On one of my first business trips to the United States 25 years ago, I visited a Texas university. Convinced that local students loved all-nighters as much as Moscow students did, I was interested to learn whether strict attendance records were kept at lectures. “They don’t keep track at all,” I was told. “These are our studies that we are paying for.”
My son is now enrolled at an American elementary school, and I know that attendance is monitored almost as strictly as academic progress. But in my opinion the key point is what the students are being taught, which is a sense of responsibility for themselves and their studies.
One often hears that American schools are wild places, that students do what they want and no one stands in their way. That is a misconception. There is order there, and it is sufficiently strict. However, it is structured in such a way that it is not discipline which is relied on, but self-discipline.
Incidentally, where Americans consider it necessary, discipline can be harsher than in Russia. For example, students are not allowed to disrupt others from studying, and more particularly, to offend anyone. Reporting someone is not just devoid of shame but almost laudable. A similar attitude prevails where cheating is concerned.
In the interest of security, it is forbidden to bring to school not only real and toy weapons but also food that may cause allergic reactions, such as nuts. There is a complete ban on children touching one another. There can be no talk of a teacher raising a hand against a child, or even yelling.
So that older children do not offend younger ones, elementary schools are separate from middle schools. The problem of children being bullied by peers (it still happens, of course) is addressed not only by parents and teachers, but also by the authorities. Recently there was a national conference at the White House on this issue, with President Barack Obama participating.
Yet despite all of this, schools are not overly rigid. Students are not made to wear uniforms, they interact with teachers and even principals fairly freely; in lessons they can sit at their desks or on the floor (naturally, all of this happens with the teacher’s consent), they do not have grade books, they do not study penmanship or learn math by rote.
For instance, learning to solve math problems using an established template is not simply absent but is fundamentally rejected. The direct opposite is the norm: “one right answer” almost never happens in learning, or for that matter in real life.
That is just one of the important local lessons. Children are taught that they must have tolerance for the opinions of others, that “different does not mean bad.” By the way, all of the quotes are drawn from my conversations with American and Russian principals and school teachers, child psychologists and parents.
I am not attempting to compare the educational methods accepted in Russia and the U.S. But in terms of form and method, a fundamentally different “ideology” is evident to me. We have a well-known principle: “If you can’t, we will teach you. If you don’t want to, we will make you.”
They have a choice: no one is going to make you study, although you can count on getting help. And you will be ready to bear responsibility for the choices you make.
Many in fact do not study, as a result of immaturity, difficult life circumstances or for other reasons. And it is not only they who pay the price but the whole country, as Obama himself does not tire of reminding people. The U.S. does not hold a high position in international education ratings.
Freedom has an even more dramatic downside. Tragedies like the Columbine High School shooting in 1999 by two teenagers have left an indelible mark on the public consciousness in the United States. And yet I am sure, from my overall perspective based on independence, conscience and freedom of choice, including the right to make mistakes, that Americans will not pull back. It is not in their DNA. And in schools, children are taught that making mistakes is normal.
A different matter is that not everyone agrees with this approach. Recently, America enthusiastically read and discussed a book written by a self-proclaimed “tiger mom” about raising children. Chinese-American Amy Chua argued that in her experience, children need to be unmercifully drilled, not allowed to make mistakes or be lazy or to behave with impunity. She said that the children themselves will one day say thank you.
Earlier, a Korean mother in the school courtyard related something similar to me. She also contrasted the “domineering” style, in her view a “typical Asian” style, with the standard American way. But to her, these “tiger” variations on the theme of “we do not teach them, we just make them” are not to her liking.
Nor to mine. In my opinion, constantly controlling a child means he is being trained to be irresponsible. He himself is not answering for his behavior, studies, and eventually his entire life, but others, adults, are.
This cripples him inwardly. Dependence, distrust of his strengths, and a habit of relying on outside “guidelines” is ingrained. It can give rise to insincerity and lying and a servile attitude, under which a person obeys outwardly, but at the slightest opportunity attempts to deceive, work carelessly, and slack off in his studies, in the military, or at his job. A protest arises.
I want to emphasize two more things about school classes and life in the United States. The first is the genuine sincerity and honesty, born of a happy lack of understanding of why it would be necessary to feign or pretend. This also takes root in childhood.
Of course, Americans can also lie, go along or remain silent when it is convenient, or even just out of politeness. (They are, as a whole, well-mannered, including the children.) And many among them listen to government propaganda and believe that America is always right in everything.
But whether they believe it or not, they talk. They do not “sing with a different voice” just to “be like everyone else,” especially if it would involve self-deception and self-censorship. Therefore, their convictions, knowledge and experience are, as a rule, their own and not borrowed.
Incidentally, several authors in the U.S. see in this an important difference in their country from China, as if it is not flustering everyone now with all of its academic successes. According to them, the Chinese are chasing after university degrees and a number of scientific publications, but they are erring on the side of conformity, copying and direct plagiarism. They are making few original breakthroughs, and they continue to lag behind the U.S. in terms of innovation.
And there is one more thing: However strange, Americans are dedicated collectivists. They do not know this word in its essence, and would be very surprised to be called that. But in business, even with all their notorious individualism, they place a high value on mutual trust, generosity, patience and tolerance. (If you do not believe me, look closely at an American line when you get a chance.)
There is an ability to unite and act together for the general good. Children are taught this at a very young age. In essence, it is these very “grassroots” which, when woven together, make a canvas of the entire American way of life.
I found this fascinating and wonder which school your children attended! I’m an American who worked in public schools in Houston, Texas, for twelve years–primarily with minority students–and what you describe is certainly not my experience. Yes, American schools do discourage rote learning, but, unfortunately, we have discouraged it to the extent that most of our students never acquire the foundational skills and knowledge required for a sound education. Far too many children function two to three years below their expected reading level, are still counting on their fingers when they are past the age of ten, and have little or no knowledge of proper grammar or spelling of the English language. Teachers are pressured into teaching the material on the state test rather than a full curriculum. In order to get high percentages of students passing, the curriculum is dumbed down and teachers are forced to focus on the lowest achievers, while our brightest students are allowed to stagnate or assigned ill-conceived computer programs for “enrichment.” Inappropriate and uncivil behavior is tolerated or often goes unpunished by many principals and teachers, either because they are wary of antagonizing students they depend on to earn bonuses for good test scores, or because they fear angry and uncivil parents. Rather than instilling respect and love for knowledge in and of itself, administrators and teachers bribe children to learn with prizes and trinkets or empty promises that getting an education will ensure the students will get “good” jobs when they are adults. Empty because the students not only lack the knowledge and skills necessary for the college education that might lead to a decent job, but also because our methods have not helped them acquire the work ethic that would allow them to overcome the shortcomings of their early education.
I’m not questioning or casting doubt on your experience, but I would caution you on assuming it is the norm. However, from talking to other teachers across the country (particularly those who teach in inner-city schools), I find many who are dealing with the same problems I did. And, given the rank American schools currently hold internationally, I think there is statistical evidence that suggests my experience, alas, might be more reflective of the average American school than your own.