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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From watching the movie, i was honestly surprised how much more educated these students were in India and in China. Even at a young age, they are doing things that most of our high school graduates can not even do. One thing i saw that was different was that the families put in a lot of money into their childrens education while ours at home put it into their clothes, cars, sports, and many other things. for these students in other countries, they have to perform their ultimate best in order to become successful and make it in the world and or make it to the dream area of living, the U.S. from the film, it seemed like the americans use their time by going to school, hanging with friends and working a job while the others just focus on their studies 12 hours a day if not more. in my opinion, i think the US needs to take education a little more seriously to help them compete in the real world. but yet, i think being a well rounded person has its advantages too. it is definately a toss up...
ReplyDeleteAfter Watching 2 Million Minutes I was shocked by how different education was all around the world. I mean I knew that China and India were more serious about their eduction but I did not think that the statistics were that different from one another. So I ask myself why are we not like the other countries? Maybe we do not have to be so extreme but we could be some what better. Their families invest so much time and money into their kids educations. It is what they live and work for. Now I am not saying that in America parents do not care, but I am saying that not every parent cares. Another thing is that kids over in China and India spend most of their time in school and studying, but in America that is not so much the case. I find it interesting that even though they spend so much time on school work, a lot of them do not even get accepted to the college of their choice. In America this does not always happen but I do feel that it is more likely. Like I said before I feel that we could be somewhat more like China and India but maybe not to such a extreme because I feel that school is the most important factor, but you should still be able to have some kind of life.
ReplyDeletei completely agree with you chris, i felt really bad for those that didnt get into the colleges after all the effort they put in. the guy even said he didnt do any work and he gets all of his college payed for. that is crap! US students should put more time toward their education.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a reality check, right? Watching this film put a lot into perspective for me. I have known that other countries like china strive for excellence in their schooling, but knowing what they go through to achieve this success seems a bit intense. This may be because I am so used to being a part of extra curricular activies such as baskebtall, student council, work and other activities which would simply not allow the time to study as much as they do. I feel that not everyone is born to be an engineer or rocket scienctist, but this is okay.... we need mail people, garbage people, and so many other jobs to make our community run correctly. I feel America has so much other oppurtuninty.
ReplyDeleteAs we saw from the movie there were many differences between each of the countries. One point I found interesting was that china has a one child rule. I rememered this from a history class but never put this into perspective with education. Parents from China really can put all there time, money and effort into one child, which will give them an extreme advantange over families here in america where sometimes there are 3 children or more children.
I feel that this movie really did show that Americans may be lacking a competitive edge and this needs to be addressed in schools.
Overall, I know that Americans may not go to school as long or study as much as other countries, but I am very happy with my education experience. I believe it takes a special person to want to be a teacher and I wouldnt change my major for anything.
It was very interesting seeing how big of a difference school is treated in other cultures from that of America. It is clear that when it comes to academics in America, we are not as strict. However i really do feel like ours is the best system. It allows us the choice of whether or not we want an education and how much we want to pursue it versus having it being forced and shoved down our throats. Our system also allows us to have a life! Life is not all about status and seeing how much we can learn. It is so much more than that. Yea education is important and we need very educated people in our world, but life is short and i don't think we need to spend every waking minute studying just so we can build a reputation.
ReplyDeleteI think it was crazy that the chinese girl got up at 5:45 am to go study math for two hours, then eat breakfast, then went to school for another 6 hours, then goes home to practice violin and then more homework. That is nuts.
CHRIS- totally agree with you man. It stinks those kids didn't get into the schools that they wanted to but at least they got into other good schools. If i worked that hard for something and did not get it, i dont know what i would do...probably go crazy.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the movie this morning it really opened my eyes to the differences between cultures. I could not believe the hours and hours of studying that they committed to. I dont necessarily sit in front of the tv watching greys anatomy while I study, but students need there down time as well. It didnt seem like the children from China and India had anytime to have fun and just let loose.
ReplyDeleteWe all want to better ourselves and our lives but I just dont feel like that lifestyle is the way. At the end of the film they showed that the two students that were from the U.S. excelled without studying all day everyday. They had a job, friends and fun. Yes China and India get a lot farther in school but is that all we want for our future children? All studying and no play. I like the motto work hard, play hard.
Ashley- I was thinking the same thing about students being involved in sports and other student organizations outside the classroom. This will help them to become well-rounded students.
ReplyDeleteI was most interested in the socioligic differences of the cultures. As Americans, we value our individualism and therefore, our free time. We value hard work, but we expect to have time to ourselves and other interests outside of schoolwork. Other cultures, including China and India, have different things that they value. In China, the elderly are a very important part of their society. It makes sense that students are trying to do their very best so they can provide for their families. In India, there are a lot of people still living in poverty. Students there are trying to help improve their family's status. (and no, they don't typically use forks... its a cultural thing)
ReplyDeleteAs for work ethic, I don't have the foggiest idea why that differs in the cultures. But as someone in the video said... many American students have a strong work ethic, but it may be focused on athletics or their paying job instead of schoolwork.
One thing in the video shocked me: the very low percentage of high school graduates with a "proficient" score in math. It ranged from 3% for African-American, 4% for Hispanic, 20% for Caucasion, and around 34% for Asian. Yikes! How are we allowing students to go from grade to grade and then graduate without the ability to be proficient in math?
After watching 2 Million Minutes I was somewhat surprised by the different types of learning people in other countries do. To me it looked like the students had no lifes what so ever. I don't think the kids in America were given enough credit for all of the extra work that they do. Many American high school students are involved in one, if not more, extra activities or sports.
ReplyDeleteI don't think students from different countries can always be compared to eachother because they live different life styles and have different values.
And I thought watching the family eat with their hands was probably one of the nastiest things I have ever seen! EWWW.
Chris-
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in that America does need to take their education a little more seriously. But I also think they being a well rounded person and earning your own money and having a social life would definatly win the toss up for me! I would die if I studied 12 hours a day!
I think it is kind of funny that none of the foreign students were able to get into the schools they wanted and both the American students got to go where they wanted. Life for the students in China and India seems so disappointing. They put in countless hours of effort every day and then when it was all said and done, did not even get to go to school where they had really set out to go. Americans are spoiled and dont always appreciate how great our lives are compared to these kids. I bet if any American student had to go to China or India to learn, they would struggle. Even the most advanced American students do not have the mentality to go about life the way those other students have to in other countries. Obama has been discussing changes in American schools saying that there should be more school days and students should attend each day longer. With the way the American lifestyle is, not even the teachers are going to want to be there. Its a given that the students wont want to be there extra time, but if the teachers wont want to be there either, how is staying in the classroom longer per day going to help? I really dont feel it will.
ReplyDeleteJohn- I don't know that it's a given that students will not want to be at school for longer days or even extra days per year. There are students that have really terrible home lives: their parents are never home or never spend any time with them, they may live in an unsafe area and only feel safe at school.
ReplyDeleteAs for the longer school day or tacking on extra days per year, many states are already doing this. There's a minimum number of days per year for students to be in school for each state, but I don't think there's a maximum. Lots of traditional calendar school districts are starting school in early August and staying later into June.
If teachers feel they need more time with their students in order to get the information out, there's only so many ways to accomplish this. Try the block scheduling, try year round schooling, try something. Kids don't always know what's best for them. As educators, its up to us to make sure our school systems are the best they can be. That may include working longer hours or school years. If we as teachers show our students that putting in those extra hours are worth it to us, maybe it will rub off onto them. They'll see that we think they are worthy of our time and effort, and see themselves as worthy too.
I found it very interesting to discover how the education in different countries is so different from education here. Personally I'm glad that i do not have to go through classes like the kids in the other countries. No doubt they are getting a much better education, but education is not the only thing in life that matters, there are many other areas of life that the other kids are not getting enough knowledge in.
ReplyDeleteThank you Debbie for challenging John. I am curious if John has a rebuttal. Debbie brings up a valid point about some students feeling safe only at school. It is hard for most of us to imagine that students would want to be at school longer, but some do. And maybe we should have longer school days or go more during the summer. Or maybe we just need to make sure that we are maximizing the time we have with the students. I am glad to see that many of you learned something new about the two other cultures and how seriously they take their education. We will begin class on Tuesday with a discussion about the movie. I can't wait to hear more of your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteDebbie, I totally agree with you about students wanting to be in school. I know that in my sisters school district there tends to be a lot of students where home life is a place of emptiness and fear whereas school is the place of warmth ans security.
ReplyDeleteLeo, I also agree with your statement that education is not the only thing in your life that matters, but that is the type of culture we live in. I we have to understand that other countries are not as fortunate as us, and they are striving to make their lives better for themselves and their families.
Sami- I agree, we do not get enough credit for everything we do. We may not be in the classroom as much but every day we learn new things. These things will help us out in the business world in the long run.
ReplyDeleteRuss- I also agree with you. We have the best system. We need to be able to choose what path we want to pursue and for some people that may not be a highly educated field.
At the beginning of the movie it really got me thinking. I was amazed at how much time they put into learning. I know I would never be able to do so, but at end of the movie they told about every students college choices and if they got accepted or not. The two amercian students were the only ones that got into their first pick school. It just shows that college, scholarships, and job applications do not want just an educated person. They want well rounded people that can bring a lot of different skills to the table..
Debbie
ReplyDeleteYou do bring up a really good point because I never really thought about how some kids do want to stay at school longer because their home life is hard. Most kids you talk to "hate" being at school all day and cannot wait till they graduate.
Anna- I agree with you that we need to have school be an important factor, but also have fun in life. Doing some hobbies or sports sometimes define who you are and also allows you to meet new people. I think that we spend to much time on sports and not enough on school, but I feel that China and India could lower being so strict on it. I think that they allow the younger kids to play and do what they will, but once you hit a certain age its all work. I do think that they are facing harder times and high jobs are the best ones for them. Maybe the reason they didn't get into the colleges they wanted was because they had nothing but their school work. I think that our school day could be extended a few more days, but if we go to much at a huge rate you will have kids being burnt out. Or they are so used to the old way they will give up before tring. I think that parents in China and India do more for their kids in not having them take on a job and help support the family. I know someone who went to high school and worked a long week with 14 hour shifts on the weekends and handed the paycheck to the parents to help make mends meet. I think this is wrong and that the parent in China and India would not have allowed this to happen to their son or daughter. This was a great movie to watch and interesting to see the stats. I feel everyone should see a part of this. It would be a wake up call to all teachers.
ReplyDeleteI thought that movie was very interesting and very biased. The creator of the movie made his opinion on the American education system and the American way of life very obvious. He made us out to be a lazy and indecisive culture and the Indian and Chinese culture to be very sure of themselves and hard working. My opinion is that Indian students and Chinese students work way too hard and have zero free time. While they are preparing for their adult life, what happened to enjoying your youth? The chinese and indian culture also have a greater respect for their older population while americans are constantly seeking ways to maintain their youth. Perhaps this outlook on ageing effects the way young people in America maintain their youth and don't work as hard as other cultures. I agree that other cultures are more advanced and knowledgeable than americans but isn't that our own fault? Hardwork (physical work) is more appreciated than knowledge in our culture to some extent. Well I'm just rambling now. It was very interesting that all the kids were able to speak english. I noticed that in India, their education system is way better than ours, but when the school was shown and the streets and buildings were shown in the movie, it looked old and not up to date. They may have smarter people in India but what are those people doing with their education?
ReplyDeleteAlex-I noticed the same thing about the american students getting accepted into the college of their choice. Maybe the director put that in there to illustrate that perhaps american colleges have lower standards than schools in other countries.
ReplyDeleteJohn-I think you are right about americans struggling in the indian and chinese schools. But those kids have been doing the same routine since they started school. If an american were just thrown into the school after being in an american school for so many years, yes, he or she would struggle. If the student was in a school system similiar to the other two, they would not have a difficult time assimilating into the routine.
After watching two million minutes, I had a lot to think about. I think that Americans were portrayed as people who don't work hard and don't try their best to succeed-like everything is just given to them and they still have time to play sports and education is on the backburner. This is not true. I know that for most of the people I know, they have had a job since they turned 15. To take on working from that age with 20 or more hours a week and go to school and get good grades like the American boy in the movie..well I think that is pretty good.
ReplyDeletePeople in other parts of the world can look at our culture and have a biased opinion because all they see is what is portrayed to them in movies and sitcoms. My family recently hosted a foreign exchange student from China and he was expecting to arrive at one of the mansions from the show The O.C. because that is all that he knows of our country. He also expected to be able to play all of the sports here...like swimming and soccer but he didn't really want to do any high school work. He kept saying what is the point..I've never seen anyone else doing it at school or talking about it there. What he doesn't understand about our school system is that you do have a lot thrown at you, but teachers want you to be a young adult and start learning that your actions have consequences. I think that schools here focus more on teaching self confidence than pure math and english academics because it's true-we do have more opportunities.
It seems silly that all of the students from other countries on the film studied so hard and never had time to play or do anything that you do when you are a kid, but still it didn't really pay off for them. Yeah kids must be working their butts off in other countries, but is it really paying off for them.
Also, with the rule of only one child in Chinese cultures-her parents were able to spend all of their money on her. She had all of these possibilities from her parents and their money, when many Americans don't have that. For this same reason of money, American HAVE to work from a young age because most of the time money for everything is not just handed to them.
I really thought that it was interesting to see the differences in schooling in various cultures around the world and I really do think it is amazing how much other cultures are dedicated to schooling so Good for them! But Americans are hard workers too and I don't think that other cultures should automatically discredit them as only being lazy and having fun. I mean we are in the land of opportunity and we definitely have the opportunity to do anything that we want.
Anna-If students in America were forced to follow the same standards set forth for academics in other countries then what would that mean for our economy. High school students are the ones who do most of the work that older individuals do not. If we were to change how long children go to school or how many hours are dedicated to an individual subject..or even just to have extra study practices that everyone goes to on a saturday and then studying and more studying after that...wow! what would that really mean for all of the jobs in the workforce that are mostly done by high schoolers? They would all be busy "studying" out of a book, rather than learning to be anything with real life experiences.
ReplyDeleteThe difference between American Education and other countries education has nothing to do with the intelligence of the students/teachers. I believe that in America students are used to not being hungry and used to having many luxaries. As the movie even says, we aren't as hungry as other countries. Students in other countries have very limited, if any, luxaries. They have been told with a great education and excellent grades they could break out of the suffering and enter a life filled with nothing but pleasent things.
ReplyDeleteDo I think our education should be the same as theres? No. In the movie we saw how the students who really stressed about school and didn't hardly do anything but academics in the end didn't get to go where they wanted to. Whereas the guy from America got to go where he wanted despite playing a lot of video games/other fun activities. I honestly believe that students aren't smart just from school, but can learn alot from many non academic activities. Also, these non academic activities help relieve stress and help students do better in school in general. I love the way American education is. Do I wish that more students did better? Yeah of course. But I would, rather live a life of some fun here and there and not be so stressed about everything as opposed to a life filled with stress and nothing but studying.
I think the video did a really good job of showing how extremely different highschools are in the three countries. It really surprised me how much time the students in India and China put into their school work. When I think about how much time my friends and I studied in highschool it seemed like quite a bit but the video said that Chinese students spend twice as much time studying AND they go to school for an extra month. But I do agree with what some of ou have already said, American students spend a lot more time doing other activities. When a student is able to get homework and school done well on top of having a job and playing a sport I feel that they will be better prepared for the real world. Even though American students may be more well rounded I do think that we are losing our competitive edge. Many students take school too lightly and don't truly appreciate the privledge of having an education the way that students in China and India seemed to appreciate theirs.
ReplyDeleteJessie and Lauren- I agree with you guys that the video seemed very biased. And Lauren, your point about the chinese only having one kid is really true, they are able to put a lot more time, money and effort in to his or her education. Another thing I thought was interesting but I wasn't sure about, did the video compare public schools in American to private schools in India and China? If so I think that it is unfair to equally compare them like the video did.
ReplyDeleteOk i read everyones comment and i am going to start my blog with just commenting on what everyone said as a whole. 1st off i think that it isn't practical in our economy right now to extend the school day. I don't feel that the teachers wouldn't want to be there for longer, but where is the money going to come from to pay them?2nd i think that american kids are spoiled and often times don't take advantage of oppertunities presented to them because they don't have to. Everyone was saying that american students work so hard on top of school. Lets be honest though most parents can get help if they really need it in America. The government provides us with food stamps ect. other countries don't do that. True some students do work really hard with jobs i myself had two jobs and went to high school. I just feel like americans take for granted how much help and support they do get.
ReplyDeleteKayla- my reply is slightly off subject, but here it is... It isn't as easy as you think to get government assistance. My nephew's fiancee is working part-time at less than minimum wage (small businesses don't have to pay m.w.)with a young daughter and my nephew is having a hard time finding work in the field he studied for. Anyway, she went in with only her paystub and she made too much money to quailify for food stamps. Not trying to make any point, just thought I'd pass on the info. Personally, I was shocked. I know how much she's making and its not much.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching 2 Million Minutes I was shocked and embarrassed. I cannot believe how behind America is to China and India. In some ways it upsets me because I want my children to get the best education possible and I do not see how they can in America. I think Obama is taking the correct direction in helping k-12 education in America. Obama wants to extend the school year, which means only 3 weeks for summer break. I agree I like the summer break, but I think it is too long and the students start to slowly loose the information they were taught in school. I want to see american succeed just like China and India. I know we have a long way to go, but I think we need to wake up and realize were are not number one and change some things.
ReplyDeleteRuss- I agree! I like the option of choosing if I want to play a sport or not. I mean some students really just are not cut out for the whole college thing, but do we push those students? Big question in China and India do they push the ones that do not care or do they let them fall behind and invest all there time in the ones that have the potential? I think having a choice is a great way to become successful in the future, but parents still need to push their children a little because everyone needs it.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised at how much more the students in India an China study then us. But i thought that it wasnt totally worth it because only one of them got into the school they wanted while one of the Americans got into the school he wanted and doesnt have to pay anything. I feel that if they didnt spend so much time studying to try and get into a good school to have a better life and were able to participate in sports some would have a much better chance, because every one of the kids from India and China said that they hate studying for so long its just something that they have to do.
ReplyDeleteSami- i agree with you because if i had to stop playing sports and having a social life just so i could study for 12 hours and probaly not get into the school of my choice i would most likely kill myself.
Debbie- I agree with kids maybe enjoying school because of their life at home and a longer day would in fact help them. I guess I just feel that most Americans compared to foreign countries like India and China are much lazier and that the overall outlook needs to change. And I guess it has to start somewhere because like you said children dont always know what is best for them, and neither do adults. It is nice to see some sort of change being made because if the general outlook of most people isn't challenged, they will have a much less likely chance to change their lifestyles. The biggest difference between American students and Chinese and Indian students is how different every day life is for each of them.
ReplyDeleteLauren,
ReplyDeleteExcellent point about the labor force. If teenagers weren't working at fast food restaurants anymore because they were all studying, who would do those jobs? Maybe the people who claim unemployment!
Brittany Evans - Another great question - the movie did not address how the Chinese and Indian cultures address those students who do not care about school. An interesting documentary would be one that compared 2 low achieving students from the three different countries!
ReplyDeleteJust like everyone else I was shocked when I saw how much more time China's and India's students put into than American students.
ReplyDeleteDebbie- i understand that the food stamp situation is kind of weird you have to make a certain amount of money to get them but my point was just to say that government help is out there. I was going to say a few more things in my previous blog, but i forgot to write them all down. Anyways i really didn't think the video was a shock or was such a bad thing.I don't understand why it is bad that other countries are doing better in certain areas in school. Math and science is important to them because they see science as a way to get ahead. Children in america don't see it that way i feel american children want to feel free to pursue a carrier in what they want. which isn't a bad thing, in someones previous blog they said the world needs truck drivers and painters and all types of people to make the world go round. I myself am a artist if i was in india or china a can garentee i probably would be some math matisian. so all in all i reallly don't see the video as such a shocker, it just shows that americans have different interests than other countries.
ReplyDeleteokay, so I am doing this last minute sunday evening and I apologize for that but... I can not believe how much more educated China and India are! I felt like my classes in grade school and high school lasted forever and I was always doing homework, or homework was always a hassle because I had other things to do like play sports or be active in different clubs. When I first thought about the video I thought about how more well rounded American students are but then as the movie continued on I learned that Chinese and Indian students are just as well rounded as I am.... and they are taught alot more at earlier ages.
ReplyDeleteBrittany-
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. It is definitely embarrassing, especially since I am done with that part of my life... grade school and high school... I am curious to see if Obama's idea of sending kids to school year round will go through or not? I don't know how I feel about that seeing as I am a future educator...
Kaitlynn-
ReplyDeleteTo go along with Brittany's comment I thought it was alittle embarrassing too. However I dont think Obama's idea will end up happening. Kids need to have a childhood to and learn how to socialize with other people.
I think that American education is fine the way it is. education is extremely important, but it shouldnt consume your life like it seems to do in india and china. unlike people in china or india, we realize that having a life outside of school is important. yes maybe people may see us americans as lazy but we stil have good grades. i think that having friends and fun is almost as important as school, some people just have to be able to multi task, and prioritize(sp) a little better...
ReplyDeletei also found it interesting that the people who studied FOREVER didnt get into the schools of their choice.. but the american students did...
ReplyDeleteSami, I agree with you on comparing students of different nationalities. The cultures can be completely different so what is expected from them is also going to be different. This makes for a bit of an unfair comparison.
ReplyDeleteNow that i look at it American studendts do tend to be kind of lazy and pampered when it comes to education. But that doesn't neccessarily mean countries like China are right and we are wrong. When you live in a different type of society the expectations obviously aren't goin to be the same. In my opinion, people tend to adapt as expectations change. Students from China are familiar with their large school work laod so I dont think it's really all that hard for them. Just like we are use to being involved in more after school athletic and social activities. Its so common we dont even think of it as much of an accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteKendra, I think that it is a huge mistake for people to get so stressed out on homework and school that they don't live and love life. I am not saying that people need to go to parties, get drunk all the time, and skip classes. I am saying that while academic education is a wonderful thing, there is many important things that each and every person learns outside of the school. Being so obsessed with school that you don't do anything else isn't life. Plain and simple. A lot of these schools from other countries make school out like it is everything in life. School is awesome, but it shouldn't dictate you. Your beliefs and principals should.
ReplyDeleteI knew that china and india were very strict about their education, but NOT THAT MUCH!!!! I feel horrible for those poor kids... they have no life.. when i look back on my child hood, i think about all the fun neighborhood memories, hide n seek, sport, and so on.. i am not thinking about a test i got a "B" on, or a school work! those kids may be smart, but i am happy and well rounded. So what if our country is not the best in math, you dont see me losing sleep over it :)
ReplyDeleteI am conflicted. On the one hand it is true that india and china excel in both math and science. However, the actually system of American teaching isn't necessarily bad. Rather it is focused on a more rounded outlook to education that allows kid to become whatever they wish to become. The main difference that I would like to see in American schools is better motivated. Having more intense class schedules should probably be instigated, perhaps a loner school day or more school throughout the year. But all in all i don't have a problem with American Education.
ReplyDeletewell ben.. you pretty much summed it up for me! there's so much more to life than science fairs and math problems. people need to realize how great life really is when you literally stop and smell the dang roses.
ReplyDeleteWhen watching the movie in class i was kinda jealous of the intensive thought and pressure of doing well in school. That is one of the biggest downfalls that American education is lacking is the motivation to do well in school. Americans are more focused on friendships, sports and drama when attending school. I dont think American Education should be like other countries because their school days are to long and by watching the movie it looks like they dont have enough time at home with thier family. From watching the movie they tried to make you believe all kids from china or india are nerds and all about studying but we all know thats not true. I think that American students can be as smart we just need to have faith in them and be great motivating teachers.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with sami American students dont get enough credit. For example im on lion line dance team all of us girls work very hard at practice every day and are great role models for the schooland have one of the highest gpa's out of the sports teams here on campus. Just because we dont study 12 hours or more a day does not make us any less of a dedicated hard working student.
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