[xyzone]

Originally Posted by Tsuwabuki

You have experiences with multiple school districts in multiple states, in various regions of the US, and different demographics?

No. Have you (been to every single district or at least one in every state)?

Perhaps as both a student and as a teacher?

No. Are you trying to say one requires personal experience as both in every single district to have an accurate overview of the situation? Personal experience, statistics, widely known poor test scores, wide spread ignorance of new college level students, and not to mention just the plain evident outlook of many young adults these days will suffice to me as valid basis for the lacking public school system, which is indeed overall just a government daycare center in most districts.

Since your tone indicates you are not an American, I find this hard to believe.

It doesn't matter what I am. My tone was just expressive to emphasize objectivity, nothing more. I say these things because I want them fixed. If I didn't care I wouldn't be saying anything about it. Don't attack the messenger. But as a matter of fact, I was not born in the US and English is not my first language. Obviously, I did go to school here. But that doesn't matter much and this is not about me. If you want to make it about me and ignore the well known facts about the public school system because I don't personally comply with your requirements, be my guest.

Where do you come by this "rule?"

From what I mention above. If you don't care about my experiences, look at the test scores. Go look at the the staggering ignorance of high school level students and many comedic anecdotes about it. In one instance, many high school students quizzed didn't know who Thomas Jefferson was and could not name the 2 houses of congress or even the 3 branches of government. Are the Japanese students of equal grade that uninformed about their own government? I doubt it.

My students have a lot more paperwork in Japan than I did. More tests, more rote memorisation. They have a lot less creative thinking. A lot less music. A lot less art.

I know the general differences. Stuff is actually taught there and the system is actually dedicated towards discipline to achieve it. Less creative thinking? Less music and art? You think most public schools in the US are Socratic campuses of thought or orchestra halls and art shops full of highly skilled and dedicated music and art teachers? That's not correct. It's absurdly false. They're full of cliques who go there mainly to socialize. Japan may be rigid and not value creativity much in schools, but quite frankly that's none of my business. I just know that overall it's better education, if only because it's competent at something other than putting kids together to socialize and keep them out of their parents' way.

Japanese teachers have very little student teaching. They do not have to take child psychology.

You just also described public school teachers in America. If you think otherwise you must either be or acquiescence to teachers union leeches or you must have romped exclusively in yuppie schools, not the average ones.

The view of education is very, very different. If your friend thought she could skate by because of lack of busywork, she's in for a rough ride, both in Japan, where we are already having a second lost generation, and in America, where the ability to regurgitate is not useful.

I don't think you understood. The paperwork was a joke to her. She didn't neglect any schoolwork. I think it's well known fact among exchange students from certain countries that the experience to American schools is pretty much only social, and perhaps linguistic.

Yeah... This is where I write you off. Exit, stage right.

This must be the creativity you're talking about. Let me just grab my Hamlet gear and I'll get off the stage.