An F for Failure or for Fabulous????

The education system that is currently the norm in America is failing. And it will continue to fail as it continues to be not only accepted, but watered down more as time passes and students of other nations fight to rise up. This was the general theme of the pieces "Blame the Student" and "2 Million Minutes." Both were quite enlightening as well as straightforward and outright true. I agree completely with the content of both of these compositions. Students in an American public high school are set up so that failure will be avoided at all costs, no matter if the student actually tries or not. In China and India, the competition is much more fierce, the standards much more high. And students from these countries fight many more issues external to school work, but they never let it get in the way as many American students do. Poverty and disease, as well as government problems, plague almost all parts of these countries. Even the poorest people in America are so well off compared to the poor in these regions. In America, there is no emphasis placed on mathematics and science compared to students in Asian countries. There are exceptions, American students who do try extremely hard and over achieve by the standard here, and they are typically put in special honors classes and given endless opportunities to advance their personal education and knowledge. In China and India, every child studies the same amount, and the same amount is a lot. Even if one student were to be exceptionally brighter than the majority of the rest, it is likely his/her school would not have the resources or connections to get them into special programs to meet their needs. American students are not bad people, but they have been taught that mediocrity is not only "o.k." in fact, it's something to strive for, because in our system you can receive "As" with mediocre effort. The lack of motivation will ultimately hurt American students in the long run, and it is likely that it will lead us into the downfall as a super power nation, and it will pave the way for the students in China and India who devote a majority of their time to studying to rise to the top and rule the world.