Unit 8 Coping with an Educational Problem.docx

Unit 8 Coping with an Educational Problem.docx

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Unit8CopingwithanEducationalProblem

Unit8CopingwithanEducationalProblem

TextA

BenjaminSteinweavesataletobringhometoyoungAmericanstheneedtochangethewaytheythinkabouteducation.Readitandseewhetheryouthinkitholdsanylessonsforusaswell.

FABLEOFTHELAZYTEENAGER

BenjaminStein

Onedaylastfall,Iranoutoffilefoldersandwenttothedrugstoretobuymore.Iputahandfuloffoldersonthecounterandaskedateenagesalesgirlhowmuchtheycost."Idon'tknow,"sheanswered."Butit's12centseach."

Icountedthefolders."Twenty-threeat12centseach,thatmakes$2.76beforetax,"Isaid.

"Youdidthatinyourhead?

"sheaskedinamazement."Howcanyoudothat?

"

"It'smagic,"Isaid.

"Really?

"sheasked.

Nomodestlyeducatedadultcanfailtobeupsetbysuchanexperience.Whileourchildrenseembetter-naturedthanever,theyaresoignorant—andsoignorantoftheirignorance—thattheyfrightenme.Inaclassof60seniorsataprivatecollegewhereIrecentlytaught,notonestudentcouldwriteashortpaperwithoutmisspellings.Notone.

Butthisisjustatinysliceoftheproblem.TheabilitytoperformeventhesimplestcalculationsisonlyamemoryamongmanystudentsIsee,andtheirknowledgeofworldhistoryorgeographyisnonexistent.

Moreover,thereisachillingindifferenceaboutallthisignorance.Theattitudewassummedupbyafriend'sbright,lazy16-year-oldson,whoexplainedwhyhepreferrednottogotoU.C.L.A."Idon'twanttohavetocompetewithAsians,"hesaid."Theyworkhardandknoweverything."

Infact,thisyoungmanwillhavetocompetewithAsianswhetherhewantstoornot.Hecannotliveforeveronthefinancial,materialandhumancapitalaccumulatedbyhisancestors.Atsomepointsoon,hisintellectuallazinesswillseriouslyaffecthiswayoflife.Itwillalsoaffecttherestofus.Amodernindustrialstatecannotfunctionwithanidle,ignorantlaborforce.Planeswillcrash.Computerswilljam.Carswillbreakdown.

TodrivethismessagehometosuchyoungAmericans,Ihaveahumblesuggestion:

amovie,orTVseries,dramatizingjusthowdifficultitwasforthiscountrytogetwhereitis—andhoweasilyitcouldallbelost.Iofferthefollowingfable.

Asthestoryopens,ourhero,KevinHanley1990,a17-year-oldhighschoolsenior,issittinginhisroom,feelingbitter.HisparentsinsisthestudyforhisEuropeanhistorytest.HewantstogoshoppingforheadphonesforhisportableCDplayer.Thebookheisforcedtoread—TheWealthofNations—putshimtosleep.

Kevindreamsitis1835,andheishisowngreat-great-great-grandfatherat17,apeasantinCountyKerry,Ireland.Helivesinasmallhutandsleepsnexttoapig.Heisalwayshungryandmustsearchforfood.Hisgreatestwishistolearntoreadandwritesohemightgetajobasaclerk.Withsteadywages,hewouldbeabletofeedhimselfandhelphisfamily.ButHanley'spovertyallowsnoleisureforsuchluxuriesasgoingtoschool.Withouteducationandmoney,heispowerless.Hisonlyhopeliesinhischildren.Iftheyareeducated,theywillhaveabetterlife.

Ourfablefast-forwardsandKevinHanley1990isnowhisowngreat-grandfather,KevinHanley,1928.He,too,is17yearsold,andheworksinasteelmillinPittsburgh.HisfathercametoAmericafromIrelandandhelpedbuildtheNewYorkCitysubway.KevinHanley1928isfarbetteroffthaneitherhisfatherorhisgrandfather.Hecanreadandwrite.HiswagesarefarbetterthananythinghisancestorshadinIreland.

NextKevinHanley1990dreamsthatheisKevinHanley1945,hisowngrandfather,fightingonIwoJimaagainstamostdeterminedfoe,theJapanesearmy.Heisalwayshot,alwayshungry,alwaysscared.Onenightinafoxhole,hetellsafriendwhyheisthere:

"Somysonandhissoncanliveinpeaceandsecurity.WhenIgetback,I'l1workhardandsendmyboytocollegesohecanlivebyhisbrainsinsteadofhisback."

ThenKevinHanley1990ishisownfather,KevinHanley1966,whostudiesallthetimesohecangetintocollegeandlawschool.Helivesinafinehouse.Hehasneverseenanythingbutpeaceandplenty.Hetellshisgirlfriendthatwhenhehasason,hewon'tmakehimstudyallthetime,ashisfathermakeshim.

Atthatpoint,KevinHanley1990wakesup,shakenbyhisdream.HeisrelievedtobeawayfromIrelandandthesteelmillandIwoJima.Hegoesbacktosleep.

Whenhedreamsagain,heishisownson,KevinHanley2020.Thereisgunfirealldayandallnight.Hiswholegenerationforgotwhythereevenwaslaw,sothereisnone.Peoplepaynoattentiontopolitics,andgovernmentoffersnoservicestotheworkingclass.

Kevin2020'sfather,whoisofcourseKevin1990himself,worksasacleanerinafactoryownedbytheJapanese.Kevin2020isaporterinahotelforwealthyEuropeansandAsians.Publiceducationstopsatthesixthgrade.Americanshavelongsincestoppeddemandinggoodeducationfortheirchildren.

ThelastpersonKevin1990seesinhisdreamishisowngrandson.Kevin2050hasnousefulskills.MachinesbuiltinJapandoallthecomplexwork,andthereislittlemanualworktobedone.Withouteducation,withoutdiscipline,hecannotearnanadequatelivingwage.Helivesinaslumwherethereisnoheat,noplumbing,noprivacyandsurvivesbysearchingthroughtrashpiles.

Inaword,helivesmuchasKevinHanley1835didinIreland.Butoneday,KevinHanley2050isbefriendedbyavisitingJapaneseanthropologiststudyingthedeclineofAmerica.ThemanexplainstoKevinthatwhenamanhasnomoney,educationcansupplythehumancapitalnecessarytostarttoacquirefinancialcapital.Hardwork,education,savinganddisciplinecandoanything."Thisishowwerosefromtheashesafteryoudefeatedusinawaraboutahundredyearsago."

"AmericabeatJapaninwar?

"asksKevin2050.Heisastonished.ItseemsasimpossibleasBrazildefeatingtheUnitedStateswouldsoundin1990.Kevin2050swearsthatifheeverhaschildren,hewillmakesuretheyworkandstudyandlearnanddisciplinethemselves."Tobeabletomakealivingbyone'smindinsteadofbystealing,"hesays."Thatwouldbeamiracle."

WhenKevin1990wakesup,nexttohimishiscopyofTheWealthofNations.Heopensitandthefirstsentencetocatchhiseyeisthis:

"Amanwithouttheproperuseoftheintellectualfacultiesofamanis,ifpossible,morecontemptiblethanevenacoward."

Kevin'sfatherwalksin."Allright,son,"hesays."Let'sgolookatthoseheadphones."

"Sorry,Pop,"Kevin1990says."Ihavetostudy."

（1213words）

PartIBackgroundInformation

TheGeneralViewofAmericanonEducation

ItisageneralviewthateveryAmericanhastherightandobligationtobecomeeducated.Americanbelievethat,througheducation,anindividualacquirestheknowledge,skills,attitudesandabilitieswhichwillenablehimtofitintosocietyandimprovehissocialstatus.Veryoften,theylooktoeducationasthecauseofpersonalandnationalsuccessandthecureofsocialandeconomicills,holdingtheviewthatthefutureofthenationdependslargelyoneducation.

CharacteristicsofAmericanEducation

FormaleducationintheUnitedStatesconsistsofelementary,secondaryandhighereducation.Elementaryandsecondaryeducationisfreeandcompulsory.Someschoolscollegesanduniversitiesarepublicandothersareprivate.DiversityisconsideredtobeanoutstandingcharacteristicofAmericaneducation.Aseachstatehasthefreedomtodevelopasextensiveorlimitedaschoolsystemasitdesires,anddelegateitspowerovereducationtolocaldistrictstotheextentitwishes,manyvariationscanbefoundintheeducationsystemofthe50states.

ThePrincipalFunctionsofInstitutionofHigherEducationinAmericanEducation

Thesystemofhighereducationhasthreeprincipalfunctions:

teaching,researchandpublicservice.

EducationalSysteminAmerica

TheU.S.publicschoolsystemisgigantic,withroughly$314billioninannualexpenditures,5.4millionemployees（2.7millionofwhichareteachers）,and46millionpupils.Italsohasmanyuniquequalitiesthatsetitapartfromschoolsystemsinotherindustrializednations,suchaslocalcontrol,localfunding,andacommitmenttoprovideakindergartenthrough12thgradeeducationtoeverystudentwhoentersthesystem.

Whenitwascreatedinthemid-19thcentury,theU.S.publicschoolsystemwasviewedasameansofimprovingsociety.Thisisoneofthereasonsthesystemhasaimedtoserveallpupilsfor13years,whileothercountriesdevelopededucationalsystemsthatremovedunderachievingstudentsatyoungerages.TheinclusivenatureoftheU.S.schoolsystemhasplayedacrucialroleinunifyinganationofimmigrants,transmittingnationalvaluesandconcepts,andoffering—intheory,ifnotalwaysinpractice—thepromiseofequalopportunitythroughequaleducation.

AnotheruniquefeatureoftheU.S.systemisthatitvestsauthorityovertheschoolswiththousandsoflocalschoolboardsratherthanacentralized,nationalagency.Localcontrolenablesauthoritiestorespondquicklytolocalneeds,changingcurriculumsandteachingmethodswithouthavingtoseekpermissionfromnationalauthorities.

Untilrecently,theU.S.publicschoolsystemlargelyliveduptothisgoal,producingahighpercentageofhigh-schoolgraduatescomparedtoothernations.

Criticsofthissystem,however,notethat,unlikemanyothercountries,theUnitedStateshasnonationalstandardsforwhatstudentsshouldknowatcertaingradelevels.Norarethereuniformstandardsforteachertrainingandcertification.

EducationalReformeffortsinthe1990swerepr