Problems with the "US" Education System Options

[Rukiri]

Today we're facing issues with education than ever before, generally about 30 years ago kids would study and go off to college and become successful. Now today it's completely different, and more so with the abused Gifted and Special educational programs that are offered by public schools. Generally, if a parent thinks there is something wrong with there child be it mentally or any reason they could request for that child to be in Special Education. While I agree with this part, what if the kid just simply.. doesn't care but still has average or well above average intelligence? A test isn't going to solve it as again the child does not care and will just randomly answer questions but taking there time to make it look like they're trying.

With Gifted Education, it's not very hard to get into and should be encouraged if the child wants to try harder classes. I've been in both camps believe it or not, I simply just wanted to sleep for.. oh grades 4-8 and started caring once I got to high school. Not only did I get in but found out I had a relatively high IQ which isn't uncommon if the student tries as IQ's are irrelevant.

Kind of sad where the educational system is going these days...

[zacheatscrackers]

What pisses me off is how easily some people will be fooled that someone is autistic, like if they just happen to get crappy scores on a few tests and whatnot, which is stupid. Those kids need to just work harder next time.

[nichodo]

I also hate the U.S. education system (Because i live in the U.S.)

[Sparrowsmith]

I think to an extent the problem is encouragement.
If you're average or lower, you're treat like you could do better, and just need happy thoughts, revision, etc etc. To feel more comfortable basically.
If you're above that, you tend to either be praised to death, or (in my experience any way) given tough encouragement.

Then again, I'm from the UK, so I can't speak for the U.S.
I'm an above average student, in my A-levels I really should have gotten A's, but ended up middling out with B's and C's (I took extra lessons though so it still works out as pretty damn good). However, a lot of my friends who did better than me were really pushed and antagonistic with their teachers, to the point of arguments during lessons. Admittedly, I also scored highest in the lesson which had the teacher I hated most.
Could be a correlation worth looking into.

However, these are just personal experiences. On average, IQ is rising by 3 points every decade. While this might not be a good measure of intelligence or aptitude, it is a measure of pattern recognition, focus, and several other abilities linked closely with the ability to learn.
The IQ thing is interesting because of the way IQ points are set about, so that the average is always 100. This means that rather than your great grand kids having an IQ of 130, you have an IQ of 70 to them.
It takes four years for computers to double in power, and it takes 100 for a generation to become clinically retarded by its successors. So maybe the education system ain't so bad after all.
There are definitely flaws, but so long as geniuses still reach their potential, and the average is constantly improving, maybe we're really in no place to complain.

As human beings, maybe we're just constantly inclined to think things are worse than they are.

[zacheatscrackers]

A person I know once said that complaining tends to unify the lot of us and express ourselves. The thing he forgot is that motivational speaking does basically the same thing and we shouldn't all limit ourselves to excess negativity. Hell, look where it's gotten us the past several years.

[amerk]

When I was working retail about 12 years ago, there was a guy that I knew (around my age, out of high school) that didn't work and survived on food stamps and government aid. His excuse was that he had a disability that made him constantly tired. Of course that never stopped him from running out with friends, getting drunk, and goofing off.

The security guard at the time saw him one day and told me back when he was a kid, the cure for this so-called disease was a kick in the ass.

[atlus]

I'll tell ya whats wrong with this stupid education system and that is we have ta go to school every freakin day!!! And we have ta get up early(6:00 at my school) EVERY DAY!!!! oh and has anyonye noticed that our breaks aregettin smaller and smaller each year? (phewww...that was a good way to blow off some steam...)

[markchapman10]

Where I'm at, the reason our breaks was cut short was to make up snow days...

[Sparrowsmith]

I'll tell ya whats wrong with this stupid education system and that is we have ta go to school every freakin day!!! And we have ta get up early(6:00 at my school) EVERY DAY!!!! oh and has anyonye noticed that our breaks aregettin smaller and smaller each year? (phewww...that was a good way to blow off some steam...)

Studies have shown that starting school an hour later (and also closing an hour later) does help the learning process, but long breaks are actually counter productive to that. A better idea is lots of small breaks spread throughout the year.
Still, you get better hours at school than you do working a job.