The SMARTEST kids in the WORLD how they got that way 2/2014

The SMARTEST kids in the WORLD –& how they got that way by Amanda Ripley

Mrs. Q says: Great book about education and what the author found out that really matters.

Follow three American kids who move to other countries for one year. One from Oklahoma to Finland, one from a high achieving Minnesota suburb to South Korea and one from Pennsylvania for Poland – on student exchange programs. Follow them and find out how they did and combined with the authors investigative research what is really important.

South Korea has the lowest teen suicide rate but it turns out they have the highest young adult suicide rate, Why? And are the Koreans really happy with their education system? Do richer school districts always do better than the poorer areas irregardless of what country you are in?

Could the American charter schools work? Is a great “football program” really important? How about all that praise we give our America kids – everyone get a trophy- win or not. Are we preparing them for real world life when they don’t learn how to fail when they are younger?

Finland required a matriculation test for 160 years, it was a way to motive kid/teacher toward a common goal to actually mean something. Korean rerouted air traffic for their graduation test. Polish kids studied fro their tests on nights/weekends and arrived for the exam wearing suits, ties dresses.

What about the teachers? HS in Korea, Finland & Poland had a purpose just like high school football practice in America. There is a big important contest at the end, the score counted.

In America some of us believe that our kids would get a second/third chance. But in real life that doesn’t always happen. Why is it some American parents go to the teacher and ask “why did you give my child an F”?Instead of asking the child/and teacher “why did you get this F”? Why do American parents readily show up for sporting events w/cameras, etc but fail to show up for school conferences? Do we give some of our aspiring teachers a second/third chance even tho they do not do well to become teachers? Or do we just pass them along till they get their teaching certificates? And yes, by all means let us pay the students to go to class ??? but can that actually make them study and become successful adults in the real world?

Read The SMARTEST KIDS in the WORLD and see if you think other countries have a better educational system and why? Or do they?

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