+465 Maybe the reason why our education systems are failing is because we underestimate what little kids can do. We basically let them slide through their crucial elementary school years with nothing stimulating at all, them heap all of the more complicated stuff on them in high school. If we had a more graduated process, we might have more intelligent students, amirite?

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Anecdote: I just taught my little sister, who is in first grade, how to multiply and divide. She's not *especially* smart, just a regular kid. This could work. :P

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Also because people have diffrent ways of learning, and the education system just tends to use the one way. It'd be better if they figured how each child learns and divide them into those groups and teach them that way.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

I'm assuming that our infinite stores of cash could pay for that...

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Exactly, the solution they've stated may be extremely obvious, but it is also unfeasible unless schools start receiving much more funding.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

You almost had the most evil comment number to date. You should consider yourself lucky.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

yeah, they don't challenge elementary school kids enough. only those in the gifted classes are semi-challenged, and it really shows too, because those students end up having it much easier in middle and high school. and they also learn earlier on how to manage their time.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Yeah, I got put into GATE in elementary school and now I'm doing all AP and IB classes and all that, while there are others who went to the same elementary school that are in the lowest classes possible. Whether or not you get put into the gifted classes is pretty much based on how much stimulation you get at home and how naturally smart you are, and I received plenty. But other don't, and those are the ones who barely get any education in elementary school.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I agree. My mom is a teacher so I was reading, reading, not 'Your Baby Can Read!' reading by the time I was 3. I'm naturally smart and I come from a good, well-off family. All of those are crucial to a good education.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

In my gifted classes, we learned all about our teacher and her cats. Believe me, we were challenged at staying awake.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

and then they use the same math curriculum until you get to about 7th or 9th grade all those years learning the basics and then 4 years of the most difficulty piled on top of you.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

school aren't failing because of the kids. it's because money is being cut left and right. they're actually getting rid of music in the middle schools

by Anonymous 12 years ago

You say "our" as if this is an American site for strictly Americans made by an American in America. It's neither of those.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Who said that they're talking about America...

by Anonymous 12 years ago

It's kind of obvious, by the first sentence at least.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

In other words, the only failing education system right now is in America (and countries too poor), and actually a bit of the post is true in terms of what makes a good education, and those are already happening in other continents and countries. My kindergarten in Europe had a language class and it was one of the easiest things ever, because learning is x5 as easy for young kids. The language then continued from first grade and on. Americans don't even know of another language until 8th and 9th grade. AND I'M EXAGGERATING, NO NEED TO GANG UP ON ME BECAUSE OF THIS STATEMENT AND TRY TO PROVE ME WRONG!

by Anonymous 12 years ago

As an American, I wish I could say you're wrong. Too bad there are people like my superintendent who haven't a clue about stuff like language development.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

We started French and Spanish in 8th grade, but both those classes were only for about 3 months. In high school we have a choice of Latin, German, French, or Spanish but we don't have to take them, you weren't that far off.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

My school started teaching Italian in first grade. Seriously. And it went all the way through 8th grade, at which time we were fairly fluent.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Exactly. In other countries, kids learn a second language very early on. I hate America sometimes.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

People don't seem to realize that relative to Europe, America is geogrphically isolated. Some European countries are boredered by as many as 3 other countries who all speak different languages. A very good portion of our Hat speaks English, and most schools teach basic Spanish, thanks to our neighbors to the south.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

@1271726 (Procrastinator): I hate America a lot of the time too. That's why I'm going to Spain for my 1st year of college. Not for the education; I'll be under an American school but in Spain :P. American has absolutely no culture, unless you count rednecks and fried chicken.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

The only one we really have have is Spanish because we're connected to Mexico, which is why most kids choose to learn it instead of French or Chinese (at least in Arizona). I really wish schools started to teach langeages earlier on, it's be much easier. They start teaching it at middle school, which is the time your brain starts to become less spounge like and less capable to pick up a laungage all super fast. All though,I have a feeling they probably will start to teach it earlier because everything else is starting to be taught earlier. Example: we started learning trig in sophomore year and when I asked my mom for help she was suprised because she didn't start learning it untill much much later. My cousin in 3rd grade is learning how to do long division in 3rd grade with a double+ digit on the right of the division sign, when i didn't start learning that untill 5th or 6th grade.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I definitely agree with you on the language bit, it is extremely easy to learn a second language when you are young. But something must be up in Arizona, because starting to learn trig in 10th grade seems really late. I remember being introduced to it in 8th grade, but granted I was a year higher than most.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Yeah, I tutor little kids and I teach them "advanced" stuff like geometric properties and factoring.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I was born in a Colombia and when I moved here to Canada in grade 3 they were going to start teaching us how to divide, after we had already learned how to multiply 2 digit numbers, they would also leave us a shit ton of homework. I got here and they would leave us any homework and they were teaching us thing I had already learned.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Yeah, teach little kids algebra before decide to question why they would ever need to find x.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

on kindergaten worksheets, they have questions like "5 +_=10" what are they doing? algebra. '_' just takes the place of 'x'

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Being an Elementary Education major, I can see where you are coming from, but as someone said above, this scenario would only be able to happen if schools got the funding that they need to implement the types of programs to really help students. I agree that sometimes kids are underestimated but a lot of a child's education falls into the hands of the parents and the students themselves. If the parent's and the students don't care about getting an education, then no matter what the teacher says or teaches will change their minds. Also, if you think that elementary students are allowed to just "slide" through, you obviously haven't heard of Standardized tests that determine whether a student advances, or whether a teacher keeps his/her job, or whether the school even gets funding. You really need to check your facts before you make ridiculous claims about the educational system.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

What sort of person who majors in anything, especially education, creates plural nouns with 's?

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Where I'm from there is no standardized tests. @1272854 (Anonymous): I don't see a plural noun in Hollythecheerleader's post...

by Anonymous 12 years ago

"If the parent's and the"

by Anonymous 12 years ago

What kind of person points out other people's accidental grammar mistakes so rudely? Obviously one that didn't learn how to be polite in our "failing educational system".

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Hey, you're the one with the education major. If we're not learning to be polite, it's your fault.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

In my area, at least, schools cater far too much to the unintelligent students and the intelligent ones get ignored. For example, the standardized tests I have to take are so simple it's ridiculous. I am above the 90th percentile on every test. However, instead of advancing me some grades or allowing me to enter harder classes, teachers tell me to just be happy the tests are easy for me and that I don't have to worry about them. Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way but that certainly seems to me like they are indeed just letting me slide by. I feel like many other students and I are being held back. think of the great things we could accomplish if we did not have to waste our time doing work that is many levels below that of which we are capable. This kind of situation has been going in since first grade and I am almost finished with high school now.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Unfortunately, that is what happens in a lot of schools. This really shouldn't be happening. I'm sorry that your teachers are not challenging you or your classmates the way you feel they should. Honestly, just be glad you are almost done with high school and you can take the classes that will challenge you.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Foreign languages should definitely be taught earlier because they are much easier to learn at that age.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

and less stressed high schoolers, too

by Anonymous 11 years ago