want.
After watching 2 Million minutes, I feel that Americans are not as concerned with pushing children in education as much as other countries like China and India. I don't think that Americans are not concerned with children getting a good education, because there are many people who will move for a better school or pay for a private education in which children have been shown to get into better colleges and then get higher paying jobs. I think most Americans are more concerned with the big picture, or a well rounded person. The people on the video, even though they were playing instruments or allowed a little free time, didn't seem to have as much going on as far as their own interests were concerned. Growing up, if I wanted to do things outside of school I had to make sure that my grades always came first. If my grades were to slip, I would have to drop an activity. But, I think a major difference is that the majority of American parents would rather see their children succeed in their individual interests, and not be told what they have to do or fill their schedules up so that there is no free time. I do not think that American education should be more like China or India. I think children should enjoy going to school, and enjoy their free time, so that they don't get burnt out and rebel. But, I think that American school-aged kids should be more self motivated so they are willing to work harder in school. I think self motivation is much better and much more rewarding than being told what you are going to have to do for your life.
ReplyDeleteMonica G.- I agree with you on your statement about pursuing a well-rounded education. I actually wrote the same thing in my post. I definitely think that socialization and extra curricular activities are very important as well as a good education.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching 2 million minutes I feel like Americans are not as worried about school as other countries and this could be a problem. But I also feel that Americans have more of a social life. A students social life can be very important as well as schooling. Students need to have friends and learn how you should talk to other people. The students in India and China i'm sure do understand this, but do not get the feel of it nearly as much as the students in America.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching 2 million minutes, i think education for Americans is way more laid back then countries such as China and India. Our approach is just more relaxed and i guess you can say more simple then their systems. Americans and other students around the world should have a somewhat relaxing education system. Students shouldn't be spending their whole night doing homework. Students need to be active and socializing with friends.So, I don't think that America's education system should be like India's or China's system, but America does need to be not so lazy when it comes to school work in order to compete with these other countries.
ReplyDeleteMonica, I agree with you, I think students should have time to do other activities than just homework and that Americans need to set their standards higher.
Emily J.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the job situation. I feel like the students in China and India did not talk about what they really wanted to do with their life. They only talked about what they knew is good for their family or what other people in their family were already doing.
Looking at two million minutes it says that China produces eight times as many scientists and engineers than the United States. The U.S. is defiantly not pushing their students as hard as China and India. Education in the U.S. should just work harder with pushing kids to do better than it has been in the past.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jamie W that the U.S. is not as worried about school as other countries, and that a social life is more important to us than them. That is why the education is not as strict as other countries because they know a social life is a big part of today's students.
ReplyDeleteEducation in the US is totally different from the other counties...the other countries make education a priority.the parents are more involved in the childs academics.they set goals for them and make sure they do their work. In the US it is envorced but it is not made a priority.We have sports that and other countries do not. Therefore, the academics in the US is not as effective as in other countries that all they offer in school is work and more work..
ReplyDeleteThese differences between China, India and America is mainly about how we are raised and how our society works. I do think that the American girl was right when she said that we need to study, but, at the same time socialize and have other activities. But that is because we in America and the rest of the Western world, more often have that possibility to do other things than school. Most people in China or India, doesn’t have another choice than study, because they are raised in that way that you need to have a good education to, for example, get out of poverty and get a good life. I think it is impossible to change Americas school to the Chinese or Indian model, but I think it is important to somehow make Americas teenager interested in learning again.
ReplyDeleteI agree with monica we should hold the students more accountable towards there academics. I dont mean to say that we are better off surrounding the students with a lot of work, but to challenge them academicly, yes we should!!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletesteve belfi.
ReplyDeleteOf course it is important for students as individuals to take responsibility about their education, but I think that it is even more important that teachers and politicians starts acting seriously and put some more pressure on students and their learning, before it is too late..
I disagree with 2 Million Minutes because I believe it is extremely biased. Whatever point the producers were trying to make about how America is lacking in the education system had the exact opposite effect on me. The students from China and India are book smart, and ya that's pretty much it. Calculating numbers all day will only get you more numbers. How are you suppose to live life? Also, where is responsibility learned if mommy and daddy are always checking up on you and solving every problem you come across? The students from the United States are well-rounded. They are involved in multiple sports and clubs, they socialize on a regular basis, and study when the have time. Not one particular item is a top priority; everything is or is attempted to be balanced in their lives. I believe that this is what defines success. One must be able to overcome a variety of stressors, not just one subject.
ReplyDeleteTherese, I understand that education is important to a person's life. Thus, America should try harder to motivate students to learn more. However, I do not feel that America should ever change their schooling to a more-like China and India type of school, where all they offer is studies, and more studies. Instead, I think some of those Eastern countries should try some American methods to education because as I said before, calculating numbers, will only get you numbers, where is the creativty or individualism?
ReplyDeleteAfter watching 2 million minutes it is clear that american education is way more laid back than education around the world. Eventhough our education is more relaxed I do not necessarily think it is a bad thing. Socializing is very important as well, having good people skills comes in very important when trying to get a job. If you are too busy studying all day then you wont have time to get out be around people and have fun. I do believe that our education system is a little too relaxed, we could challenge the kids more but overall I do not think that a more relaxed approach is such a bad thing
ReplyDeleteRyan,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you I think that our system is a lot more relaxed and we shouldn't be like China or India. I also agree with you that America shouldn't be so lazy. If we continue to be this lazy our students won't be able to compete with students from other countries, leaving them with fewer job opportunities.
Watching 2 Million Minutes made me appreciate the amount of freedom that American students have. I like the idea of being able to chill and relax someitimes. I always worked hard for the grades in my classes and always put my school work first. I think that it is admirable that students in countries like India and China put a big focus on excelling in academics, they do not really have a choice. All of the students from the other countires made it in obvious that they do not have a choice. My parents wanted me to do the best that I could but I was never forced to do things that i did not want to. That is the luxorious freedom that I appreciate.
ReplyDeleteHeather M.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with that the other kids did not seem to be able to take up anything with their own interests. I also agree that just because American parents dont push their kids into multiple things does not mean they are not concerned about their children's education.
After beginning to watch the movie, i can tell that America is behind some of the other countries in education. Education is hard to take to seriously, because you can never be to serious about education. But there were some children in the other countries that did not have a true life of a regular child in America. They schooled almost everyday of the week. I mean that is a good thing, but i beleive all children should get to have time for other activities. Though America seems to be behind the other countries, I think the way things here are just fine. People get there education, and still have social lives.
ReplyDeleteI am also in full agreement with my fellow classmate Ryan Gross. The students and people in America lack the motivation that other countries have. Our educational systems are probably just as great as other countries, but America's students may take that for granted, and just try and get through it, instead of actually taking things in, and truly learning
ReplyDeleteAfter watching 2 million minutes, I feel that other countries are more concerned about education than we are. They make sure they finish all of thier work and study everyday before having any fun playing sports or playing instruments. We on the other hand like to be seen by the sports we play or other special talents. For example, my coach excused me from class one time so i could dance at a basketball game. Obviously, we look at education very different here. I was suprised when one of the students from another country said that he thinks Americans get by in school so easy by slacking. There is some truth to that though since majority of students do not do all of thier work or take the easy way out of things. I dont know how i really feel about our education being more like China or India. However, I do think we should put school first and then sports.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ashley Juby about the individualism and how other countries should try to adapt to our learning styles. I feel there should be a balance between education and free time.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching 2 million minutes it seems to me that the American school system isnt like others in the world as far as motivation goes. I think American schooling just kind of goes through the motions sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Lauren Burmeister said....
ReplyDeleteOther countries make sure all the school work is done before the kids are allowed to get anything done and I think that is another area that American schooling can improve in
I believe that education in America can be advanced in some places but in other places it really lacks. Now that I am going to school with people from different states in the country I can see how their education differs. Some kids had more advanced programs in their high schools and are converting well to college life, others with less advanced high schools are struggling with many things such as math. Education in America needs to be more consistent and more advanced as far as technology goes.
ReplyDeleteAs far as comparing education in America to other countries I strongly believe that we are falling behind. Other countries are much more disciplined and need to excel in their education to get jobs in their country. America has a wider variety of jobs that are being offered so people can go for many different majors. I do feel that many teachers in America rely on students to teach themselves more than they teach the students and I think this is a bit of a downfall. Our teachers need to know the material and be able to actually teach the students so that they understand the material, thats how students actually learn things. If students do not excel soon in schools are countries will be moving ahead of us and take over a lot of our jobs.
I agree with lauren and Todd...
ReplyDeleteIf students were to get more work done in school maybe they would understand it better while they are still in the school mode. Once you leave school you do not want to do your school work and you just rush through it to get it done. In doing this you really are not learning anything and it is just wasting your time. Other countries make you get more of your work done in school and I believe this helps the students to understand the information more and this could be why they excel faster than American students.
I think we should definitely have more competition in the school districts, however that is a really hard thing to do without going as extreme as other countries; there way of doing things is too extreme in my opinion. One way we could raise competition with out going as extreme is maybe by each individual teacher giving more incentives for good grades and completed hw. Also, the government should step in and offer more free workshops for teachers to go to, to improve on technology and new ideas.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Will that there should be more time for activities because it's a great way to meet people socially and many times it's the only way to get children to excersize, but America i do think needs to make improvements to our education system because no one takes it seriously. Maybe if highschools had more choices of classes to take and more teacher student interaction time everyone would enjoy it more.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that the students in America take a more relaxed approached when it comes to education. The reason why students take the more relaxed approach is because they have more of a personal life and more freedom than students do in China and India. But what we have to remember is that unlike in other countries students in America have to deal with far more social problem within society and the family than students in those countries. Which leads to education not being the main priority. I would agree that education needs to be more similar to education in China but due to our culture and the attitude that Americans posses, it would never happen.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Eileen A. how education could be better in some places but not in all. Going back to my original post, our society is so seperated as a whole our education will never compete with those of China and India. I feel this way because the American system is not in favor for everyone to succeed and advance. I'm not saying thats its totally in favor for all people in other countries but since it starts with education it sure seems like it
ReplyDeleteTwo million minutes made me feel not only like a bum but i understood why our jobs today are going to those overseas. Not only did it open my eyes to why china and other countries are becoming bigger and better but also why they are more of a world power than the US. I also felt lucky to live in a country where going to school for sports is ok because we can balance sports and education and still graduate with high academic standings. I didn't like that they were judging all the stuends in america as lazy and that we play sports constantly. I understand what school life is like in those countries and I feel bad for what they have to go through and all the pressure that is put on them to excell in school.
ReplyDeleteI really think what emily had to say is correct we are falling behind just like Kellen said but it is our own fault. The US needs to depend on ourselves. We are just as capable of knowing just as much as those kids in countries. Just beacause they go to school longer and are more strick doesn't mean we are wrong because our school systems are more relaxed and have sports.
Two million minutes showed me how serious school is taken overseas. Students in China and India work much harder than students in the U.S. School is completely different from here. After watching it I felt embarrassed for students here including myself. If students in the United States continue to slack off and diregard school the United States will continue to lose more jobs to those overseas.
ReplyDelete