Why are American kids so dumb?

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by Mrs. Tuberski

Oh come on Does everybody here forget they were in school at one time. The classes are not be taught at the slowest level. The slowest kids fail and have to repeat the class if they fail for chirss sake. The smart ones move on. Dumber kids dont slow the class down.

Our classes were grouped into 3 skill levels, so the pace was the same for the whole class.

And on top of that there are special classes for the faster learning students.

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by Darkstar
Striker, it's odd, but most interested parents that look at those studies tend to ignore the suggestions on how *parents* can take action to improve their children's learning experience (you know, students). Like, taking an hour or two out of their day, every day, sit down with their child(ren) and go through their homework with them. This is a proven way to raise most student's grades by a letter and a half, and tends to improve other aspects of their child's scholastic life.

I don't disagree.

[Darkstar]

Originally posted by Mrs. Tuberski

Oh come on Does everybody here forget they were in school at one time. The classes are not be taught at the slowest level. The slowest kids fail and have to repeat the class if they fail for chirss sake. The smart ones move on. Dumber kids dont slow the class down.

Slower kids do slow down the classes to their pace. That's been documented to death. It's why better schools have multiple levels of classes, to allow for the more advanced students to go at a faster rate. However, that is not a universal trait throughout the US School system. Merely in the schools that have the interest and resources to support such. (Many lack the teachers to do so, but have the $$$).

And I believe you are incorrect. Most US systems don't fail a student for bad grades. Just for extensive lack of attendance and disciplanary reasons. The reason is that their government subsidies are effectively tied to the number of students passed, attendance, and the number of students that pass certain standardized testing.

Whenever you make a test for a standard, people work to pass the test, rather then meet the actual standard. Basic behavior.

[Darkstar]

All governments murder innocent people. It's one of their tools they use to maintain their power.

[Darkstar]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
When there is systematic failure, blaming never solves anything

Stop the blame and fix the problem.

It's the system that's messed up

Now now... when a system is failing, voting tax payers want someone to blame. The very first thing that happens in politics is to affix blame. The second is to continue affixing blame until the whole matter blows out, or someone else does something to fix the matter. At that point, politicians take credit for the good stuff, affix more blame for the bad stuff, and go off and find a page or intern to have a spot of intimate "listening to voice of the people". Then it's back to business as usual...

[Mrs. Tuberski]

[QUOTE] Originally posted by Darkstar


Slower kids do slow down the classes to their pace. That's been documented to death. It's why better schools have multiple levels of classes, to allow for the more advanced students to go at a faster rate. However, that is not a universal trait throughout the US School system. Merely in the schools that have the interest and resources to support such. (Many lack the teachers to do so, but have the $$$).

And I believe you are incorrect. Most US systems don't fail a student for bad grades. Just for extensive lack of attendance and disciplanary reasons. The reason is that their government subsidies are effectively tied to the number of students passed, attendance, and the number of students that pass certain standardized testing.



I have to disagree that the schools in the us dont fail them for bad grades. Ihappen to have a son that failed math. He went to clas every day and did poorly It wasnt till i realized that he had been taken of his meds and couldnt concetrate enough to do the work. In the us school system the parents are drug into court for the kids not going to class.

[Darkstar]

Not in most places, Mrs. T. Unfortunately. Most cases of chronic innattendence will never see a court, counsellor, or social worker. Most places don't care enough or cannot find the people to pay $$$ to do the job.

[Mrs. Tuberski]

I know this from experience. I was drug into court with my youngest child for this very reason. For god sake he was 4 years old and in preschool. What the hell did the school think he was doing standing on the corner waiting for a drug deal? He was 4 and the school drug me into court for his attendance, it just so happened the kid had chiken pox and had to be out of school till he got over them.

[Bosh]

Dumber kids dont slow the class down.

Just teach a class for one day and come back and say that.
No offence, but from the perspective of a teacher some of the things that're being said on this thread are just surreal.

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by Boshko

Just teach a class for one day and come back and say that.
No offence, but from the perspective of a teacher some of the things that're being said on this thread are just surreal.

No, dumber kids just get flunked.

[Mrs. Tuberski]

Originally posted by Comrade Tassadar


99.999999984629
Percentage of people in the world who are not you.

my point was if it happened to me it has happened to others. I guess that would explain the other 100 or so parents in the court room.

[Mrs. Tuberski]

Originally posted by Boshko

Just teach a class for one day and come back and say that.
No offence, but from the perspective of a teacher some of the things that're being said on this thread are just surreal.

have had to do so One of my kids teacher introduced a parent come in and try to teach day. I say i would not and could not be a teacher. It was a very learning experience to say the least

[Gatekeeper]

There are students who don't want to learn. There are teachers who don't want to teach. There are parents who don't want to get involved. There are members of society who don't want to pay for top-notch schooling.

There's your recipe for trouble.

On another note, while I hesitate to stereotype all American students as idiotic — after all, I once was among their ranks, and sure as hell didn't consider myself stupid — I do feel that America's public schools could face even more trouble in the future. How so? Simple. The science classes are slowly being gutted by a grass-roots campaign (with support at the national level by certain groups) to introduce theology back into the classroom — specifically, Intelligent Design.

I have no problem with faith or religion. I consider myself a faithful person, albeit not in a cookie-cutter sort of way. Yet when I see so-called people of faith trying to derail science in public schools, it gets under my skin. Faith and religion belong in the churches for those who wish to go there and learn that way. They belong in the religion classes in public schools and universities for those wishing to learn about them. Why is that so hard for some to comprehend? After all, how would they like it if science-oriented folks tried to make it so Sunday school classes had to teach evolution, or some other scientific theory? They wouldn't, and rightly so! So why do they keep trying to force creationism, err, Intelligent Design, into public science classes?

Gatekeeper

[Lawrence of Arabia]

a liberal arts education that the majority of top 10% US universities offer is also a load of crap. i know people who went to school in England and had a masters after 4 years. for people short on cash, students on loans, etc, thats 2 years of saved tuition etc. get people in, get people out. teach them what they want and forget the General Ed classes. in math intensive majors, bundle the math with the class, so you only learn the math which can be applied to your major. dont have separate classes, that just takes longer.

[Mrs. Tuberski]

Gatekeeper, in texas, thanks to the atheist whowas recently found dead, relegion is not allowed in our public schools any longer. The people are getting all worked up over the pledge of alegince beause gods name is in it.