Americans And School Shocked

[Cool_Freaker 0]

ENGLT 345: Mythologies of the WorldGeneral setting, teacher asks a question, everyone mumbles the answer.1. What is the first book of the Bible?...Genesis..2. What is the first few lines of the Declaration of Independence?...When in the course of human events... Waitaminute... why did half the class just say "We the people"?Are Americans so stupid that after taking 12 years of school, that after they enter college, taking college level courses, they still do not know the difference between the Declaration and the Constitution?The teacher then goes on and says, "No, it's about the course of human events".Student in the middle of the class: "So thats the preamble?"What?Huh?Is this just an isolated case in Sacramento?

[mackygood 0]

I'm not in America, but I thought the Declaration of Independence was made to clarify the 13 colonies were independent to the British?

Historical Background: On July 2, 1776, in Philadelphia, the Continental Congress adopted the resolution, introduced by Richard Henry Lee and John Adams, which actually declared independence from Great Britain. [it declared, in part, ``that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.'' The Declaration, which explained why the Colonies (now States) declared their independence, was adopted by the Continental Congress July 4, 1776. [The leading draftsman was Thomas Jefferson, assisted by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman. The drafting of Declaration of Independence is detailed here.] The text follows below.

And I take it the preamble is in the U.S. Constition right?
http://www.usconstitution.net/xconst_preamble.html

Correct me if I'm wrong about anything, but I'm sure the Declaration and the Constitution are two different things.

[Cool_Freaker 0]

Exactly! How is it that people out sie of the United States know more of the history and the foundations of our country more than us? Do the students in United States get taught about other countries to this degree? The contrary. Barely any of the student population in the United States could even tell you where one might find Brazil. However, I do not blame this on the part of the instructors. I have too been through school, and at least I know where and what forign countries are called. I think that the problem lies in the hands of the students. Perhaps the students in our country do not value education as much as our counterparts throughout the world. Anyway, I got an essay to write.

[kelvinismyname 0]

Exactly!  How is it that people out sie of the United States know more of the history and the foundations of our country more than us?  Do the students in United States get taught about other countries to this degree? The contrary.  Barely any of the student population in the United States could even tell you where one might find Brazil.  However, I do not blame this on the part of the instructors.  I have too been through school, and at least I know where and what forign countries are called.  I think that the problem lies in the hands of the students.  Perhaps the students in our country do not value education as much as our counterparts throughout the world. 

 

Anyway, I got an essay to write.

223685[/snapback]

I agree with you there it can be that the students dont value education as much as other students around the world.........The can be put on the both the parents and teachers..they need to inform the students of how important education is .......i am from Guyana and over here i can tell you that students have great respect for the value of education.....that because parents and teachers constantly inform studenst/children of how bad life would without an education,......anyways i did not learn anything about america when i went to school..............i did learn about america by watch alot of televison programs or reading books in my spare time.......

[DaRealChrono 0]

Well, for the most part school in America is just something you go thrugh. It bears no importance on a teenagers life, that is why America is abunch of B-C students. Very few care about getting it done ASAP because they have mor eimportant things to do, like be with girlfriends/boyfriends and hang out with thier friends. Not only that, history is bogus anyways, thats not going to get many people anywhere in life. I can see it on a application right now...What are the first words of the Declaration of Independence? How many people would not get a job over that? 90%. The only important educational thing in school are Career related, Math, English and Government, ECO. and all that good stuff. If schools would cut out all the unesscary crap through all 12 of those years, people wouldn't be dropping out and being nothing, and more people would be getting thier diploma. It's not really that students don't care, it's the mere fact that they have to have paticular classes to get out that are meaningless and put way too much stress on the student to focus, while having a life and a childhood.

[Alien5 0]

You cant be intelligent if you're JUST good at stuff they teach you at school seeing as its all irrelevent *BLEEP* that is just designed to be an excuse for the government to contain children in a disguised prison and to waste hours of their lives by attempting to fill their minds with useless *BLEEP* and to diminish their character. The government talk about 'human rights' as if they know the meaning. They are actually taking away childrens human rights by forcing them to waste their precious, short lives in classrooms where as they could be out at this time actually doing something creative with their lives. I probably learn more useful knowledge outside of school in one day than I learn in a month of school. People who think they can judge intelligence by school grades are very sad, dilluded and narrow minded. The whole government system is *BLEEP*ed up but the school system just illustrates this fact perfectly. It actually makes you sad to think that they have the right to waste our lives.

http://www.school-survival.net/index.php

[Munde 0]

Uhum... Well, here's my side of this. I'm from Denmark, but currently studying in Arizona. I must admit I was shocked to see what you value in your education here! Here you are taught to memorize everything, even stuff that you really don't need. I mean, honestly, knowing the Declaration of Indepence, the Constitution and so on, wont ever save your life or help you in any way. No wonder half of you think school is useless.You are taught to do everything after the book (a good exsample wuold be MLA formats), and gives good grades for completed work rather than creative work...Where I come from we value independent thinking, oppinions, problemsolving, creativity and so on. You don't get good grades if you just solve the problem and don't show any signs of actual thinking...This might explain why everyone here expect europeans to be smart and creative... And why I think my current school is nothing but busywork and NOT challenging in any way.Point of this was: I know absolutely nothing about the American nor the Danish Constitutions and whatever, though I'm a straight A student... How can this have anything to do with intelligence? It's a question of memorizing something that might have no personal value to you at all...

[CinnamorollTK 0]

Its sad to say but in the US, hardly anyone learns anything. You just memorize something, pass the test, and then forget it. Its the way they teach students. Only one teacher I knew reviewed past chapters with students so they wouldn't forget. The rest of the teachers didn't care.

[zachwyler 0]

Just because someone doesn't know about things like the declaration of independance and the contitution doesn't matter. Knowledge of these things wont affect your life in any way. Your rights are yours whether you know them or not, and they are taken away from regardless of your knowledge of them. In fact most of the history as we know it are one-sided. For example, Hitler is considered an evil person by all, but if history did not go as it did, and Hitler managed to conquer the world, we would not be reading history books about how an evil man took over the world, we would be reading about St. Hitler, our lord and saviour, who destroyed the evil Jews and brought peace upon this world.

[Plenoptic 0]

Brazil is in Africa right? Just kidding I know it's in South America. Anyway, yes I agree there are a lot of students in the United States that don't care. If you look at some of the freshmen at my high school you will find that a lot of them compete on how bad their grades are. As for me, I was never taught much about the history of the U.S. I wasn't taught anything about history until 8th grade and we didn't get far, let alone learn about the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence. I took World History last year so once again I didn't learn about the U.S., we learned more of Asia and this year AP European History. I'll just be getting into the history of the U.S. next year as an 11th grader. I have had to try to teach myself some of the history of the U.S. from books I read. I think the problem is now though that students don't care about being punished about grades because that is just satisfaction of the parents. It has gotten to the point where it doesn't matter to them what they get as a grade. They have our grades online and they tell all the parents to make an account so they can look at them but the parents some times don't care, either that or the students don't care, or both.

[sylenzednuke 0]

Well, yeah I agree to the fact that American students don't really care much for Education as for them High School is a way more vibrant thing, and that is good as well as bad if you ask me.Education is barely useful, half the stuff if you're pursuing something like being a Doctor, or an Engineering and those kinda things. It just keeps children so much away from stuff they would enjoy and we do need people in other areas. Hardly many children from the Asian countries like my own are aware of this, right now things are changing, but the pace is just too slow. And that too most of the stuff they teach in College, whatever I've been taught in High School, I never really paid attention and it has barely got me anywhere uptil now. The American system is still way more useful then ours, especially the State Boards are just pathetic, it's just brainwashing like North Korea but, a very mild one, but still there is some.I've seen people staring at me with weird eyes just 'cause I have being a bassist and a graphics designer as hobbies and Automotive Engineer as my career aspect, 'cause they frankly don't even understand what the hell I am speaking of, yeah the situation becomes so pathetic sometimes.It's obvious we have greater Math and that really helps and I love Math, but really the way we our taught and most of the education is crap, at least what I went through. It just gives more aid to the already pathetic condition of India from the inside. And most of the people are just so carried away by stuff they literally waste their lives, most of them are too brainwashed to do anything off-side and the ones who care most probably end up without any opportunities...We might seem like a fast-growing economy and all, but seriously at the grass-root level, we are all being brainwashed. Just now recently people have started opening their eyes.In America you have options as to what you want to do and you know what the world holds for you, here, you aren't even given a goddamn hint. And High School's other side prepares you for many challenges in life and it's one of the important parts of life where you learn so much, here it's just a waste, go there, get *BLEEP* stuffed in your head, go home, study and sleep. It's kinda suffocating once you come to know how the rest of the World is...We maybe great in Math, but once we compete with any other student from the rest of the World in anything, we'll all lose like hell. Here people don't know any other sport other than Cricket and they don't even know what skateboarding is when I am so interested in it and I loathe Cricket. I can't even find a place to skateboard. And to say I live in the biggest city in India, Mumbai.And most kids my age (15) just know 2 things; how to generalize and how to follow trends and the popular culture. Nothing else.

Edited May 25, 2007 by sylenzednuke (see edit history)

[Plenoptic 0]

Education is barely useful, half the stuff if you're pursuing something like being a Doctor, or an Engineering and those kinda things. It just keeps children so much away from stuff they would enjoy and we do need people in other areas.

Well I can't compare our schools to schools in other countries because I have never looked into it. As for education for what you are pursuing, sometimes what you are pursuing doesn't work out though, either you lose interest or you move out of town where your oppurtunity was, or they just have too many people working that occupation. That is why you learn a bit about everything in high school so you have a base to start from in case things don't work out. Then in college you start to narrow your education down into what you are pursuing.

[sylenzednuke 0]

Well I can't compare our schools to schools in other countries because I have never looked into it. As for education for what you are pursuing, sometimes what you are pursuing doesn't work out though, either you lose interest or you move out of town where your oppurtunity was, or they just have too many people working that occupation. That is why you learn a bit about everything in high school so you have a base to start from in case things don't work out. Then in college you start to narrow your education down into what you are pursuing.

That's why I say American schools are better off, here there's no bit of everything, there's a whole lot of nothing.

[wenster 0]

We're just a lazy country. We spend all our time trying to pass classes instead of really learning something. Of course you do learn some what when you try to pass your classes, but I"m talking about remembering content just for the test and forgetting it. ITs a competition for better grades and recognition rather than proving to yourself and setting a good goal. YOu can blame it on teachers too. Not all teachers are the same. Some are lazy and just want to get paid and get the school year over with and some really like to teach.

[Jarlaxe 0]

Yes, well generally its quite hard to teach history when there is no history to teach. America has onlt been a free country for... what 300 years? It must be hard to fill up the history lessons with only how America got its independance, and the part they played in the second world war. But anyway yes schools are going to (bad swaer word ) everywhere. Ever since they stopped using the cane and beating children results have been slacking. And thats coming from me.... A 15 year old.