A Lesson in Education

I read an interesting opinion piece on CNN today, “The U.S. must start learning from Asia.” For many years, Asian companies–first in Japan, then Korea, and now China and others–have been accused of “reinventing the wheel” when it comes to exports and manufacturing. Or, to paraphrase Dave Barry, “Japan makes the same products we do, only better.” Slowly but surely, Asia has been repeating this same process within the educational field. While it’s no secret that Asian students have surpassed their American counterparts in most categories, their institutions are slowly catching up as well.

In education, Asian nations have learned from the U.S., improved upon it to make it more efficient and produce consistently better results, and now, the U.S. must learn from Asia. In essence, the teacher has become the student.
Clearly this is an oversimplification, and furthermore, I do not agree with this assessment completely. The U.S. faces widespread, institutional and cultural issues that Japan, Korea, and China do not. Furthermore, there are still areas in which American students excel. For those of you who read my work on the Japanese educational system from three years ago, you might remember this passage:

At most public schools in America, the societal core values are manifested by giving students the freedom (within a limit) to choose their clothes and lunches. Americans see choice and individuality as core values and this is expressed through the school system. In keeping within the Japanese social paradigm, the Japanese school system is notorious for using an antiquated “teach the test” formula with an extremely low reliance on critical and analytical thinking. Teachers stand in front of the class and pound the facts and the students write down, repeat, and memorize these facts.

My return to an Asian school system has not softened these views, but there are lessons that we can learn and apply to produce better results in the American educational field.
Most importantly, we must change the culture of how education is viewed in America. There are sizable portions of the American public who sees education as a negative. To become educated or go to the best schools is seen as “selling out” in some cases, or “elitist” in others. President Obama has talked about extending the school year; while this might be good for those who stay in school, it does nothing for the nearly one-third of teenagers who drop out of high school before they graduate.
At its core, the “American Dream” of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps necessitates two things: ease of upward mobility, and the ability to outwit or out-maneuver your competition. While education is not 100% vital to either, and there are many examples of high school and college dropouts becoming successful business owners, clearly it is helpful in achieving both goals. As time progresses, and we become further removed from the “real” threats of global fascism or communism, we face a bigger threat–our own complacency.
There is an enthusiasm gap between Americans and Asians (and more importantly, Asian parents). Asian parents understand that education is necessary, not just to pull themselves out of poverty, but to continue to thrive in a continually more complex globalized society. Let’s consider my current occupation for a moment. I was hired by a private school, flown to Korea on their dime, to teach Korean kids in English. My afternoon students go to school during the day full-time at a Korean school, then come here for between 6-10 extra classes a week to learn more. Can you imagine a whole array of Korean private schools in America that parents pay thousands of dollars to immerse their kids for 12-20 extra hours of school each week? (or for that matter, any language)? No, I can’t either. Yet, here, the parents do not only send their kids to one or two additional private schools per week, it’s expected.
I must admit, as impressive as their dedication is, it is probably overkill and I genuinely feel sorry for some of these kids for being overworked. I also strongly disagree with the amount of emphasis put on testing from a very early age. When you study for the test and only the test, it cuts out independent thinking, an area in which American children still score very highly. Regardless, my point isn’t so much that an enthusiasm gap exists, but that a massive enthusiasm gap exists.
A co-worker frequently likes to remind me that we are training our replacements. Sadly, this seems to be the case. With America and the West on their current trajectories, and the East on theirs, I wonder when and if it will be practical to return home. I’m enjoying it while I can, as Grandpa Duke likes to say, “The last of the dinosaurs eats well.”