My dad spent a year as a teen in France and made the same observation. And he came from a highly-ranked school in Massachusetts, which we know has some of the best schools in the US. His takeaway was that teachers taught to the best in France, and expected everyone else to catch up, where teachers here wait until the slowest student grasps a concept before moving on.

OP, it’s clearly something that irks him. I know him continuing to bring it up is annoying, but why don’t you engage him on the subject proactively and in “time boxed” contexts. It’s probably just a potent form of homesickness, also.

He’s a 17 year old boy and European to boot. Having a massive ego is not unexpected. He probably wouldn’t be saying it if he were in AP calc but it doesn’t matter. He’s grossly immature. Treat him as the immature child that he is and encourage other interests.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"So you've said...repeatedly. Would you like to make arrangements to end your time here early? If you feel you aren't getting any benefits by being here I'm sure it can be arranged."

I think before saying that to the student, OP should have a conversation with the program that arranges the exchanges. Snotty snarky exchange students is nothing new, and I think it's always better to check in with those managing the program (who are familiar with what the students were told in the way of expectations, and also usually know how other families have handled commonly occurring problems). Just check in, hear what they recommend, and then decide what works for you.

There is a way of making the "Would you like to make arrangements to end your time here early?" that could totally backfire on you as a host family, depending on how the student hears that and what he does with it. Just check out how other families handle such a bad attitude, I'm sure there are better ways to handle this that are also EFFECTIVE in giving the student the best chance of actually learning valuable lessons, vs learning nothing and just heading home early or staying the whole time but not learning how flawed his assessment is as applied all the way across the US.

I think this is a massive overreaction. OP hasn't even really tried to curb this behavior, running to the program and threatening the kid with going home because he hurt your feelings is way OTT. It will also completely sour the relationship and the rest of the exchange because you went nuclear and involved the program, which is what you would expect a host family to do if you had a kid like, shooting fentanyl, not commenting that history classes are easy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He’s actually correct. An American high school diploma won’t even get you admitted into a German university. I know this because I am German. In fact I’m currently in Germany—OT though.

Anyway, he shouldn’t be an a$$ about it though. It’s possible that he doesn’t know he’s annoying you and is just making conversation. So tell him. Germans are also very direct and frank, and it’s really not considered insulting if it’s true. So maybe help him out and let him know that Americans take a much softer approach to everything in person.

You’re the adult, lead and/or parent. Or call his parents and ask them to talk to him.

Yeah, but German schools track kids from early elementary school. And the tracking it rigid, no moving between levels once your kid is put on the "dumb" or "average" track.

If he was only in classes with the American kids who were our equivalent of the German "gymnasium" Or If he were taking our math and science classes he would be having a much more challenging experience.

In the note of geography, the American kids might not know his European geography, but I bet he is equally as ignorant of US Geography.

We hosted German exchange students a few years back when a group came to our school.

The German students all thought they would be able to take a quick weekend train trip to California and drive up to NYC for a day trip and back in a few hours.

They were shocked to hear that LA was almost as long of a flight as their flight from Europe, that a train there would take days, and that NYC is not just a quick jaunt you can do in an afternoon. They had no clue about US geography, and how expansive the US is. They were shocked to hear that Texas alone is almost double the size of Germany and that Germany is close in size to many of our smaller large states.

Australian here (former DC resident), popping a toe in the water and hoping the sharks are elsewhere.

Geography is not map memorization. It is an integrated subject that explores the development of land over the millennia, land and water systems, nations and migration, environmental development/destruction.

Yes, know your map. The US needs to do that, as a minimum. You can also go deeper. Highly recommended.

No idea about the German kid. But please stop smearing geography as the study of a map in 1945. Lest you sound…

…what did the German kid say?

Ah, now i think I understand the Economic Geography course at my child's UK uni now. It was mystifying for me when I looked over the school's offerings.
Agree that US geography coverage is a bit more like visual memorization.

FCPS covers that stuff in geography class. Heck, we covered it back in the midwest duri g the 80s.

OP, you mentioned he is not taking math or science.

All virginia students, even the slackers, take math and science of some form through senior year.

Is he taking AP classes for his history and English credits? AP is where his gymnasium level academic peers and coursework would be.

If he is not taking a full AP course load, no AP classes, and no math or science, then he is taking a slacker load of classes, far lower than any of the college bound students, and even lower than the kids heading off to trade school or community college.

Perhaps explain that to him.

Without math and science, and taking only regular classes, he is taking a very low level course load that is far below what his American academic peers are taking.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1/5 americans are illiterate. Like actually, factually, functionally illiterate.

He's right.

Blue city schools are disproportionately the areas graduating illiterate kids.

And yet it's red states where the adults have less literacy.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/geography/maps/adult-literacy-rates-by-state
"The lowest scores? New Mexico, Louisiana, and Mississippi all come in at roughly 251, or level two, where respondents “can paraphrase or make low-level inferences.”"

Red states dumb down the tests

If your baseline is low...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1/5 americans are illiterate. Like actually, factually, functionally illiterate.

He's right.

Blue city schools are disproportionately the areas graduating illiterate kids.

And yet it's red states where the adults have less literacy.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/geography/maps/adult-literacy-rates-by-state
"The lowest scores? New Mexico, Louisiana, and Mississippi all come in at roughly 251, or level two, where respondents “can paraphrase or make low-level inferences.”"

Anonymous wrote:"So you've said...repeatedly. Would you like to make arrangements to end your time here early? If you feel you aren't getting any benefits by being here I'm sure it can be arranged."

I think before saying that to the student, OP should have a conversation with the program that arranges the exchanges. Snotty snarky exchange students is nothing new, and I think it's always better to check in with those managing the program (who are familiar with what the students were told in the way of expectations, and also usually know how other families have handled commonly occurring problems). Just check in, hear what they recommend, and then decide what works for you.

There is a way of making the "Would you like to make arrangements to end your time here early?" that could totally backfire on you as a host family, depending on how the student hears that and what he does with it. Just check out how other families handle such a bad attitude, I'm sure there are better ways to handle this that are also EFFECTIVE in giving the student the best chance of actually learning valuable lessons, vs learning nothing and just heading home early or staying the whole time but not learning how flawed his assessment is as applied all the way across the US.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He’s actually correct. An American high school diploma won’t even get you admitted into a German university. I know this because I am German. In fact I’m currently in Germany—OT though.

Anyway, he shouldn’t be an a$$ about it though. It’s possible that he doesn’t know he’s annoying you and is just making conversation. So tell him. Germans are also very direct and frank, and it’s really not considered insulting if it’s true. So maybe help him out and let him know that Americans take a much softer approach to everything in person.

You’re the adult, lead and/or parent. Or call his parents and ask them to talk to him.

Yeah, but German schools track kids from early elementary school. And the tracking it rigid, no moving between levels once your kid is put on the "dumb" or "average" track.

If he was only in classes with the American kids who were our equivalent of the German "gymnasium" Or If he were taking our math and science classes he would be having a much more challenging experience.

In the note of geography, the American kids might not know his European geography, but I bet he is equally as ignorant of US Geography.

We hosted German exchange students a few years back when a group came to our school.

The German students all thought they would be able to take a quick weekend train trip to California and drive up to NYC for a day trip and back in a few hours.

They were shocked to hear that LA was almost as long of a flight as their flight from Europe, that a train there would take days, and that NYC is not just a quick jaunt you can do in an afternoon. They had no clue about US geography, and how expansive the US is. They were shocked to hear that Texas alone is almost double the size of Germany and that Germany is close in size to many of our smaller large states.

Australian here (former DC resident), popping a toe in the water and hoping the sharks are elsewhere.

Geography is not map memorization. It is an integrated subject that explores the development of land over the millennia, land and water systems, nations and migration, environmental development/destruction.

Yes, know your map. The US needs to do that, as a minimum. You can also go deeper. Highly recommended.

No idea about the German kid. But please stop smearing geography as the study of a map in 1945. Lest you sound…

…what did the German kid say?

Dear Australian friend - most of what you identify above as geography is covered in the elementary science and history curriculum. Particularly geology, history of colonialism and slavery, biome study, and environmental science.

The definition of geography being battled about in American discourse is usually about Victorian-style memorized map knowledge of geographic facts (not map reading or making skills). Knowing where Iguazu Falls is vs. Victoria Falls, although you likely will never visit them. The loss of this memorized knowledge is upsetting to some. It is similar to the de-emphasis on drilled spelling and "spelling bee" culture.

Controversially, spelling is seen as less necessary in the Internet/spellcheck age. One could look at geographic facts this way as well. I no longer automatically remember the capital of South Dakota, but I can look it up in a flash. Similarly, at one point for a college class, we were required to be able to label a map of all African countries and were tested on this 2 times. I used to be able to free-hand draw a map of Africa with 100% location accuracy, but no longer have that skill.

I agree with the PP who says Europeans (also Asians) often have a foggy understanding of the geography inside the U.S. Likewise, I do not know the breakdown of the states within Germany. Although I recognize some of them as former independent principalities. And this is really okay!

The issue here is truly one of cultural understanding and manners (as many PPs have stated). It doesn't matter whether this young man is being typically German or whether his classmates are in fact stupid. He has come to learn how to exist in a different culture and to develop appropriate manners for a world traveler. It may help him to understand that American schools do track less. He should definitely sample more extracurriculars. I was in swing choir with my high school's German exchange student (who was ahead of us in every subject except AP English). And maybe he could use a few more trips to the Smithsonian or other proof points for American culture.

Anonymous wrote:He’s actually correct. An American high school diploma won’t even get you admitted into a German university. I know this because I am German. In fact I’m currently in Germany—OT though.

Anyway, he shouldn’t be an a$$ about it though. It’s possible that he doesn’t know he’s annoying you and is just making conversation. So tell him. Germans are also very direct and frank, and it’s really not considered insulting if it’s true. So maybe help him out and let him know that Americans take a much softer approach to everything in person.

You’re the adult, lead and/or parent. Or call his parents and ask them to talk to him.

NP: OP I actually think of all the suggestions you've received so far, the more effective way to handle this, although let me be super clear: you are under NO obligation to do this, or make this effort. But if your exchange student is so bored and underwhelmed, ask him what he really cares about. This is Washington DC - there is almost certainly very engaging, interesting, sometimes extraordinary resources/exhibitions/events/etc happening about just about anything that anyone can be interested in. What does he want to do as work? What does he spend his free time at home in Germany doing? There is no way there isn't something interesting happening in DC related to it, or at least a resource somewhere that he should check out.

That way his "exposure to Americans" isn't just at the school he's attending and what he sees in your local community, he's being connected to something he can go do and maybe he'll still be underwhelmed, but at least he's seeing some other angles of our society.

And if he's too lazy to do any exploration on his own between now and June, that's on him, every time he complains just say "You're not even checking out other things happening right in this area, so apparently you just like to complain. You're not even making the most of being here." And sure, talk to his parents at that point to let them know your perspective on this so he doesn't go back with a single story about how awful the US and you are.

Anonymous wrote:1/5 americans are illiterate. Like actually, factually, functionally illiterate.

He's right.

Blue city schools are disproportionately the areas graduating illiterate kids.

1/5 americans are illiterate. Like actually, factually, functionally illiterate.

He's right.

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I've taught and lived abroad, so have some perspective here.

Yes, American schools are easy compared to the kind of school this teen would have attended, but the converse is that we don't throw up our hands and give up on kids after 13 if we think they aren't "college material."

He's also chosen to avoid the classes where he would be meeting highly motivated peers of the sort he left behind in gymnasium.

Moreover, though, I just really agree with the PP who said it is your job to help with navigate American cultural norms by not being rude.

I assume he wants to live/work abroad as an adult, hence doing a study abroad in HS. I think you can be pretty blunt with him - he will not get far in any field if he cannot or will not at least mimic baseline civility in line with local cultural norms. [/quote]

No one is giving up on kids after 13. They’re teaching them vocational skills so they can be productive members of society. Here if you graduate and aren’t really college material, you have no careers waiting after high school graduation. We actually don’t want an entire country of college graduates. But here we’re pushing kids into advanced high school courses that they just fail and distract other kids. [/quote]

It is true. The goal of tracking is to make sure the pupil will have a productive place in society. It is very much part of the "cradle to grave" social program. It is literally impossible to go 'off the grid' as some people can do here and live like the uni-bomber or Mormon plural marriage.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He’s actually correct. An American high school diploma won’t even get you admitted into a German university. I know this because I am German. In fact I’m currently in Germany—OT though.

Anyway, he shouldn’t be an a$$ about it though. It’s possible that he doesn’t know he’s annoying you and is just making conversation. So tell him. Germans are also very direct and frank, and it’s really not considered insulting if it’s true. So maybe help him out and let him know that Americans take a much softer approach to everything in person.

You’re the adult, lead and/or parent. Or call his parents and ask them to talk to him.

Yeah, but German schools track kids from early elementary school. And the tracking it rigid, no moving between levels once your kid is put on the "dumb" or "average" track.

If he was only in classes with the American kids who were our equivalent of the German "gymnasium" Or If he were taking our math and science classes he would be having a much more challenging experience.

In the note of geography, the American kids might not know his European geography, but I bet he is equally as ignorant of US Geography.

We hosted German exchange students a few years back when a group came to our school.

The German students all thought they would be able to take a quick weekend train trip to California and drive up to NYC for a day trip and back in a few hours.

They were shocked to hear that LA was almost as long of a flight as their flight from Europe, that a train there would take days, and that NYC is not just a quick jaunt you can do in an afternoon. They had no clue about US geography, and how expansive the US is. They were shocked to hear that Texas alone is almost double the size of Germany and that Germany is close in size to many of our smaller large states.

Australian here (former DC resident), popping a toe in the water and hoping the sharks are elsewhere.

Geography is not map memorization. It is an integrated subject that explores the development of land over the millennia, land and water systems, nations and migration, environmental development/destruction.

Yes, know your map. The US needs to do that, as a minimum. You can also go deeper. Highly recommended.

No idea about the German kid. But please stop smearing geography as the study of a map in 1945. Lest you sound…

…what did the German kid say?

Ah, now i think I understand the Economic Geography course at my child's UK uni now. It was mystifying for me when I looked over the school's offerings.
Agree that US geography coverage is a bit more like visual memorization.

Anonymous wrote:I've taught and lived abroad, so have some perspective here.

Yes, American schools are easy compared to the kind of school this teen would have attended, but the converse is that we don't throw up our hands and give up on kids after 13 if we think they aren't "college material."

He's also chosen to avoid the classes where he would be meeting highly motivated peers of the sort he left behind in gymnasium.

Moreover, though, I just really agree with the PP who said it is your job to help with navigate American cultural norms by not being rude.

I assume he wants to live/work abroad as an adult, hence doing a study abroad in HS. I think you can be pretty blunt with him - he will not get far in any field if he cannot or will not at least mimic baseline civility in line with local cultural norms.

No one is giving up on kids after 13. They’re teaching them vocational skills so they can be productive members of society. Here if you graduate and aren’t really college material, you have no careers waiting after high school graduation. We actually don’t want an entire country of college graduates. But here we’re pushing kids into advanced high school courses that they just fail and distract other kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He’s actually correct. An American high school diploma won’t even get you admitted into a German university. I know this because I am German. In fact I’m currently in Germany—OT though.

Anyway, he shouldn’t be an a$$ about it though. It’s possible that he doesn’t know he’s annoying you and is just making conversation. So tell him. Germans are also very direct and frank, and it’s really not considered insulting if it’s true. So maybe help him out and let him know that Americans take a much softer approach to everything in person.

You’re the adult, lead and/or parent. Or call his parents and ask them to talk to him.

Yeah, but German schools track kids from early elementary school. And the tracking it rigid, no moving between levels once your kid is put on the "dumb" or "average" track.

If he was only in classes with the American kids who were our equivalent of the German "gymnasium" Or If he were taking our math and science classes he would be having a much more challenging experience.

In the note of geography, the American kids might not know his European geography, but I bet he is equally as ignorant of US Geography.

We hosted German exchange students a few years back when a group came to our school.

The German students all thought they would be able to take a quick weekend train trip to California and drive up to NYC for a day trip and back in a few hours.

They were shocked to hear that LA was almost as long of a flight as their flight from Europe, that a train there would take days, and that NYC is not just a quick jaunt you can do in an afternoon. They had no clue about US geography, and how expansive the US is. They were shocked to hear that Texas alone is almost double the size of Germany and that Germany is close in size to many of our smaller large states.

Australian here (former DC resident), popping a toe in the water and hoping the sharks are elsewhere.

Geography is not map memorization. It is an integrated subject that explores the development of land over the millennia, land and water systems, nations and migration, environmental development/destruction.

Yes, know your map. The US needs to do that, as a minimum. You can also go deeper. Highly recommended.

No idea about the German kid. But please stop smearing geography as the study of a map in 1945. Lest you sound…

…what did the German kid say?

And I am sure the German (and Australian) kids have zero idea of any of that as it relates to the US and our extensive resources, systems and migration patterns.

The German kids had no idea of any of that.