The Lincoln Log

Two plus two is four. The Earth is round. Gravity is a force that pulls us down and does not permit us to fly. All of these are facts known by students all across the globe. School is a place to learn not only geographical terms and arithmetic, but also moral values that will help shape students into mature adults. The school environment is another key factor in molding students to become respectable persons. Has educational standards reached a breaking point to where they have gone too far in other countries? Or is the United States not pushing their students hard enough?

h4. South Korea

Studying consumes almost all of Korean students’ lives. They spend many, many hours at school, which lasts the whole week and sometimes starts at 6 a.m. and ends as late as 10 p.m. Competition is encouraged among the students. Corporal punishment is common in South Korean schools. They are punished for breaking school rules, and even giving incorrect answers or doing poorly on exams. They are also punished if they are seen outside of school smoking or drinking. There are strict rules enforced on their appearance. Students must wear uniforms and some schools even regulate the length of students’ hair. Korean students are pushed to their limits and there are high rates of depression and suicide.

h4. Taiwan

Standardized tests are one of Taiwanese students’ top priorities. These tests are critical in determining which “senior high school” and four-year university the students will go to. If they do no pass these tests, the students will not be admitted into any school, which affects their career opportunities. These tests are much like the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and American College Testing (ACT) here in the U.S. The society greatly stresses the importance of education in their country, which motivates the students to work harder, and thus, as a country, they rank better than other countries in certain academic areas such as math. Taiwanese also feel the stress and pressure from their parents to succeed. With all this pressure brought down on them, the suicide rate among Taiwanese students is relatively high. Some students also attend “cram school,” which offers even more classes for students in addition to the classes they already take at their senior high school. Students go to cram schools because it improves their academic profile. They believe it is supplemental and beneficial to their education. In a mathematics proficiency test, Taiwan ranked first, above Korea, France, and even the U.S.

h4. United States

In comparison to these foreign educational systems, America is much more laid-back. It lacks motivation for students to do well in school. In these Asian countries, students desperately want to do well so they’ll earn a top job. Here in America some students don’t feel the need to push themselves to their limits. There are already many opportunities laid out before them that they don’t need high grades to get decent jobs. Most American students are fine with “winging it” whereas Asian students need to study constantly to achieve. Studies say 93 percent of Japanese students believe studying is the most important factor for success in school, and 27 percent of American students agree. American students also spend a great amount of time watching television rather than doing homework, and in Asian countries it is relatively the opposite.