I’m tired of my exchange student talking about how easy school is here and how dumb the American kids are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t wait to hear where this kid is in 10 years compared to your children, OP.

He will be back in his home country trying to come back to the best country in the world. Yep, we must totally suck since everyone wants to be us or hate us because we are better

The Europeans have been watching the US slowly deteriorate to shithole status. People in war torn countries and corrupt governments with most living in poverty want a better, safer country. Europeans are doing better than the US.

This is comlletely untrue. Europe is in much worse shape than the US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was a teacher in Germany for three years.

If he is a student at a Gymnasium (the university-bound high school/track) in Germany, then he can't opt out of math and science. Why isn't he taking them now? Tell him he must be attending Hauptschule or Realschule, and ask him which. He won't like that because it underscores the fact that he isn't at the most advanced level/tracked definitely for university.

And if he is at Gymnasium, how will he manage the credit transfer issue for an entire year off track?

Love this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was a teacher in Germany for three years.

If he is a student at a Gymnasium (the university-bound high school/track) in Germany, then he can't opt out of math and science. Why isn't he taking them now? Tell him he must be attending Hauptschule or Realschule, and ask him which. He won't like that because it underscores the fact that he isn't at the most advanced level/tracked definitely for university.

And if he is at Gymnasium, how will he manage the credit transfer issue for an entire year off track?

Even worse if he’s on the lower track and he’s finding the US classes too easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He’s from Germany. He 17 and has quite an ego. His English is formal, but excellent and he also speaks German and Spanish fluently.
He’s not taking any math or science classes while he’s here because he doesn’t like those subjects.
He comes home from school every day telling me how the Americans can’t read, don’t know geography, history etc. I’m really tired of hearing it.
Help me survive this until June!

Germans are such glass bowls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t wait to hear where this kid is in 10 years compared to your children, OP.

He will be back in his home country trying to come back to the best country in the world. Yep, we must totally suck since everyone wants to be us or hate us because we are better

That hasn't been true for about a year now. People by and large are avoiding the United States of America.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t wait to hear where this kid is in 10 years compared to your children, OP.

He will be back in his home country trying to come back to the best country in the world. Yep, we must totally suck since everyone wants to be us or hate us because we are better

The Europeans have been watching the US slowly deteriorate to shithole status. People in war torn countries and corrupt governments with most living in poverty want a better, safer country. Europeans are doing better than the US.

Uh - do you watch the news?! European countries can’t even defend themselves, which is evident in the whole Greenland debacle. They couldn’t defend Ukraine. They are totally and completely reliant on the US. Their job market is worse. How exactly do you think it’s better? I lived there for 10 years and I 100% guarantee you the quality of life is worse - especially for the wealthy. Maybe it’s better for working class

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was a teacher in Germany for three years.

If he is a student at a Gymnasium (the university-bound high school/track) in Germany, then he can't opt out of math and science. Why isn't he taking them now? Tell him he must be attending Hauptschule or Realschule, and ask him which. He won't like that because it underscores the fact that he isn't at the most advanced level/tracked definitely for university.

And if he is at Gymnasium, how will he manage the credit transfer issue for an entire year off track?

I am guessing he doesn't need credits, hence him taking only the easy classes that he is interested in. Already graduated?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a teacher in Germany for three years.

If he is a student at a Gymnasium (the university-bound high school/track) in Germany, then he can't opt out of math and science. Why isn't he taking them now? Tell him he must be attending Hauptschule or Realschule, and ask him which. He won't like that because it underscores the fact that he isn't at the most advanced level/tracked definitely for university.

And if he is at Gymnasium, how will he manage the credit transfer issue for an entire year off track?

Even worse if he’s on the lower track and he’s finding the US classes too easy.

Nah - it means they gave him the easiest course load. We all know the US education is highly differentiated and diverse. You can make it as easy or hard as you need to. For him it must have been made easy because he’s not that bright- which is evident in his manners. My UC German colleagues are so kind and nice - they like the Americans they work with and are smart enough not to paint us all with the same brush - just as I do for them.

[Anonymous]

Er ist traurig.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh I have lots of experience with this! I work with people from many different countries, as I am a physician in a large academic hospital in NYC.

At least once a month a foreign-trained doctor drops into conversation how much smarter everyone is in their country and how much better their foreign education was than US college/med school, usually followed by a complaint about how stupid Americans are.

The complainers include a whole range of ages and nationalities: residents, fellows and my attending physician colleagues, from lots of different countries (France, Italy, Belgium, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Japan, Russia, Brazil, Nigeria, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Iran, etc etc - although, never heard complaints from anyone from Ireland or Canada).

So, it’s not just a 17 year old kid thing to do - plenty of 23-70 year olds are doing it too!

Not sure why - maybe insecurity?

In contrast to many people on this thread, in my experience, it’s not true that foreign trained doctors are overall far superior to US born and educated doctors. Some are and some aren’t.

I used to gently push back, but now I just nod and smile, and try to change the subject. It is not like I am going to change their mind.

Alot of those are here in the forum posting the same thing, how geniuses they are and people they came from compare to American.
But yet again they are here …. Very telling.

- An immigrant who is very grateful and count every blessing to be here.

+1 we live immigrants like you and loathe the other type

[Anonymous]

^love

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t wait to hear where this kid is in 10 years compared to your children, OP.

He will be back in his home country trying to come back to the best country in the world. Yep, we must totally suck since everyone wants to be us or hate us because we are better

The Europeans have been watching the US slowly deteriorate to shithole status. People in war torn countries and corrupt governments with most living in poverty want a better, safer country. Europeans are doing better than the US.

Uh - do you watch the news?! European countries can’t even defend themselves, which is evident in the whole Greenland debacle. They couldn’t defend Ukraine. They are totally and completely reliant on the US. Their job market is worse. How exactly do you think it’s better? I lived there for 10 years and I 100% guarantee you the quality of life is worse - especially for the wealthy. Maybe it’s better for working class

A bit off tangent but it isn’t their goal to defend Ukraine. Their goal is to weaken Russia!
Same as the U.S.’s goal, at least before Trump

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a teacher in Germany for three years.

If he is a student at a Gymnasium (the university-bound high school/track) in Germany, then he can't opt out of math and science. Why isn't he taking them now? Tell him he must be attending Hauptschule or Realschule, and ask him which. He won't like that because it underscores the fact that he isn't at the most advanced level/tracked definitely for university.

And if he is at Gymnasium, how will he manage the credit transfer issue for an entire year off track?

Even worse if he’s on the lower track and he’s finding the US classes too easy.

Nah - it means they gave him the easiest course load. We all know the US education is highly differentiated and diverse. You can make it as easy or hard as you need to. For him it must have been made easy because he’s not that bright- which is evident in his manners. My UC German colleagues are so kind and nice - they like the Americans they work with and are smart enough not to paint us all with the same brush - just as I do for them.

New poster who used to go to school in a post Soviet country and now has a kid at an American HS.
I think higher levels of classes (at least in math and science) here aren’t deeper in terms of concepts but rather they are very fast paced. Many kids need additional explanations and practice to do well there.
Bad teachers are also often assigned to AP classes as the assumption is that these kids will do well anyway.
At least this was my experience.
AP English is not like that, and hopefully other humanities aren’t either. They do teach content on a deeper level.

[Anonymous]

I haven't read past page 1. I would guess he isn't making friends and/or kids aren't being kind. In his teenage brain its easier to say the American kids are dumb rather than admit he's lonely and needs a friend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I haven't read past page 1. I would guess he isn't making friends and/or kids aren't being kind. In his teenage brain its easier to say the American kids are dumb rather than admit he's lonely and needs a friend.

This. Plus this is how Germans are lol.