I can see where Ceili is coming from. As a generalisation I would say that most americans would know less about other countries than other nationalities. I think this has to do with the fact that for a lot of americans, USA is the centre of the universe and anything outside it is of less importance. I think the americans on this forum who do have interest in the outside world are the exception rather than the norm.
As a teacher myself, let me comment briefly:
* Parents are less more likely to expect their kids to succeed, and less likely to want to invest heavily in their intellectual growth.
* PDO's (Public Display's of Obtuseness) has become the acceptable, albeit pathetic, norm.
* School curriculae and textbooks are outdated and kids are feeling more and more disconnected from what they are learning.
* Integration of Learning Disabled students into the classroom add an X-factor that is seemingly never calculated into the learning equation, unless it's for additional funding for *other* school initiatives.
* Students regard school as a social event and not a place of learning.
* Math, Science, English, and Social Studies/History have classroom sizes creeping toward the 35 mark.
* Teacher's are partly to blame (speaking from Alberta, Canada--right above Montana for not-so-geographically-inclined). I currently operate a 60+ hr. week. We are being overloaded with non-teaching responsibilities, that are incidentally non-paying.
* Some teachers are hired by a school to teach a subject in which they have no specific expertise. Sure, you can be a great teacher, but specific subject knowledge is important.
We can point fingers at one or two things, but the reason each generation seems more dense than the previous one can be attributed to many things above and beyond what I have listed.
As an educator, I am ashamed to see these results and these downward trends, but I am not entirely surprised.
