In America, the people are all in agreement that everyone needs to receive a free education. After this free education is completed, high school graduates are urged to go on to college.
This leads many people to believe that it will help our country reach the goal of becoming a smarter nation. However, in his essay Idiot Nation, Michael Moore argues that the exact opposite is occuring. We are becoming a nation full of idiots. Sadly, Michael Moore is correct.
The majority of the people in this country are, indeed, idiots.
This is due to the nation’s poor educational system and the people’s lack of gratitude and motivation. First of all, America’s standards of education are far lower than several other countries. In other countries, students must pass an exam to just receive a high school e
...ducation. Here in America, many college students cannot even do the simplest of Algebra problems.
In contrast, students just entering high school in these other countries have already learned more than American high school seniors. Schools in other countries teach students about U. S.
History. Not only is it safe to say that these students know more about our country than we do about theirs (that is if we even knew the country exsisted), but they often know more about our country than we do.
Furthermore, most people in foreign countries have learned to speak English as a second language. In his essay, Moore points out that “70 percent of those who graduate from America’s colleges are not required to learn a foreign language” (157). People feel that it is pointless and unnecessary to learn another language that
they will never use.
But if someone from this country went to Italy on vacation, would he or she not be aggrivated to find that, although highly unlikey, no one spoke English? And most likely, one would be thinking that those “foreigners better GET WITH THE PROGRAM” (157). This information proves that the curriculums of all American schools, including colleges, are not as demanding as the curriculums in schools of other countries. In addition to America’s schools having a poor curriculum, many facilities are in horrible conditions and lack the proper resources that students need to learn.
Moore suggests to “walk into any public school, and the odds are good that you’ll find overflowing classrooms, leaking ceilings, and demoralized teachers” (156). A school’s environment is what sets the mood for learning. So if the environment is bad, it can only be expected for the students to not be as cooperative as they would be if they were in a proper environment. This means that schools must provide resources that contain correct and up-to-date information. All schools need to have a good library, computer lab, and recent textbooks.
Moore explains that “in 1 out of 4 schools, you’ll find students “learning” from textbooks published in the 1980s — or earlier” (156). How can students be expected to learn if they are given false information? The schools must have come to a unanimous decision that it would be better to waste students’ time some other way instead of making them learn from those outdated textbooks. Instead of the students being in the classroom trying to learn like they are supposed to be, they often find themselves assembled
together in the auditorium or in the gymnasium.
Of course, some of these assemblies are for an important matter.
And it’s okay to get out of class every now and then to attend a pep rally before a huge game or for a special presentation. But, the assembly is usually completely unnecessary. Does the faculty actually think that they are making their students brighter, more understanding individuals by forcing them to go to these meaningless assemblies? And why do schools seem to care more about sports than the children’s education? School sports teams are always permitted to leave during school hours so they can hurry to get to a game.
However, the team does not seem to hurry until after it stops to have a two hour lunch. A student belongs in the classroom during school hours, with minimal exceptions. Students, however, feel that the less time spent in the classroom, the better their life is.
They would rather be at the mall, at the movies, or at home watching television or surfing the web. This is true for more than just students; it’s the overall American population. American’s have become lazy, and few of us wish to actually challenge our minds or to pick up a book.
Instead, the people of this country opt to fill their brains with completely useless information. People know more about the death of Anna Nicole Smith than they do about the war in Iraq. A person cannot even turn the channel without hearing the latest update in Britney Spears’s life.
If Americans would redirect their focus on celebrities to things that actually mattered, this country would be much
improved. This lack of interest in true knowledge can be blamed on the fact that many Americans do not realize how truly lucky they are to receive an education. They take this for granted and do not fully take advantage of it.
They need to realize that they are hurting more than just themselves; they are contributing to the stupidity of this country. In conclusion, anyone can easily see how this country is a nation full of unintelligent people.
The education system is a major setback on the people’s intelligence. Also, people lack an interest for knowledge and take their education for granted. This nation needs to realize that if this setback continues, it could mean the downfall of this country. However, with some revisions in the education system and a change of heart in the people, we can become a nation of intelligence.
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