[MMM]

Originally Posted by xyzone

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.

That's a bold statement. I hope you can back it up. As you state later, you know more about the Japanese government than many of your Japanese neighbors. I am curious why you think Japanese students would know more about their government system than Japanese students. If voter apathy is any indicator, I think you know what the answer would be.

Originally Posted by xyzone

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.

Your tone here is a little over the top...so let's try and reedl it in. Don't put words in other people's mouths. Speaking in such black and white terms doesn't help either side of the argument or your credibility.

As a former teacher in Japan and in the US, I can say with confidence that Japanese public schools are places to learn to be obedient Japanese citizens, and not creative thinkers. That's Japanese Education 101..

Originally Posted by xyzone

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.

You are not talking about the public school teachers I know in America, who spend hundreds of dollars at the beginning of each school year buying school supplies for their students that can't afford their own.

Let's agree that it isn't as black and white as all that.

Originally Posted by xyzone

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.

I would not concede to that one bit. Ask the exchange students I graduated with that graduated from American high schools, went on to American colleges and are now successful professionals.

Just as my experience is not holistic, neither is yours. Why don't we agree to that?