Allow me to step on my soapbox for a moment.

I read this article written by Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times recently, and I am very disappointed in Obama if he indeed is putting education on the backburner. I understand that he will have a lot on his plate as a new president, but I agree with Kristof that a lot of the problems America faces is a result of poor education in certain areas of the United States.

Having taught in the U.S. for three years, and now in South Korea for over two months, I feel like I've gained new perspectives on education. Both education systems boast some great qualities, but there are some aspects that need to be improved in both systems.

The U.S. is culturally and historically different from other Asian countries, so when comparing the U.S. to Asian countries regarding education, we do Americans a disservice. Yes, Asian countries are excelling at great speeds in math and science, but at what cost? My students come to school at 8:00 am. They have classes from 8:00 am-5:00 pm. They then have independent study at school until 9:00 pm. After school, many of them attend private academies (called hagwons) for English or other subjects. Many of them do not get home until at least midnight. Sometimes they then must study at home too. It is no wonder that so many of my students are falling asleep in my classes (and trust me, my classes aren't boring--I'm the fun class because we play games). The students are wonderful at memorizing information that they can then regurgitate for standardized tests. But their creativity and critical thinking skills are severely lacking.  In English, they probably have a similar vocabulary to my ninth graders I taught in the U.S. but most of them cannot form a sentence and speak it to save their lives.

Also, in Asian countries, as I've mentioned before, everything is based around respect. The students are expected to do what they're told. They are to respect their elders. Teachers are respected (although still underpaid and overworked) in Korea. There are still discipline problems, but they do not compare to issues in the U.S. In Asian countries, most parents take an active role in their childrens' lives. They pay for high school, they pay for extra hagwon classes, and they push their children to work to the best of their abilities.

Korea values education and puts the highest premium on good test scores and getting into a good college. In the U.S. although many people might say they value education, it is not a priority for most people. When I taught in the U.S. students were constantly yanked out of school for family vacations, sports activities, dentist appointments, choir and band trips, etc. I understand students should be well-rounded, but this would not happen in Korea. Students DO NOT miss school in Korea. Parents and activities schedule around school, not vice versa. We only have to look at our current president to see that education is not a priority. He has tangled up the system with No Child Left Behind. Also, our most powerful leader in the U.S. in no way comes across as an intellectual. He barely slipped by two elections with his folksy, every-man charm. "Intelligent" is not one of the first adjectives I would use to describe Bush.

It is no surprise we are lagging behind Asian countries. Unless the U.S. does a 180 on its culture and values, we probably always will. From what I've witnessed from teaching in Korea, the two countries are barely even comparable when it comes to educaiton. Historically the United States has always been rebellious. This has often worked to our advantage and we wouldn't be where we are today if it weren't for our rebellious nature. However, in education this rebelliousness works against us. From an early age, students see teachers vilified in movies, on television, and even by parents. If parents didn't excel in school they often project that mentality onto their children. Also, absent parents are ubiquitous in the U.S. and thus American children do not receive that added educational support at home.

I do think the U.S. is much better at fostering creativity and critical thinking skills, however, if we use Asian countries as a model for our own educational system, and continue to use standardized testing, these crucial skills will be put on the backburner.

I really hope Obama sees the need for some educational funding. No Child Left Behind is ridiculous and needs to be completely modified or scrapped altogether. I have heard Obama speak fondly of charter schools. In theory, I think they are a great alternative for some students. However, I think we need to focus on the root of the problem which is public schools, instead of just transferring students (and in turn, problems) from one school to another. I do agree with Kristof that good teachers should be better compensated for teaching in difficult public schools. I agree that some bad teachers need to be weeded out of schools, however, I don't think tenure should be abolished. It protects far too many teachers from arbitrary firings. Politics is a tricky tricky business in education and many quality teachers would be wrongfully fired if they were not tenured. As a non-tenured teacher there were many times when I would have liked to speak up during faculty meetings, or brought new or different ideas to the table, but until I held that magical tenure title, I was not going to speak up for fear of consequences. I simply allowed other quality tenured teachers to speak their minds instead of me. Also, tenure protects older teachers who may be fired to hire a new, inexpensive teacher.

As teachers, it's often so easy to blame poor parenting on all the education woes in America. But ultimately, those poor parents are not going to go away, so we have to find better means to cope and compensate for the poor parenting plague in the U.S. I think it's important to enroll children in early childhood programs as soon as possible, because education truly begins at brith. I know Obama has talked about increasing funding to these types of programs. I hope he follows through on that. Also, he has admonished parents for not taking responsibilty for their children. I am glad that he realizes education begins at home.

I know everyone has high hopes for the Obama administration. I hope he chooses his priorities wisely and considers education to be one of them.