No Global Math for USA!
With no fanfare or hoopla, the USA has withdrawn from the annual international math & science competition. In the August 9th issue of Newsweek, the story is reported and, of course, multiple theories abound as to what, where and why the action occurred.
Statistics show that the last time US students were in the competition, they scored very poorly. In fact, only Cyprus and South Africa actually scored lower in the last exam. But what is especially alarming to USA education advocates is that the students taking the test were supposed to be our very elite. These were not run-of-the-mill students; they were our top-of-the-line students, all high school seniors taking advanced algebra, geometry, calculus and physics.
According to Newsweek, “conspiracy theorists” say the USA withdrew in anticipation of terrible results and a possible repeat of global humiliation. Then the story explains that “advocates for math and science education” claim it is a money issue, claiming there are no funds or manpower to administer the tests. According to the report, these advocates are actively seeking monies to administer the tests and thus participate. We shall see.
What is glaringly apparent is that we need to revamp our curriculum and everything else in our public schools. First, we succeed in being 24th ranked in the world, then we decide not to even compete.
Change is coming!
Brennan
Strength in Numbers!
I read an extremely interesting article by Joel Gruber this morning on his Authority Blog, http://fearlessdreams.com. He asked the question “Why Are We Not Training Our Children to Be Leaders?” I followed the article through the social networking sites, both because it is a fascinating post (among other things, he explains the Prussian school model, which is more interesting than it sounds) and because I wanted to read the comments that people wrote in response to it. The article touches on several pertinent issues in today’s USA school system and talks about control vs. learning.
As I said, I followed the article from site to site, to see what types of responses he got. Because I have a wicked typing finger, I added my two cents each time, so I thought I would share just one of my responses with you.
I wrote:
“I feel that your article is well thought out and extremely lucid. As I read it, I was reminded of the sign that my husband hung in the front of all his classrooms (and which now hangs above my desk). The sign says, “A creative mess is better than tidy idleness.”
I realize that your article was not about tidiness in the classroom, but the compulsion on the part of some teachers to maintain rigid control, actually making it more important than learning. Some control needs to be maintained, because left to their own devices, children can be so rowdy that learning is impossible. The trick is to utilize techniques that maintain a child’s interest and attention, so that learning can take place and is actually enjoyable.
What I found most encouraging about your article is not the fact that you admit you are not an educator, nor familiar with the methodology, but that you care enough to write the article in the first place.
Our schools have been deteriorating for years, except in special cases, to the point where they are now ranked 24th among developed nations. Students in other countries openly laugh at our educational system and the level of our curriculum.
It is past time to completely revamp our public schools. We CITIZENS must make this an issue to be dealt with during the coming political campaigns. It is time to stand up and FORCE the necessary changes, including revamping curriculum to allow for teaching (and learning) critical thinking skills. If we do not train our children to be effective leaders capable of rational thought, and the awareness of consequences, then we will deserve the ever-worsening leadership we will get.
We are inviting parents, teachers, taxpayers and voters to JOIN US and help to Straighten-Out Public Education NOW!”
You, my reader, already know that “Set Our Teachers FREE! A Plan to Save Public Education”, (by my darling husband and TEACHER EXTRAORDINAIRE, Don Kingsland) contains a complete, workable plan for totally revamping USA public schools. We are beginning our media campaign within the next couple of weeks and anticipate forming a coalition of concerned parents, teachers, taxpayers and VOTERS into a force to be reckoned with. We can make change happen! This country was formed after a revolution, and we are due for another kind of revolt! Remember, there is strength in numbers!
Brennan
Happy 4th of July to all us Dummies!
In yesterday’s post I talked about all the amusing and thought-provoking videos on the net that talk about Stupid Americans!
I’ve really been thinking about the things I saw and heard while watching those videos. As you probably know, my husband and I are working to bring about national reform in our public schools (24th among developed countries). It was scary to see the level of idiocy displayed in those videos by so many citizens. What is more frightening, everyone gave answers ranging from wrong to ridiculous and showed no indication of even trying to reason-out more appropriate answers.
Today is the 231st birthday of the good ole USA! We are all happy to celebrate Independence Day at our house (even though I hate fireworks after witnessing several injuries over the years). Don, always the school teacher, usually starts out our family get-togethers by quizzing all the youngsters about what the 4th of July is and what it really means. Some of the older ones have learned to tease him by answering “fireworks” or “barbecues”. But how many children in the US actually know what the 4th of July stands for? Hummmm!
As I continued mulling over those “Stupid Americans” videos, I started discussing them with my hubby (as I do most things).
Both of us agree that perhaps “ignorant” would be more appropriate for a title, though probably not as catchy as “stupid”.
Webster’s Dictionary defines these words as follows:
ignorant:
1 a : destitute of knowledge or education
; also : lacking knowledge or comprehension
of the thing specifiedb : resulting from or showing lack
of knowledge or intelligence
stupid:
1 a : slow of mind : OBTUSE b : given to unintelligent decisions or acts : acting in an unintelligent or careless manner c : lacking intelligence or reason : BRUTISH
Obviously, most Americans are products of the education they received. The people in those videos are not “stupid“, they are “ignorant“. This is something that we need to change! We are not only the laughingstocks of the globe, now we ourselves are laughing at the result of our low-quality public education system.
It irritates me immensely that the USA (and her citizens) are the butt of so much ridicule. Doesn’t it bother you, too?
We’ve all tolerated letting our schools get into this mess over the years! We better do something to Straighten-Out Public Education NOW! or we deserve to be called “stupid”! That is NOT what this great country is about!
Happy Birthday, USA! Happy 4th of July, Everyone!
Brennan Kingsland
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Are Americans Stupid?
John Stoessel’s “Stupid in America”
I spent several hours reviewing videos on YouTube yesterday and today.
First, I was looking for some tutorials on Photoshop (found LOTS), then I started browsing to familiarize myself with this whole “video thing” that my grandkids keep telling me about.
The video quality ranges from rank amateurish to beautifully executed near-masterpieces. And it was really enlightening to see the topics that are most popular. Of course, I went through many, many of the education topics (mostly Pink Floyd or sex education titles), but there are some really thought-provoking, legitimate commentaries among the “mix”. I found an interesting video by a young man going by the name of webpundit, that was based upon the John Stoessel special entitled “STUPID IN AMERICA”, which aired on national tv.
Although I don’t agree with many of his opening statements, the jist of his message is well-thought-out and quite insightful. He does not list the sources for his startling statistics, but they are very much aligned to the realities we discovered when Don was researching “Set Our Teachers FREE! A Plan to Save Public Education”.
No matter which subject you search on YouTube, if you go to any depth you will eventually discover the comedy videos listed under the topics. Some are outrageous and some are hilarious, but most are worth seeing. It is especially interesting to see how very little Americans know about the rest of the world. Iran in Australia? I don’t think so!
Tomorrow, while you’re celebrating the 4th of July holiday, try viewing a few YouTube or Yahoo/Google videos. I especially recommend searching for “Stupid in America” by John Stoessel, if you haven’t seen it yet. The video is approximately 40 minutes long. Then treat yourself to some of the Stupid American spin-offs and rebuttals. You’ll be laughing in spite of yourself. Most importantly, I think you’ll see the urgent need to Straighten-Out Public Education NOW!
Have a happy and SAFE 4th of July!
Brennan Kingsland
(the Grammy who loves the USA but hates fireworks!)
Lack of Leadership
There is an appalling lack of leadership role models for our students today in the USA.
Don Kingsland points out the problem in Set Our Teachers FREE!:
“In our society, it seems that no one makes a decision without taking a poll first, to see
which decision is the most popular. And, of course, if the polls change, so do the alleged
convictions. Shame! Shame!“
Leadership is a skill that must be taught to our youth – along with Critical Thinking training
and the ability to make life-enhancing decisions.
For some reason, our school curriculum’s do not address these issues, or they are only
implemented as of secondary, rather than primary importance.
Leadership training does not have to be geared just towards students who are interested
in pursuing a political or corporate career. Leadership skills are needed by every “average
joe or jane” if they are to live successful lives in the future. Leadership skills are just as
important in a family or social setting. Perhaps we could then say “Goodbye” to all the
dysfunctional family units we see in today’s society.
It’s time NOW to recognize the importance of developing and implementing leadership training
in all of our public schools, from the earliest grades and up.
Brennan
Wake-up to the World! (cont.)
I finished the last post with questions about how little our students are being taught about the ongoing global situation, including the effects of Chernobyl, immigration and trade deficits.
I’d like to continue with a further excerpt from “Set Our Teachers FREE!”:
“How can our students hope to compete with the graduates of other developed countries who grow up understanding the concept of nearby borders and competition between sovereign nations?”
“Even those advanced students in current College Preparatory courses are not learning enough about the world at large to be truly competitive. For some bizarre reason, we seem to think these are subject matters that should be taught only at college level, and then only as electives. Guess what! By the time they get to college, if they do, our students have already fallen so far behind they may never catch up. . . ” (end of excerpt)
Sooner or later, we as a nation are going to have to realize that we must take action if we are to regain educational supremacy. We are now sliding further behind (#24 among developed countries) but the worst part is what this means for the future.
The USA (right or wrong) is taking the blame for problems all around the world. We are seen as the “evil, war-mongering giant”. Yet, we just sit back and fight among ourselves. And we aren’t fighting over proposed solutions, we’re fighting over “partisanship” and “political correctness”. In the meantime, the potential future leaders of tomorrow are falling by the wayside. Where will those leaders be when we so desperately need them, huh?
We must take action NOW, to prepare qualified leaders for the coming days. We will need our students to be trained to take over, but they need to understand not only the global picture, but how to function in it with brilliance, strength and integrity (something that we see sorely lacking at present).
Let’s STOP burying our head in the sand and realize that WE can make a difference, if we work together!
Brennan
www.setourteachersfree.com
Straighten-Out Public Education NOW!
Wake-up to the World!
I have never been a proponent of the “one world – one government” plan. I am, however, a staunch advocate of individual autonomy. And it is imperative that each of us become aware of “the BIG picture” and we need to be sharing that vision with our youth.
The following is an excerpt from “Set Our Teachers FREE!” by Don Kingsland (my Sweetie):
“Before the advent of modern transportation, and especially global communication, most people pretty much stayed put. There was little need to concern oneself about “the outside world”. Relocating meant a major adventure and was usually permanent.”
“Now, the world has changed and is much smaller. People are far more transient and any point on the globe can be reached in a matter of minutes or hours, not months.”
“Yet, we continue to teach our children absolutely nothing of the global environment. Yes, I know we teach those who will listen about the galaxy and the names of the stars and planets. There are still geography lessons that become more meaningless each day, as borders are moved and countries renamed, according to whatever group is in power. There are newscasts about the rain forest and global warming. But we don’t teach our children where they fit in the scheme of things.”
“I’m not talking about some esoteric discussion of the Big Bang Theory, or Evolution vs. Creationism. I’m talking about the fact that our students know nothing about world trade, national economies and how they should prepare themselves for a world that is becoming smaller by the day.”
“Very few students learn about the National Deficit, the role of emerging nations on health and the economy, or even the vast manpower that China brings to the marketplace. How many students have you spoken with who know what the repercussions of Chernobyl are? Immigration and trade deficits?” (to be continued tomorrow)
Brennan
