Are there lots of children and teens posting on this thread? I hope so; otherwise I'm even more worried about the state of American education.

Anonymous wrote:Where have you been? Many happy and successful individuals were told to get ahead with education. It appears you missed the boat.

you're on the wrong boat if your ES or MS teacher told you education was about getting ahead... but too late for you now anyway

Under such a regime, sports really do become a privilege only for those whose parents can afford to provide sports outside of the school environment.

Some have worked very hard to get recess and physical activity and sports out of the middle school environment. Having done that, they now complain loudly about students being at risk for obesity and not developing enough life skills for physical activity. And moreover, they wonder how to encourage, and work hard to devise artifical settings in which students can hone teamwork, cooperation, and leadership skills.

Anonymous wrote:

your *good* students will for a million years never get ahead of Tom Brady or Eli Manning.

99.999999% of children will never have the talent to be Brady or Manning. They do have the talent to get good educations and good jobs. We need many more engineers, doctors, lawyers, nurses, and teachers than we do superstar quarterbacks.

Where have you been? Many happy and successful individuals were told to get ahead with education. It appears you missed the boat.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course the US has lots of subcultures; my comment about "our culture" was meant to refer to the default "American" culture. The default American culture seems to value sports too highly. As a middle school teacher in a high-needs area, I am struck by the fact that almost all of the boys want to be professional football, basketball, or soccer players when they grow up. They cannot understand why reading, writing and math are relevant to their lives. They haven't gotten the message that education is the best way to get ahead.

This phenomenon seems to cut across all socioeconomic lines. Many students from wealthier families spend more hours practicing their sport than they do on homework. Colleges lower academic standards to admit those who can throw a ball around. Students choose colleges based on their sports teams, not on whether they can provide a stimulating academic atmosphere. What should be a nice pastime -- either playing or watching sports -- has become an obsession. Sorry to sound like Debbie Downer, but I believe that this whole sports thing has become a real hindrance to improving our educational system, bringing people up out of poverty, and strengthening our economy.

your *good* students will for a million years never get ahead of Tom Brady or Eli Manning.

They are already way ahead of Brady and Manning.

my point was you should never have told your student that education was about "getting ahead."

and you'd sound like an old fool if you tried that line on a MS-er. your students are smarter than you think.

Anonymous wrote:Of course the US has lots of subcultures; my comment about "our culture" was meant to refer to the default "American" culture. The default American culture seems to value sports too highly. As a middle school teacher in a high-needs area, I am struck by the fact that almost all of the boys want to be professional football, basketball, or soccer players when they grow up. They cannot understand why reading, writing and math are relevant to their lives. They haven't gotten the message that education is the best way to get ahead.

This phenomenon seems to cut across all socioeconomic lines. Many students from wealthier families spend more hours practicing their sport than they do on homework. Colleges lower academic standards to admit those who can throw a ball around. Students choose colleges based on their sports teams, not on whether they can provide a stimulating academic atmosphere. What should be a nice pastime -- either playing or watching sports -- has become an obsession. Sorry to sound like Debbie Downer, but I believe that this whole sports thing has become a real hindrance to improving our educational system, bringing people up out of poverty, and strengthening our economy.

your *good* students will for a million years never get ahead of Tom Brady or Eli Manning.

Of course the US has lots of subcultures; my comment about "our culture" was meant to refer to the default "American" culture. The default American culture seems to value sports too highly. As a middle school teacher in a high-needs area, I am struck by the fact that almost all of the boys want to be professional football, basketball, or soccer players when they grow up. They cannot understand why reading, writing and math are relevant to their lives. They haven't gotten the message that education is the best way to get ahead.

This phenomenon seems to cut across all socioeconomic lines. Many students from wealthier families spend more hours practicing their sport than they do on homework. Colleges lower academic standards to admit those who can throw a ball around. Students choose colleges based on their sports teams, not on whether they can provide a stimulating academic atmosphere. What should be a nice pastime -- either playing or watching sports -- has become an obsession. Sorry to sound like Debbie Downer, but I believe that this whole sports thing has become a real hindrance to improving our educational system, bringing people up out of poverty, and strengthening our economy.

Anonymous wrote:

how is it different from saying Catholics don't use birth control? no one is denying Catholics are Americans; no one is saying Asians are not Americans.

It's not. Both stereotypes are wrong. Most Catholics I know use birth control. The Church teaches that birth control is wrong, but the majority of American Catholics ignore that teaching. Only very strict Catholics follow the "no birth control" rule.

Can you tell us which "American students" took the PISA exam over the last decade? If you think these students were soley European Americans you are clearly a fool -- sans doute.

Anonymous wrote:Try "American culture"? This in part explains the poor performance of "American students" on the global PISA assessments (even when SES is controlled for in sub analyses). Do you understand yet?

Asian Americans do NOT places WAY too much emphasis on sports. Are you saying Asian culture is not part of American culture and Asian students are not American students?

Try "American culture"? This in part explains the poor performance of "American students" on the global PISA assessments (even when SES is controlled for in sub analyses). Do you understand yet?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think parents who place more emphasis on academics than sports are doing their kids a favor. Sports are a fun way to keep in shape; they should not dominate one's life. Our culture places WAY too much emphasis on sports, and we are now paying the economic price for it.

+1

what's "our" culture? whites?