Comments on: Why is our school system communist?

By: Olivia Robinson

Olivia Robinson — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 21:31:40 +0000

I’m sure that there are quite a few true kibbutzim, but from my research and personal experience in Israel, most have switched over. And, they have become very wealthy. Their adaptation when the original system began to fail was what I wanted to point out in my article.

By: Olivia Robinson

Olivia Robinson — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 21:28:44 +0000

I’m not doubting that America has more free thinkers, but from a purely economical standpoint, China’s math and science professionals are giving them a huge advantage in the world marketplace. And I don’t believe that we should completely follow the Chinese system. However, we can take the elements that we do believe in and adapt them to our system to make use better. My point in this article is not that we need to copy China, but that we do need to adapt in some way. My proposal is to link teacher pay to performance, as opposed to amount of time teaching.

By: Amalia Halikias

Amalia Halikias — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:07:21 +0000

Also, it might just be possible that the amount of Chinese doctors and engineers is closely linked to China’s population of 1.3 billion

Statistically speaking, doctors represent .29% of the American population, while they represent .15% of the Chinese population. (Data taken from a 2004 census) The percent of American doctors is almost double the percent of doctors in China

By: Amalia Halikias

Amalia Halikias — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:01:31 +0000

If you really want to question what causes the differences between American teachers and Chinese teachers, stop looking at money and start looking at culture. To the Chinese, being a teacher is one of the most respected professions. The teachers in China therefore represent the elite intellectual. To question the legitimacy or pay of a Chinese teacher is unheard of.

The reason American students do worse than those from China is culture-related as well. Families here don’t put the same pressure on their kids that families in China do, and we don’t have the same academic-centered lifestyle. I’m not saying that one system is better or worse than the other; I’m just saying that the culture is clearly what causes the drastic differences between Chinese and American education.

Don’t look at our money, look at our culture.

By: Clara

Clara — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:27:20 +0000

in france, they do their schools the same way as in china. they take a huge test at the end of ninth grade, then if they pass go on to 4 more years of intensive school. also, the teachers are really very cruel there. they called us idiots and mentally disabled all the time. it was common. the american school system, on the other hand, is very low-key and calming compared to the french school system.
(i lived in france for two years)

By: John Benson

John Benson — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:38:50 +0000

“Americans wonder why China spits out engineers and doctors by the thousands. Here’s a hint: they have good schools. If we are to keep up, we must change.”

Yeah, but how many freethinkers do they “spit out”?
- Half of their curriculum is devoted to Math and Science.
- Corporal punishment is commonplace.
- When they finish 9th grade, they take a test to see if they are smart enough for Senior School. Otherwise, their only option is Vocational School. This is a good way to raise test scores, by eliminating the lower 48.8% of students from the system.

In contrast, the United States has the greatest number of students in Higher Education of any country in the world.

By: Aaron W.

Aaron W. — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:01:18 +0000

I agree very much with your article, but it’s not entirely true that so kibbutzim have turned to the moshav system. There are still quite a few true kibbutzim left in Israel, although it is true that there are not as many as there once were. And you were right that the reason communism doesn’t work is that people don’t want equal pay when the work isn’t equal. Great article, though.