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“Hunter Huss IB Readings”

January 10, 2012 Due January 26, 2011 (Welcome Seniors from 20th Century History)

As usual, replies are due by midnight and sources should be cited to get full credit. Try to contribute to the discussion instead of just posting an opinion. Rubric for grading blog posts is on the class website.

Teachers, parents, and politicians all say that American education is failing. The main reason cited is the failure of schools as institutions of learning. However, students from around the world, all of those countries with “better education,” dream of coming to an American university. Are American students just lazy? If so, what can be done to fix that? Read the sources and reply.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/21/my_lazy_american_students/

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Permalink # dasiaboo95 said

I agree I think American students are lazy and we take advantage of the resources we have to get a higher education. Americans have things to distract them from class like phones and IPods “I love creativity and I embrace creativity, but it has to be coupled with discipline, and the idea that people would text during class, well that’s troubling,” she said. “American needs a little more discipline.” http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller#ixzzs1jG1pNJGD I feel that the distractions we have take away from our focus schools try to prevent usage of cell phones but it doesn’t work. ‘Too many 18-year-old Americans, meanwhile, text one another under their desks (certain they are sly enough to go unnoticed), check e-mail, decline to take notes, and appear tired and disengaged.” http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/21/my_lazy_american_students/ . In other countries there education is very important because they don’t get everything handed to them like Americans and their trying to get into a college in America so they can have better opportunities. And in 2007 the American Institutes for Research reported that eighth graders in even our best-performing states – like Massachusetts – scored below peers in Singapore, South Korea, and Japan, while students in our worst-performing states – like Mississippi – were on par with eighth graders in Slovakia, Romania, and Russia. http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/21/my_lazy_american_students/. We need to improve on staying focus and working harder to ignore the distractions as well as time management. Success is all about time management, and in a globalizing economy, Americans’ inability to stay focused and work hard could prove to be a serious problem. http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/21/my_lazy_american_students/

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Permalink # paviles2013 said

I think that students are lazy, but I know that everyone have a different learning strategy than others.”My ‘C,’ ‘D,’ and ‘F’ students this semester are almost exclusively American, while my students from India, China, and Latin America have — despite language barriers — generally written solid papers, excelled on exams, and become valuable class participants,” -Kara Millerhttp://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/millerSome of that is true, but she also has to understand that the foreign students study and have different minds than us. For example they could study all the time while American students do it when they feel like it.”having worked in higher education for over 20 years, it would be easy for me to produce anecdote after anecdote — and real data derived from the performance of students at Babson and elsewhere — that would illustrate the folly of ascribing the term ‘lazy’ to any one category of students.” -Dennis Hannohttp://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/millerThe learning environments is also why a student might be lazy, if there is a classroom with low learning abilities then that gives a sign to the student that he should not try in the class. The foreign students want to come to American universities because they want to stretch out their learning and also expand their chances of a good future, it does not matter to them whether we are lazy or not, it just depends on if they know that a certain school has low test scores or low grades then they know better to go to a more promising school that gives good education. “Of course, it would be wrong to suggest that all American students are the same. I’ve taught many who were hardworking, talented, and deeply impressive. They listened intently, enriched class discussions, and never shied away from rewrites. At their best, American students marry knowledge and innovation, resulting in some astoundingly creative work” http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/21/my_lazy_american_students/

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- Permalink # car1995 said
  
  school is important so therefore the Americans are wrong because people never feel like working which is what studying is and Americans should realize that studying is essential to success in any field and by not studying. i you really want something you will constantly study to achieve that goal no just when you feel like it because your professor might just feel like failing you.we need to emulate the work ethics of the foreigners because they are the best at studying.
  
  but she also has to understand that the foreign students study and have different minds than us. For example they could study all the time while American students do it when they feel like it.
  
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Permalink # dancan16 said

I think that kids are just lazy in school. How else would you explain some students getting a good education, good grades, and going to college. I make perfectly good grades in school because I actually set down, pay attention, and do the work that is assigned to me. There’s no excuse for any other student that doesn’t do that unless they are mentally challenged of course. Some students also just have bad study habits as talked about in http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/.It says some students get too caught up playing video games such as “modern warfare” and “halo” instead of taking the time to study for tests or exams or quizzes. That’s not always the case though, it’s not always because of video games. Some students just don’t care about school the slightest bit so they don’t do anything to excel in it. I think you make your own grade. If you study, pay attention, and do what you’re supposed to do, then you should have no problem doing good in school.

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- Permalink # car1995 said
  
  I make perfectly good grades in school because I actually set down, pay attention, and do the work that is assigned to me.
  
  horrible grammar and check your spelling
  
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Permalink # Brayan Salazar said

We cant really say that American students are lazy, because every year we see American students who are not, and who are working hard each day. We cant just categorized a group of people because everyone is different.
I found that the article written by Scott Jaschik is the total opposite of Hunter Huss. As we can see most of the international students lack motivation, and most of the times are failing. Although they claim to fail because they dont understand English when you put them in a language class that they know, they still sleep, and fail. But I have to point out that not every student is like that. Here im only talking about high school students. I feel that Kara Miller is right when she says that international students work harder, but I think that this usually only the case in college. I think the reason that international students work harder in college is because they have to pay more money, and have to work harder to get into American colleges then Americans. They dont have as easy as Americans. For many and education is all they have.
What I’m trying to say is that I fell that being lazy has nothing to do with what country you come from. This would be a problem that starts at home, by your parents, or for those that don’t have parents laziness come from how you were brought up, and how life has effected you. For example a student who was brought up with out parents could take two paths. One he try’s to become something of himself, and two he goes down a bad path and fails at life. I feel that laziness depends on your self, and has nothing to do with how much money you have, race, or gender.
I fell that the school system also plays an important part in how much students want to work. Unfortunately this problem has no solution. Laziness will be a problem that effects students even twenty years from now. It all comes down to what you want out of life, and ultimately what makes you happy.

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- Permalink # car1995 said
  
  the article wasn’t talking about mexican but as shown in the excerpt Asians and Venezuelans and Brazilians
  
  Chinese undergraduates have consistently impressed me with their work ethic, though I have seen similar habits in students from India, Thailand, Brazil, and Venezuela.
  
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Permalink # Shonee' Ferguson said

In my own opinion, I think Americans aren’t lazy, i’ts the stereotype that the students and teachers from other countries put on American students because most things are just handed to us. But also in American culture, most kids wasn’t raise the same, and I think the only reason why other countries would think Americam students are lazy, because we might not do as much as they do. I can agree with what the Miller kid is saying, that the stuff we do and learn in America is taken for grantid, then you have people like Miller that works extra hard, eventhough her english isn’t very good. What I think we can do to change that is have more subjects to offer and expand our course curriculum. Also I thinl it depend on the school that some Americans attend, some has low test scores, some has low. “OK, he said. “I really enjoy your class, and I think I can do better. How can I improve my grade?” This is one thing that I don’t like, why would a teacher give you something else you can do in replace of what she gave you in the first place that you could’ve already did, I just do t get it, and a lot of students had really got into the habbit of that.
“Well, you might start with staying awake.”
“Yeah,’’ he grinned, looking at his shoes. “Sorry about that. There’s always stuff going on in my dorm late at night. I have to learn to be better about time management.” There should be ABSOLUTLEY NO EXCUSE for going to sleep in class, students should be more responsible and go to sleep at night, knowing they have class in the mornings. Well of you want my honest opinion, yes I do think most Americans are lazy when it comes to education.

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- Permalink # car1995 said
  
  if your in ib you might not have time to sleep the sign of a good ib student is being able to do our best work at 4 or less hours of sleep and stay up in class is called discipline like noblitt said in class in the army you better be able to fight without sleep just like ib students better be able to work and excel on no sleep
  
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Permalink # ~Sponnggeebbooobbbbb said

I definitely believe American students are lazy. Americans period, as a generality, are lazy. Our education is spoon fed to us where as if you where to go to France it is different, things aren’t taken for granted. So for instance, let’s take the IB program we have here. This IB program has a completely different structure than what you see from other countries. Here is the difference; it’s harder and more rigorous. We complain and groan and moan about this and that when really we have the better end of the bargain. We have more freedom in several areas, we have a choice of education, but in France that IB test they will have to take determines whether they can even be ELIGIBLE to work ANYWHERE. Suicide rates are high because of students not being able to make their future come to pass of they have nothing else to live for all because of not passing test. Americans do not take what is given to them and if they do they manipulate it, once we get what we want that’s it. It’s as Darwin would say, “Survival of the Fittest” and those in France fall prey. We are what you called SPOILED. It’s always been the great American way, the American Dream this and that when really it may be like that but we make it seem as if it’s just here and not all it’s cracked up to be…..and this is why the French call us imbeciles and I certainly do not veer from their thoughts. As said in the document from http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller: “Gather faculty members together and it’s not hard to get them talking about the ways students disappoint. They text in class, expect extensions for no good reason, and act surprised when they don’t earn A’s.” “My ‘C,’ ‘D,’ and ‘F’ students this semester are almost exclusively American, while my students from India, China, and Latin America have — despite language barriers — generally written solid papers, excelled on exams, and become valuable class participants,” Miller wrote. She noted that many of her foreign students have difficulty with English, but make up for that with hard work. Her American students, meanwhile, appear challenged by work. You see instead of gathering information from their classes they waste time and do not take it serious. Yet the foreign students are like sponges and see it sinful to waste education and take everything they can, as much as possible. From the document from the website http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/21/my_lazy_american_students/ A student says to a teacher:“I’ll do better,’’ my student told me, leaning forward in his chair. “I know I’ve gotten behind this semester, but I’m going to turn things around. Would it be OK if I finished all my uncompleted work by Monday?’’ The teacher realizes: A few weeks later, I would conduct a nearly identical conversation with two other students. And, again, there would be no tangible result: No make-up papers. No change in effort. No improvement in time management. See in France those make ups and chances those are unheard of, think of it as cussing out your parent in a French home; which is DON’T. We don’t put forth a smidgen of the effort that a foreign student will and sometimes when one does come over here WE corrupt them if they are not strong in the mind. See the American System is contradicting. Also from this article the author stated: We’ve got a knowledge gap, spurred by a work-ethic gap. This is VERY TRUE. We talk so much trash about foreigners and brag about all the things we have access to but the thing that’s funny a foreigner has gotten to something that’s been sitting in your face this whole time and they haven’t even been here a good year. How on earth can you be upset when you don’t take the effort to get it? You have all these wondrous things but at the same time can lead to your fall. I just wish we would step up to the plate feel me? ~Amber

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- Permalink # car1995 said
  
  foreigners are driven because they don’t have a choice it pass or fail in the short and long term
  
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  - Permalink # amber said
    
    actually not all of them r sum r driven by their culture n having to have hard worth ethic and sum come over here and r completely corruptd by american society use all the facts hun
Permalink # ravenwomic said

“My ‘C,’ ‘D,’ and ‘F’ students this semester are almost exclusively American, while my students from India, China, and Latin America have — despite language barriers — generally written solid papers, excelled on exams, and become valuable class participants,” Miller wrote. (http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller)

American students are NOT lazy, some are just unappreciative! Many don’t appreciate the fact that they have access to a free education. On the other hand, students from other countries DO appreciate education. Americans don’t take school seriously sometimes because they know its always other options out there; they could work at McDonalds if they absolutely had to or engage in illegal activity (which would be the bad route but it happens). Meanwhile, students in other countries know that being educated is the ONLY way to become successful. If America really emphasized education then students would obviously take school more serious. It isn’t about which students are lazy, but more about which students appreciate & know the importance of education.

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- Permalink # car1995 said
  
  american are lazy they see working the streets as easier than working in school. that lazy not wanting to put forth work but the are unappreciative in that they don’t see the blessing they have in getting free education. we should make it if you don’t have a 3.00 gpa unweighted you have to pay for public school either people start working harder or we save money on education
  
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Permalink # sorry4dawait24 said

i think that american students are just lazy because the work is obviously not hard and that the kids down here dont really care but the ones from other countries do ecause there lifes are worse then our for example,”My ‘C,’ ‘D,’ and ‘F’ students this semester are almost exclusively American, while my students from India, China, and Latin America have — despite language barriers — generally written solid papers, as stated in the

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller website

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Permalink # Dylan Hairston said

I would agree with the statement that foreign students have a more strict work ethic, generally speaking.
I believe it is safe to say that for the most part, domestic students often have a lack of interest and/or motivation to carry out their school assignments. However a foreign students shows quite a contrary work ethic.
Maybe we need a mix of cultures to truly produce the most effective students.” I believe that if we blend the exposure of a foreign students work ethic with a American students creativity and leadership skills, it would result in a well balanced, intelligent, and talented student.

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Permalink # kalebrostmeyer said

“Yeah,’’ he grinned, looking at his shoes. “Sorry about that. There’s always stuff going on in my dorm late at night. I have to learn to be better about time management.’’

It’s obvious that American students are slacking off in school. I mean hell, they admit to it 90% of the time! I certainly know I;ve used that line before, “Oh i know, time management has always been a problem for me”. These are just lousy excuses for our inability to reject the outside activities that distract us, and focus entirely on our obligations first.

“Too many 18-year-old Americans, meanwhile, text one another under their desks (certain they are sly enough to go unnoticed), check e-mail, decline to take notes, and appear tired and disengaged,” she wrote. Given that many American students arrive at college without basic skills, she wrote, “we’ve got a knowledge gap, spurred by a work-ethic gap.”

I stand behind this statement 100%. Students are always offtask, and i will be the first to say that I am one of those students whose work ethic is far from the work ethic of a foreign kid in a country where work ethic is everything;

“My lab has a large number of foreign postdocs, who’ve been brought up in an environment where they’ve learned to be obedient and diligent. They end up lacking in leadership and creativity, and this shows up in their ability to be effective scientists. The American/Western postdocs tend to be more independent and creative in their approaches to problems, something that I attribute to the American emphasis on creativity rather than knowledge. Maybe we need a mix of cultures to truly produce the most effective students.”

The main difference between American students and foreigners is the work ethic. The culture differences are prominent and it is easy to see the affects they have in a students work ethic. In Asian countries, the highest respect is required towards elders. They work, like the quote above says, “diligently” and “obediently” because that is what their culture has taught them. This makes them more studious in school, causing better grades to be the outcome. On the other hand, American students lack this quality. Our culture does not place enough emphasis on obedience and hard work, but rather on video games, movies, or social life. The difference is noticeable, and in order to get our students back up to par with other countries, is to start teaching the same obedience, the same respect that foreign countries teach their children and young adults. The focus needs to be shifted away from texting, parties, and social life. However, I don’t think this will be possible because of how immersed our youth gets into those things at such a young age. I believe that those foreign countries that excel in education because of the obedience and diligence they are taught, will continue to excel because of the culture. The only students in America that will excel as much as these hardworking foreign students are the American students that obtain that some work ethic and refuse to be distracted by the parties and cell phones and social life, which unfortunately, is not a very large percentage of our student population.

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Permalink # Gabrielle Franklin said

Overall, laziness of American students is a major factor in the education of America. We are accustomed to receiveing things freely and I guess in some students’ minds an education is one of those things. “Some who had experience teaching international students noted that students who cross oceans to study in the United States are highly motivated, and so are not necessarily a fair comparison for the average American.”
This quote makes a good argument. Motivation. American students have a lack of motivation. Part of that falls on the teachers, but most of it falls upon the students themselves and their parents.

Foreign students are pushed by their parents and their culture to be above average when they have the opportunity. An education, in America, is optional after 16 and is not highly pushed. In foreign countries once you have the opportunity of school, you take it without a doubt.
Students in America would rather get a new video game than earn an A in school. Why? American society doesn’t put an emphasis on school as much, but once a new video game comes out, it is a must to have. Lines aren’t lined up outside of school the day before it starts, but for video games and iphones, their are. Go figure.

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- Permalink # Gabrielle Franklin said
  
  http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller
  
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Permalink # fly4awhiteguy said

While I was reading the first article, I couldn’t help but realize a notable point that I myself had never thought about before. This was when American students were being carelessly compared to the students of other countries, which should not be done because foreigners work their whole lives trying to get to “the land of the free”, as the American students are already here and thus have the advantage regardless of the situation. For example just as the article said American students tend to have better leadership skills while foreigners from India are quiet and have different ways to solve problems. Also I don’t believe Americans are just lazy because if that were so, not one person would be doing something to help out a situation and become a burden to society. I believe just as the articles say, that the education cannot be compared and it is different in that sometimes we are just moved up without being taught basic components.

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Permalink # huntercochran said

I believe that students in general are very lazy. “Gather faculty members together and it’s not hard to get them talking about the ways students disappoint. They text in class, expect extensions for no good reason, and act surprised when they don’t earn A’s. (http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller). This says that students expect to do as little work as possible and receive an A for it. You must work to get an A for a class. “My ‘C,’ ‘D,’ and ‘F’ students this semester are almost exclusively American, while my students from India, China, and Latin America have — despite language barriers — generally written solid papers, excelled on exams, and become valuable class participants,”(http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller). This says that compared to other countries in the world, Americans are very lazy when it comes to school. Other countries have very high standards for their kids. Our standards have fallen every year because of the lack of work coming from the student’s part.
“Too many 18-year-old Americans, meanwhile, text one another under their desks (certain they are sly enough to go unnoticed), check e-mail, decline to take notes, and appear tired and disengaged,” (http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller). If we were to take all technology from every kid at school we might have some productivity, but of course you have to take in the account that most of the kids would turn right back around and go home because they want to keep their phones. I think that technology has ruined America’s students. We think that we can get by with using phones and iPods, when really it’s taking away from our learning. “Of course, he had it exactly right. Success is all about time management, and in a globalizing economy, Americans’ inability to stay focused and work hard could prove to be a serious problem.” (http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/21/my_lazy_american_students/).
There are things that are consistently blocking our minds from being able to do homework and focus, but the things we do are the things that we choose to do, and the result of that is not being able to complete the task. We need to stay focused so we can get our work done and so that we can get good grades.

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Permalink # caylaherscher42 said

american students are plain out lazy they dont care or actually dont wanna learn most american students like it when they get stuff handed to them and they dont have to learn. if you actually think about it that is why kids in other countries are smarter than us because they aint lazy they wanna learn that is how they will make a living they like knowing all kind of different stuff and like the article http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller
said kids from other countries are gonna be the one making A’s while american kids make C’s D’s or even F’s because they dont get the stuff handed to them. In my opinon i think american students could be smart and could make all A’s if they would just apply themselves and quit being lazy they would make great students but american students are lazy want everthing handed to them and just dont care that is what is wrong with us its not about brains or anything like that if students apply themselves they would be the smartest kids but pure laziness has distoryed them. Ok so in my opinon we could be smart and make good grades and do well in school and make something of ourselves but not till they quit being lazy and actually try.

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Permalink # Ricky Accurso said

“Too many 18-year-old Americans, meanwhile, text one another under their desks (certain they are sly enough to go unnoticed), check e-mail, decline to take notes, and appear tired and disengaged,” http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller#ixzz1kbQnFrtC
This statement right here is the perfect explanation of what is going on in AMerican schools. Obviously the kids don’t care and are not trying to focus in school. American kids also have way to many distractions. Texting, email, games, music. Im no expert on foreign schools, but I’m sure that they do not allow for all these extra distraction in the class room and if they are caught using them in school then im sure the punishment is far more sever then just taking it away for a day or two. However another explanation for there laziness is not there inability to do work or focus but maybe it is there nationality that is holding them back. America is number one and most Americans believe that to be true. This could be why kids do not care about there education. They think that just because they are AMerican they will continue to be number one and outside countries will not be able to compete because they are Americans. Idk just an idea that i thought of just now. I mean it makes sense if you think about it.

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Permalink # cojo249 said

Kids these days are just lazy in school, period! The reason i think we are lazy, inlcuding me is because in elementary and middle school we didnt have to work hard what so ever to make good grades. Same goes for ninth an tenth grade. I started to notice that high school and college and after college isnt going to be easy and you have to work for it!
“My “C,’’ “D,’’ and “F’’ students this semester are almost exclusively American, while my students from India, China, and Latin America have – despite language barriers – generally written solid papers, excelled on exams, and become valuable class participants.” (http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/21/my_lazy_american_students/)
I think why foreign students do so well in school is beause they take it serious because it is a once in a chance opportuntiy to come over to the United States to get good education. They foreign countries arent as blessed and gift as the USA and cant afford the type of education we got over here.

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Permalink # kieralove2013 said

“My ‘C,’ ‘D,’ and ‘F’ students this semester are almost exclusively American, while my students
from India, China, and Latin America have — despite language barriers — generally written solid papers,
excelled on exams, and become valuable class participants,” Miller wrote. She noted that many of her
foreign students have difficulty with English, but make up for that with hard work. Her American students,
meanwhile, appear challenged by work.
Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller#ixzz1kbcsQkpj
I agree with paviles2013 because foreign students tend to
study more than american students and that
they go by a more strict schedule when americans
procrastinate.
“What she leaves out is that we are
dealing with a generation of students
that have been left behind by No Child Left Behind
Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller#ixzz1kbeiszIN
Inside Higher Ed. In this no child left behind thing it shows that the
children that are left behind are being treated as if they dont have to work for anything
and are just getting things handed to them so when they do make it in the real
world they also expect things to be given to them.http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion
/oped/articles/2009/12/21/my_lazy_american_students/ “A few weeks later, I would conduct a nearly identical
conversation with two other students. And, again, there would be no tangible result:
No make-up papers. No change in effort. No improvement in time management.” She has been given these students extra
time to make up work and i think thats part of why american students are the way they are because american teacher bend over
backwards for 2 or 3 students in the class and that should not happen if a student doesnt turn in assignments on time
then they should get a 0 and be able to stay after school to make up the work and if they never come then they would have to take a 0,
but some teachers do not do that therefore when students make it to college they exspect to be given extra time and
that is not what is going to happen.
American students also think that exscuses will moke the teachers feel sorry for them and well they wont.
they will fail you and wouldnt think twice about it. Most foreign students come to america to get higher paying jobs.
american students arent lazy they are just not motivated.

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Permalink # joshpickett said

“Some who had experience teaching international students noted that students who cross oceans to study in the United States are highly motivated, and so are not necessarily a fair comparison for the average American” http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller. People should not say that “Americans are lazy” some citizens of America are in fact lazy, but not all of us are. I think it depends on how you are raised as a child. For example: You have two Americans, one is raised by parents with good paying jobs while the other might be raised by parents who didnt go to college or dropped out of high school. The child raised by the high paying parents will be taught to be try their best and be successful in school, while the other child gets the idea that its ok for him not to succeed since his parents didnt and he would grow up to be a lazy student. “Of course, he had it exactly right. Success is all about time management, and in a globalizing economy, Americans’ inability to stay focused and work hard could prove to be a serious problem” http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/21/my_lazy_american_students/
Also, foreign students might not get distracted they might focus in class and pay attention

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Permalink # jackrosemond said

American students are in many peoples opinion lazy. This may be the case, but this would this make all americans lazy? If you were lazy in high school, would this make you lazy in the future? Yes the statistics show and many teachers would agree that in a whole american students are lazy.“My “C,’’ “D,’’ and “F’’ students this semester are almost exclusively American, while my students from India, China, and Latin America have – despite language barriers – generally written solid papers, excelled on exams, and become valuable class participants.” (http://WWW.BOSTON.COM/BOSTONGLOBE/EDITORIAL_OPINION/OPED/ARTICLES/2009/12/21/MY_LAZY_AMERICAN_STUDENTS/).
We are the strongest nation in the world. Our education is not failing. We have changes the modern world and will continue to do so into the future. Our education system leaves no student behind and gives students every opportunity to succeed, some do yet some do not. Colleges in america make up the greatest colleges in the world. not everyone goes to college, yes most are lazy and many go and fail out. We as American students are not naturally lazy we are raised to be this way.
Citations:
http://WWW.INSIDEHIGHERED.COM/NEWS/2010/01/04/MILLER

http://WWW.BOSTON.COM/BOSTONGLOBE/EDITORIAL_OPINION/OPED/ARTICLES/2009/12/2

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Permalink # wendyburris2013 said

Students now feel entitled to high grades despite little work and want their hands held on every assignment, while they are unable to think for themselves.”

( http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller )

“I’ll do better,’’ my student told me, leaning forward in his chair. “I know I’ve gotten behind this semester, but I’m going to turn things around. Would it be OK if I finished all my uncompleted work by Monday?’’

( http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/21/my_lazy_american_students/ )

Without a doubt , American students are LAZY ! I strongly believe that we expect everything to be handed to us . I know i tend to get lazy sometimes , too ! For the longest time like in 9th and 10th grade , everything was given to us . I felt like i didn’t have to do anything and that came back and hit me in the face this year . I think students in other countries try ALOT harder because they dont have all the resources that we have . We’re ” spoiled ” and have the resources that we need and if all of it was taken away we wouldnt know what to do ! I also want to throw in there that , I thing all standardized tests should be taken away . Not all students learn the same way another student does . I dont think you should have a test determining whether you pass or not . If American students started trying more , our education system would take a step in the right direction . Everybody has to do their part , & i dont think that will happen .

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Permalink # thomasbyrd18 said

I believe American high school kids are lazy because like Cody said, they were not challenged in elementary and middle school. Many of the smart kids that are used to making A’s in middle school the beginning years of high school, get used to it. So, later when it gets harder they still want to “…text in class, expect extensions for no good reason, and act surprised when they don’t earn A’s.”
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller#ixzz1kbxmJyzO So, I believe that the American kids get used to school being so easy at a young age and are not challenged enough, whereas foreign students’ lives are full of challenges. They, unlike Americans who have everything handed to them, have to work for everything they want or need and they learn that they have be this way at a young age. Their dream is to make it to that American University and gain a good education, so they are going to work harder to reach that goal and when they get on campus, they are going to work their butts off to succeed at their goal. This is the reason why many of the “Americans’ work ethic often pales in comparison with their peers from overseas.” http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/21/my_lazy_american_students/
I think challenging American students to work and study hard at a young age, even the smart ones so that no child is left behind, but also so that no child is held back, will help them remain hardworking students who are passionate about their education and continue to be when they grow older.

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Permalink # Chloe said

I would have to agree that a lot of my fellow students are lazy, or a better term preoccupied or disengaged with other things than their education. There are two sides to this arguement, not all students, including myself are lazy. I want to do my very best and attend college to get a degree. However, the majority overrules.

“Too many 18-year-old Americans, meanwhile, text one another under their desks (certain they are sly enough to go unnoticed), check e-mail, decline to take notes, and appear tired and disengaged,” she wrote. Given that many American students arrive at college without basic skills, she wrote, “we’ve got a knowledge gap, spurred by a work-ethic gap.”http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller#ixzz1kbavCKln

Too many teens are preoccupied from the social addiction that comes with technology. New technology is expanding and our generation is wanting to be socially acccepted. In reality, we lean to much on the social aspects instead of the educational study. Many students take for granted the free opportunity to attend school and aquire the knowledge needed to be successful.

“Even in engineering classes, many of the U.S. students expect to be given A’s for inhaling and exhaling, and look at you like you have four heads if you suggest that perhaps coming to class, doing homework, and studying might improve their grade.”http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller#ixzz1kbavCKln

Reading this, we can see that students have unrealistic expectations. Some feels as if they should be handed the grade instead of working hard to earn it. This brings me to the other students around the world. Depending on your family background, different students have different upbringings. Some cultures press for education and others may seek for moral religious values. Some families strike on being wealthy and successful they will “drill” their children repetatively and they make no excusses for failure. Its almost like the kids are afraid to mess up, they have been taught all their life that studying is right so thats what they have become accusomed too. This is why they may seem more determined and focused rather than preoccupied.

“Of course, it would be wrong to suggest that all American students are the same. I’ve taught many who were hardworking, talented, and deeply impressive. They listened intently, enriched class discussions, and never shied away from rewrites. At their best, American students marry knowledge and innovation, resulting in some astoundingly creative work.”http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/21

I have a solution to fix the problem: more parental support; if more parents would get involved in their childs schoolwork, then possibly better grades would improve. Teacher incentives would also be helpful, if more emphasis would be placed on teachers salaries and their pay would increase then their prespective would be greater therefore, the students perspectives would be higher. If the teachers really show concern for the students then I believe the students would be more motivated to achieve more. Also adding more hands on activities rather than bookwork and tests would make the students more determined and and focused.

“Success is all about time management, and in a globalizing economy, Americans’ inability to stay focused and work hard could prove to be a serious problem.”http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/21

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Permalink # kenziekiser said

Students these days are just flat out lazy. The only reason is because, well, we just don’t want to do the work. Students from other countries want to come to america for a better education because america does have good education. American students just take advantage of it.
Kara Miller said “My ‘C,’ ‘D,’ and ‘F’ students this semester are almost exclusively American, while my students from India, China, and Latin America have — despite language barriers — generally written solid papers, excelled on exams, and become valuable class participants,”.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller
The reason foreign students do better in school is because, coming from another country, they know their education isn’t as good as america’s. So when they come to america for our education, they don’t take advantage of it.
Another reason why american students are so lazy, and why they don’t want to do the work themselves, is because we are so used to teachers helping us through every little thing. “Students now feel entitled to high grades despite little work and want their hands held on every assignment, while they are unable to think for themselves.”
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller
We expect for teachers to basically do our work for us.
Also, now schools have offered so many chances for students to make up work, stay after school, retake classes, fifth periods, etc. Students don’t try in the actual classes, and then barely try, but waiting for help from teachers.

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Permalink # kaela said

But creativity without knowledge – a common phenomenon – is just not enough. (first link). She noted throughout her article that students from pretty much every other major country had a better work ethic than American students AND know more. so following that train of thought, they have knowledge without creativity- (an even more common phenomenon?). Thats not enough either “”My lab has a large number of foreign postdocs, who’ve been brought up in an environment where they’ve learned to be obedient and diligent. They end up lacking in leadership and creativity, and this shows up in their ability to be effective scientists. The American/Western postdocs tend to be more independent and creative in their approaches to problems, something that I attribute to the American emphasis on creativity rather than knowledge. Maybe we need a mix of cultures to truly produce the most effective students.” (2nd link)
Its reasonable to say that Foreign students work harder and are more knowledge fueled, while American students don work as hard and are more creative. I would not say that american students are lazy, even though everyone knows a few of those. for the longest time Americans didn’ have to try, we were number one, no doubt about it. because of that other countries strove to be where we were, they had the inspiration and drive to work to get where they werent, they caught up and now America is stuck in a rut, trying to get over the shock of finding it necessary to compete globally again.
America has been at the top, with everyone else reaching to be where we’re at, we’ve been hovering while they’ve been mobile, mulling things over while they get things done, no wonder they work harder and we think better.

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Permalink # Dominique slade said

I can kinda agree on what is said in http://WWW.INSIDEHIGHERED.COM/NEWS/2010/01/04/MILLER, Because I see it all the time, even at our school the the foreign kids, the little that we have, seem to take school more serious than us, but also keep in mind that in the USA, that even the most under privileged kids can get an education, and we as American students seem to take that for granted, in most foreign countries the right to a education is not guaranteed, unless the kid comes from a wealthy family, and also their school environment is much more strict than the United States, they would not put up with half as much, with what our teachers put up with, If our school system where to change to the extent of how most foreign schools operate, then yes we would probably act the same as them, but seeing as that will mostly likely not happen, there’s no use in complaining about the students who don’t apply themselves as much as foreign students, instead focus on the students that do apply themselves, because there are some who fully take advantage of their education.

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Permalink # Juan said

the only reason students want to be successful in school is to gain money, which will in turn put more money in the economy. however one of the articles stated: “while students in our worst-performing states – like Mississippi – were on par with eighth graders in Slovakia, Romania, and Russia.” after reading this quote i was puzzled, as russia is always seen as a world power and economic power, and their education is as worse as one of the lower educational states in the US. this lead me to believe that maybe the US students, or the US educational system is not as bad as most think. if the US worse is just as good as the Russians than maybe the educational system is getting through to the students. the real promblem is that the US is used to being the best in everything. i believe this puts a image into most american heads that if we are not the best than there is something wrong, however this could just mean the rest of the world is catching up with us.

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- Permalink # car1995 said
  
  25.3% students failed literature test, 23.5% failed mathematics
  
  doesn’t sound like good grades in Russia so america being compared to Russia was a disgrace not a compliment
  
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Permalink # OhSnapBethany said

These websites are kind of like bashing the American students. Yes, like 90% of American students are lazy and refuse to understand and obtain common knowledge, but the other percentage of American students do try their hardest. I can say this from experience of long hours of homework and observing the hard work my classmates put fourth. “…decline to take notes, and appear tired and disengaged.”(http://WWW.INSIDEHIGHERED.COM/NEWS/2010/01/04/MILLER) For the portion of the students that are complete failures in school; its not the teachers fault, but the students fault and their parents fault for basically not caring enough to push them to do better in school. If in India, the parents weren’t pushing their kids so hard, making them have private tutors and making it known that education is important, then guess what…all the foreign kids would be just like us ” Lazy Americans.” I believe all foreign countries push their students to be smart, because if they are not, their is the consequence of being nothing. “We’ve got a knowledge gap, spurred by a work-ethic gap” (http://WWW.BOSTON.COM/BOSTONGLOBE/EDITORIAL_OPINION/OPED/ARTICLES/2009/12/2) So from both of these peoples perspectives, we can see that there is no positive things to cite about American students. They are just looking at the portion that are completely stupid and not the bright, striving, smart students that we do have in our schools. Every student, no matter what ethnicity or where their from, can be as smart as they are influenced, pushed, and strive to be. For example, I mean i’m not an over seas student, but I make above average grades. My parents pushed me to do great and as a student, i push myself. American students can prevent from having the lazy title, they just have to want it (it being greatness and a good college education.) Anybody can achieve greatness. You don’t have to be foreign or live over seas to be smart. So in conclusion, to fix this issue, if the parents set high goals and high expectations for their child, then the child will do the same for themselves.

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Permalink # MR. 27 (Razhede) said

“What she leaves out is that we are dealing with a generation of students that have been left behind by No Child Left Behind, supervised by ‘Helicopter Parents.’……

Some who had experience teaching international students noted that students who cross oceans to study in the United States are highly motivated”

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller

To be honest I can agree to a certain extent with the question because not all americans are lazy. In reference to the two quotes written above, Most american students who have had a decent life, tend to take things for granted such as the No Child Left Behind System, therefore they go through their whole life with this delusion that they HAVE to have everything handed to them. Now I feel that this stands for only part of the population. As the author said in my second quote how the students that travel over seas to get an education, they have tremendous drive and are highly motivated. I feel that you could compare this to the less gifted/rich people of america who still show that they want to succeed. To fix this I think the government should just leave alone the ones who dont want to be helped because a perfect example is the no child left behind rule, yes its a great tool to assist the general population get through school, and it boosts Americas graduation rate, just to have wasted all the time, money and effort in lazy, dead beat type people, who want realize how important their education is until its to late and they will have to pay for it. So in general my soultion is to stop focusing on the ones who teachers know for a fact that are not giving their all and focus on the ones who do or are trying but still having a difficult time.

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- Permalink # car1995 said
  
  no child left behind is make the smart students suffer because of the not so smart ones
  
  make the failures count so the success count towards more
  
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Permalink # lizadenicola5 said

Kids today are extremely lazy. They feel as if they do not have to put effort into their school work because they assume they are going to pass by doing nothing. Kids are used to teachers not caring about the students and just passing them. So that is why education today seems to failing.
“My ‘C,’ ‘D,’ and ‘F’ students this semester are almost exclusively American, while my students from India, China, and Latin America have — despite language barriers — generally written solid papers, excelled on exams, and become valuable class participants,” Miller wrote. (http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller)

Forgein exchanged students do much better in school because coming to america for their education is a once in a time opportunity and they want to make the best of it. Thats why they excel so much more better than americans.

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- Permalink # car1995 said
  
  the problem is that kids today don’t aspire to greatness because the have public assistance
  
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Permalink # MATT WITHERS said

I feel like it doesnt really matter if we are lazy or not. Yeah they work harder, but they are working and working for stuff they will never need after schooling. I mean there is no purpose. The first article says “She noted that many of her foreign students have difficulty with English…” well dang, please tell me how you are supposed to come to our country and do better than us and take our jobs and blah blah blah, but you caint even speak english? how are the American people supposed to hire you if you caint communicate with customers, and coworkers, and whoever is involved. Me no speak English doesnt cut it no matter how smart you are in China. as dancan said, yes we are lazy playing modern warfare and halo, but the kids who waste their time on that wont make it far anyways. heck we need those kinda people to be our future janitors and trash men and women. The first article also states “But following rules rigidly has a down side, the comment said: “My lab has a large number of foreign postdocs, who’ve been brought up in an environment where they’ve learned to be obedient and diligent. They end up lacking in leadership and creativity, and this shows up in their ability to be effective scientists.” So what they work hard in China? again, this aint China, stuff is different here. All they know is study study study, but where do they get to be human? they read and whatever the book says, everybody believes it and there are no objections, this develops a closed mind. in America we get to express ourselves and show charisma, personality. If they dont know how to do these things then they are useless in the real world setting. everything caint always be done one way, as the saying goes, “there is more than one way to skin a cat” so you gotta be able to be malleable.

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- Permalink # car1995 said
  
  this response is so ignorant that so called “useless” work ethic will help them get a degree in law and medicine and make them top of their field while you are the one cleaning their corner office work ethic will always benefit you in school and in life
  
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Permalink # jdr2012isthebest said

Well first adressing the question…you said that people argue that America has quote on quote failure of schools as institutions of learning. But you also stated that people from across seas with the alleged ”better education” wish to come to an American University. Well just by reading the first statement, I have to ask why you think they want to come to an American University in the first place. Well if you’re saying its because of better job oppurtunities, more supplies, and better access to advanced equipment then you’ve hit jackpot. Students from overseas overacheive because they have to. However, people in America are spoon fed and are use to idea of service rather than sweat.

Americans are influenced by the media and society. If society doesn’t push the idea of being intelligent, or having an education is ‘cool’ then the American kids will not go out of their way to acheive this. I don’t believe that kids in America are lazy persay, I believe that if society was more of an advocate for education and hardwork rather than sex, technology, and how to find EASY ways to make money then more students would appreciate the concept of work ethic.

Its not that America is behind in education because of neglegent institutions of learning because when it comes to having the tools to learn we are well off. With this being said you have to ask where the root of this “laziness” comes from.You have to agree that since American students are so easily influenced by the media, considering the parents roll in their work ethic is imperative as well. If parents instill the idea of working hard to get what you want instead of “I love you so Im going to get this for you because you asked” attitude, then kids will be more willing to do their work to reap the benefits rather than wanting things to be handed to them. All this said to point out that discipline and hardwork go hand in hand. Sucess starts at home. The kids that are trained at an early age to work hard, study, and are stressed the importance of education are almost always going to be the ones that are most sucessful therefore the hardest working.

Referring back to the article someone said “I love creativity and I embrace creativity, but it has to be coupled with discipline, and the idea that people would text during class, well that’s troubling,” she said. “American needs a little more discipline.”
I agree with this completely because kids are always encouraged to be different and stand out but sometimes when doing this they could come off as being rebellious and disrespectful. They want to text in class and not pay attention because its “cool” and they want to have an nonchalant attitude to maintain their image. (this also goes back to how society affects America’s thought processes)

In conclusion I believe that if more kids had discipline, better guidance, and/or a little struggle, they would be better if not equally intellectual when compared to students overseas.

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Permalink # jdr2012isthebest said

Sorry I forgot to put the source http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller

-Janeisha ❤

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Permalink # OhSnapBethany said

These websites are kind of like bashing the American students. Yes, like 90% of American students are lazy and refuse to understand and obtain common knowledge, but the other percentage of American students do try their hardest. I can say this from experience of long hours of homework and observing the hard work my classmates put fourth. “…decline to take notes, and appear tired and disengaged.”(http://WWW.INSIDEHIGHERED.COM/NEWS/2010/01/04/MILLER) For the portion of the students that are complete failures in school; its not the teachers fault, but the students fault and their parents fault for basically not caring enough to push them to do better in school. If in India, the parents weren’t pushing their kids so hard, making them have private tutors and making it known that education is important, then guess what…all the foreign kids would be just like us ” Lazy Americans.” I believe all foreign countries push their students to be smart, because if they are not, their is the consequence of being nothing. “We’ve got a knowledge gap, spurred by a work-ethic gap” (http://WWW.BOSTON.COM/BOSTONGLOBE/EDITORIAL_OPINION/OPED/ARTICLES/2009/12/2) So from both of these peoples perspectives, we can see that there is no positive things to cite about American students. They are just looking at the portion that are completely stupid and not the bright, striving, smart students that we do have in our schools. Every student, nomatter what ethnecity or where their from, can be as smart as they are pushed to be. For example, myself, i’m not an over seas student, but I make above average grades. My parents push me to do great things and as a student, I push myself. American students can precent from being lazy, all they have to do is want it(it being greatness and a college aducation.) So in conclusion, to prevent Americans from being lazy, the parents of students need to set high goals and high standards for their kids, so the kids will strive for greatness and achieve their high goals set for them in life.

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Permalink # Brittany Bell said

In my opinion, yes american students are lazy. I can say personally I am one of those kids. We assume technology is our only source of education, that it will always be here for us..”My ‘C,’ ‘D,’ and ‘F’ students this semester are almost exclusively American, while my students from India, China, and Latin America have — despite language barriers — generally written solid papers, excelled on exams, and become valuable class participants,” -Kara Millerhttp://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/millerSome.Now,some americans are not all the same some actually pay attention and do the work unlike others. I personally growing up was told”High school is the best time of your life” Well, as i grew up watching Highschool musical, and footloose that all seemed true till I got there. Don’t get me wrong it’s fun but not what it seemed to be. I do know personally I am stepping up my game to do better.

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- Permalink # car1995 said
  
  its sad if people think high school was the best time of their life it means they didn’t work hard and didn’t get far
  
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Permalink # Michael Knight said

I believe that American students not to be lazy, but more along the lines of being under motivated. The reason being most students in todays American society are used to having everything spoon fead to them and believe it will also be the same when they step in to the real world. But, more motivated students know that the job market in America is becoming more competitive due to changes in the economy. This is why that these select few of motivated students know that they have something to work for towards their future to be able to live a happy lifestyle. The not as motivated students won’t be able to find as well paying jobs if any jobs at all because most of them will not pursue higher education after high school which will most likely leave them jobless. Its not because of the teachers in America or how the school systems are ran buts its more the students faults. More often than none, the under motivation actually leads back to family life. If parents pushed students to strive for acedemic exellence then more often these students are opted to pursue to acheive better grades and want to make something of themselves when they grow up. For instance, in China all they do is school all day almost every day. This doesn’t make your average Chinese Student smarter than the avwerage American student because they are born that way but they as students in China are pushed by teachers and parents to acheive acedemic exellence. This pushes their education system out in front of Americas. For American students to make a change then as American students we must learn to value our educations as the Chinese students do and we must have the parents of these students push their children to strive to be the best they can be. Not every student will be a superstar student, but no student should fail if they put their best efforts into their school work. This is how American education could be fixed.

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- Permalink # car1995 said
  
  if you work hard and still fail it means you didn’t work hard enough and deserve to fail. the ability to pass a class depends on the individuals work ethic not skill
  
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Permalink # EmilyKiser said

“…many of the U.S. students expect to be given A’s for inhaling and exhaling, and look at you like you have four heads if you suggest that perhaps coming to class, doing homework, and studying might improve their grade.” (http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller)

A lot of people on the blog think that American students are, in fact, lazy. The articles suggest that American students are lazy, but at the same time argues that not ALL of them are. It also says that international students coming from other countries put more effort into their work.
Americans go through life with everything handed to them. And that goes over into school. All through middle and high school, American students are used to being “lazy” because most aren’t expected to put a whole lot of effort into school and the work in school, or anywhere for that matter. So yes, American students are lazy. But, we have to remember that the students that come from other countries are the students who actually work hard, even in their own country. It isn’t like a lazy student from a foreign country would come to America if they don’t care about their work. The foreign students who come here are the ones who want to work hard, hence them working hard to come to America to further their education.
“Success is all about time management.” (http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/21/my_lazy_american_students/)
this issue can be fixed. The solution is easy, but the hard part is actually getting students to comply to the solution.Things like learning how to manage time and getting better study habits are fixes to keep American students from being “lazy.”

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- Permalink # car1995 said
  
  we need to make severe consequences for failing because you just wasted a whole bunch of tax money for nothing
  
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Permalink # calebbynum said

First of all I do not believe that the generalization of “Lazy American Students” is accurate. There are many students in the school systems that have a motivation to do well in school, and excel in class. As this article says, “Of course, it would be wrong to suggest that all American students are the same. I’ve taught many who were hardworking, talented, and deeply impressive. They listened intently, enriched class discussions, and never shied away from rewrites.” (http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/21/my_lazy_american_students/)
However, I do agree with Raven that American students are unappreciative of what they have. A free education is something that people in third world countries do not have, and we should remember that. I was raised to take education seriously because my mother was a teacher, and she made sure I understood the value of an education. I believe that this motivation is what is missing in many students. So the next time you are sitting in class about to go to sleep remember that many people don’t have the opportunity of an education.

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Permalink # christianfralick said

American kids now are quite lazy and lack in time management skills because of their up bringing. most Americans are being given things to do that are more interesting to do than school work so naturally they would want to engage in that more.”By the time students are in college, habits can be tough to change. If you’re used to playing video games like “Modern Warfare’’ or “Halo’’ all night, how do you fit in four hours of homework? Or rest up for class?”http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/21/my_lazy_american_students/
while most foreign countries emphasize the importance of education and basically tell their children that their education is the only thing they can do.a clear example of this is just to hear about methods American parents use to get students to work. for example i know of many kids who get paid for having good grades… while foreign student are always just expected to have them.Also american students are not prepared for higher education. elementary and middle school was not at all challenging to anyone with any basic knowledge.
“What she leaves out is that we are dealing with a generation of students that have been left behind by No Child Left Behind, supervised by ‘Helicopter Parents.’ Students now feel entitled to high grades despite little work and want their hands held on every assignment, while they are unable to think for themselves.”http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller
I have stayed with the same group of kids since elementary and many of them are just now having to struggle to pass their classes.school in my opinion didnt get challenging until just this year, Student in America have the advantage of location by living in the country where you can go to a college that can pave the way for a great life yet Americans are also the ones with the least work ethic because of the way we were raised with the lack of challenging work until the later half of high school.

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Permalink # Damaris said

I strongly agree that as Americans we tend to get lazy, because all our life we have depended on others and took things for granted. For example I feel like sometimes we might take education for granted because it’s free (until you go to college) or they take their parents money for granted. As American we have been taught to receive things in our hands which is a fallacious thing to do. “My ‘C,’ ‘D,’ and ‘F’ students this semester are almost exclusively American, while my students from India, China, and Latin America have — despite language barriers — generally written solid papers, excelled on exams, and become valuable class participants.” ( http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller) One reason why there a lot of student outside of U.S that are hardworking student is because their parents have showed them and taught them that not everyone has free education and that is a privilege which should not be taken for granted. Anyone can be a hardworking student but it start by the parents teaching their kids to be appreciative of the things they have and not take things for granted. Because anyone can be a hardworking student; it just start with us putting in a little more effort…..And even though we can be lazy; we do have one of the top schools of the world and that’s why people from all the world want to come the U.S to study.

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Permalink # Zully C said

I disagree with SHONEE’FERGUSON
” She noted that many of her foreign students have difficulty with English, but make up for that with hard work. Her American students, meanwhile, appear challenged by work.” http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller#ixzz1kcrECRWu
American students are lazy. It’s not a stereotype it’s reality. I admit to have been lazy while others take advantage of it. In the quote above it states that foreign students have a difficult time with English while us Americans can do better than them but WE decide not to. We have the opportunity to succeed while foreign students have to work extra hard to get to where we stand. Also, WE choose to not do the work WE choose to be lazy, WE choose to make things harder than they appear. I think we can fix it by making each class be graded on class participation each day as a test grade and that will determine who will work for that extra mile and who will still be lazy.

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Permalink # shannalynn18 said

Americans are definitely lazy. We are used to being lazy because we have bad habits that are hard to break. Of course the non-American, foreign students are going tom work harder than we do, its harder for them to excel in our country.

“…what happens to students before they arrive at college. She said that it’s in high school — and earlier — that students should be learning study habits and the idea of showing respect for those who teach them..” – http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller

I completely agree with his statement. Like I said before we have bad habits in learning. We don’t study & most of us don’t take things seriously sometimes. Including myself. But sometimes I feel that our teachers aren’t trying hard either. Some of them anyways. Some kids don’t like school either so they don’t try very hard. Many see school as playtime & wait til they absolutely have to do well in something.

“Sorry, teach, but our American kids know that college is for boozing, drugs and hooking up. They’ll start working hard when it matters — the day they get their first job.”

“Too many 18-year-old Americans, meanwhile, text one another under their desks (certain they are sly enough to go unnoticed), check e-mail, decline to take notes, and appear tired and disengaged,” – http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller

I honestly don’t really know what can be done to fix the gap between Americans & non-Americans learning abilities … some people don’t care to change & work on the issue. Its up to you.

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Permalink # invitingodin said

What she leaves out is that we are dealing with a generation of students that have been left behind by No Child Left Behind,
Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller#ixzz1kcq61iVv
Inside Higher Ed

the American government is pursing the laziness problem in the wrong direction by contentious testing and that just forces the teacher just to teach for the test and not the subject at hand by doing that it allows the teacher to leave out crucial techniques Americans needs for life
but by nature Americans are born with a silver spoon in their mouth everything from free education to money is given to them. this has left the American teens lazy and thinking every thing is entitled to them. but what the americans lack in work ethic they make up for in creativity

By the time students are in college, habits can be tough to change. If you’re used to playing video games like “Modern Warfare’’ or “Halo’’ all night, how do you fit in four hours of homework? Or rest up for class?.
i take offense to this b/c games like this teaches people to think out side the box, problem solving, and teamwork. but then there are games like minecraft(http://www.minecraft.net/) that is a sand box game and what you can do on it is up to your imagination and their is a push for it to be in schools (http://minecraftedu.com/) i believe it would be a good educational tool b/c it helps with math, and evokes creativity.

we can fix our laziness by pursuing our creativeness.

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Permalink # marissa said

I do believe that American students are lazy, yet we cant blame the decline of American education all on the students. The main reason for the decline is not the laziness of the student, but the environment that the student is in at home and at school. “Chinese undergraduates have consistently impressed me with their work ethic, though I have seen similar habits in students from India, Thailand, Brazil, and Venezuela.” (http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/21/my_lazy_American_students/) If a student is out of county, and is in the US then they are constantly going to be judged and used as an example for there home country by there American counterparts, so why would they not try to impress American professors. This being said, when a student of other origin is doing better than a American student, the American student is bound to feel inadequate thus not having the motivation to achieve. Many of said lazy students may not just lack the motivation to achieve at school but at home too, this is another product of the environment. Not only does the student become intimidated by the success of a foreign student affect them but they may also lack the of support from a caring family. Its no wonder that many students spend most of there time playing video games rather than studying. “If you’re used to playing video games like “Modern Warfare’’ or “Halo’’ all night, how do you fit in four hours of homework?” (http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/21/my_lazy_American_students/) If the student has lost all there motivation then they are bound to become lazy towards their education. I am not really sure if there is any way to fix this issue, other than students getting more encouragement and support from important people in there lives such as their teachers and administrators. Not only will this support give the students motivation to do better in there studies but it will also give them a positive out look and connection to the school, and the person showing the support.

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Permalink # Natalie McKinney said

American students are not lazy. This issue is deeper that what meets the eye. Even though we live in America, and the “American Dream” is what we should all be striving for, that statement is easier said than accomplished. Everyday we wake up and come to school; we are faced withy the fact that we are going to be left with the butt of today’s problems. Everywhere you turn the elder generations are always saying “oh we need to help this generation… because the children are our future”. Therefore, if WE are the future then why do they continue to tear us down? According to one of the articles, most teachers tend to dismiss those students who just do not always do their part efficiently: “My ‘C,’ ‘D,’ and ‘F’ students this semester are almost exclusively American, while my students from India, China, and Latin America have — despite language barriers — generally written solid papers, excelled on exams, and become valuable class participants,” Miller wrote. She noted that many of her foreign students have difficulty with English, but make up for that with hard work. Her American students, meanwhile, appear challenged by work. : (http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller#ixzz1kctzfDhQ) This is proof that some teachers don’t always believe in the potential that is in their classrooms. Some of those students could one day discover the cure for AIDS, or they could be on the brink of the next technological discovery, one of those kids could be the next Steve Jobs. However, the world will never know it if the students are never motivated to reach their dreams.
My point is, sometimes the schoolhouse is the only place where kids feel like they are appreciated, like they matter in this world. Hence, the teacher has the power to kill what is inside of a child, or they can fuel it. If teachers would just take some time out to sit down for like 5 minutes with some of the students they see struggle they might see a change in that person. Sometimes students go through Hell and high water from the time they leave school to the time they come back to campus.
Punishing children and always threatening them with the reality of failure does not always make them straighten up and fly right. Maybe if teachers would encourage students to study or even just show them that they care just a little bit they might see drastic changes. On the other hand the foreign students have such a drive to succeed because usually when they come to America they understand that they have nothing else to go back to this country is their only hope of survival. Students here in the States are facing an unsure economy, and the “adult” pressures of life are often placed on our backs.
Therefore, the ultimate answer to this question is that Students in the United States are not lazy, however it is time for us to have a reality check, but sometimes we need our elders to believe in what our future says we are and not just what today professes for us. If we are their eyes, they must be our hands.

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Permalink # chelseaclark2013 said

I do not think that all American students are lazy. Not every student is the same, and not all students have the same goals. Yes, it is true that some American students are more motivated than others, but I think that once you actually have a motivation and goal for the future ( Like many foreign students have), you’ll work harder in school compared to someone who do not have many goals or any motivation. Working hard is a personal choice, not everyone is going to make that choice. To “fix” the lazy student problem , I think that those who aren’t that motivated should start by learning to make goals for them self and help them accomplish them. Plus, it was even said that American students were more creative, and you could try using a more creative approach to help them start getting motivated.” The American/Western postdocs tend to be more independent and creative in their approaches to problems, something that I attribute to the American emphasis on creativity rather than knowledge. Maybe we need a mix of cultures to truly produce the most effective students.” (http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller) So , if teachers try to do things that let their students be more creative, then maybe the “lazy American” problem will be solved. They’ll work harder and be just as hardworking as the other students, but also with the advantage of being creative.

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Permalink # Julius Matthew Blue said

First of all I like to say that these articles were extremely interesting because, not only did it look at high school students but they looked at college students as well. To begin the argument that American students are lazy or not, I would like to propose that they are not. See when Bush passed the No Child Left Behind Act it held students back. The article hinted on this idea in the following quote. “What she leaves out is that we are dealing with a generation of students that have been left behind by No Child Left Behind” “http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller#ixzz1kcyP6ngn
Inside Higher Ed
The act states that states should standardize education in a way to try and approve general knowledge. However, this act is now failing because students are leaving schools only knowing material taught for a test. A vast knowledge of subjects are not being taught or analyzed in a way that could be later utilized. The NCLB has set up the school system in a way where it is all about passing test and from day 1 you learn how to pass this test. So are American students really that lazy? NO!!! Americans are tired of being taught the same thing over and over and over. You can look at places like New York City, now they’re are “specialized” secondary schools there. These schools being focused and centered around the arts, technology, etc…. In these schools there is a very hard work ethic because, the students are learning things that they can use later and not for a test. Now the article started the argument about how post-secondary institutions see the rise in the lack of motivation of American students. However, they’re trying to say that American students are more lazy and text in class but they contradicted the entire argument. “By the time students are in college, habits can be tough to change. If you’re used to playing video games like “Modern Warfare’’ or “Halo’’ all night, how do you fit in four hours of homework? Or rest up for class?” Boom it says by the time students are in college they have bad habits. Again what was the cause of that? secondary institutions!! So including the part about American students are lazy in college is not helping the argument in fact it just proves that NCLB is stupid. Now for the case about the comparison of American students and foreign students comes down to their beliefs. In the eastern hemisphere they pride education. The different religions all have heavy emphasis on education and enlightenment. And the argument of why foreigners are so heavily motivated is incredibly simple. THEY’RE CROSSING OCEANS TO COME AND STUDY IN AMERICA!!!! WTF wouldn’t they be motivated. I bet the same case is true for American students who are motivated enough to go and study at Universities in Europe. “Sorry, teach, but our American kids know that college is for boozing, drugs and hooking up. They’ll start working hard when it matters — the day they get their first job.”

Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller#ixzz1kd8Shqb0
Inside Higher Ed

I mean really who would say that about college. Yes college is a lot of Americans dreams about how hard we should party, taking jello shots off of girls, and bird dogging chicks However, they forgot the main point is when you have stuff like that going on in college and you don’t concentrate you will be out. From my perspective, future attendee of UNC Chapel Hill. Now I know there will be so much partying and just hanging lose. Although that is happen if you do not make the grade there you will be kicked out. So the first day they start working hard is on the job is false in many cases.

Julius Blue

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Permalink # giiirrrlll said

Kids seem to be lazy anymore these days in my opinion.I maintain good steady grades and do all the work that is assigned to me.I think kids just need to spend more of their time focusing on schoolwork instead of goofing off doing something that could get them in trouble.I also dont think that there is any excuse for kids to make bad grades unless they have something that physically or mentally disables them to make good grades.Kids in school these days just seem like they dont care about their future.They would rather set around and do drugs or spend their whole entire day setting in front of a television screen playing video games as it talks about in http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/.It..Kids of all ages just need to buckle up in school and actually make an effort to achieve good grades instead of not caring.It makes schools look bad and sometimes it even makes other students look bad.

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- Permalink # giiirrrlll said
  
  I just wish the kids that didnt care about how they do in school would just realize what a big mistake they’re making in life and how it will affect them later on.
  
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Permalink # korilipscomb said

I definitely believe that American students are just lazy and don’t try as hard as the students from other countries. “They text in class, expect extensions for no good reason, and act surprised when they don’t earn A’s.” http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller#ixzz1kd6JzWJ9 That sounds just like us! That’s exactly what we do and we really do get mad like we’ve worked so hard and we don’t.”My ‘C,’ ‘D,’ and ‘F’ students this semester are almost exclusively American, while my students from India, China, and Latin America have — despite language barriers — generally written solid papers, excelled on exams, and become valuable class participants,” Miller wrote. She noted that many of her foreign students have difficulty with English, but make up for that with hard work. Her American students, meanwhile, appear challenged by work.” http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller#ixzz1kd6dYI2r LAZY Americans students don’t want to do very much work.”I think a lot of people read my article in a polarizing way, but I have a very strong feeling that there are many Americans who are hard-working, creative and doing very well,” she said.” http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller#ixzz1kd90AiTN If American students worked just as hard as the students from other countries we would go just as far. They do not think better than we do, they just manage their time better, probably because they have not experienced the luxuries that American students do and school is all they know. “We’ve got a knowledge gap, spurred by a work-ethic gap.” http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/21/my_lazy_american_students/

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Permalink # car1995 said

i do believe american students are lazy some students less than others. i have always said laziness is the mother of invention the light bulb was invented because someone got tired of lighting a fire to get some light. the car was invented because someone got tired of walking but there is a point when it becomes to much and i have seen that in the non IB classes which is why i drop them. if these lazy people had been to lazy they wouldn’t have lighted the fire and they would have been to lazy to invent something better. my view of laziness being the mother of invention is back up by this excerpt from the article:

But following rules rigidly has a down side, the comment said: “My lab has a large number of foreign postdocs, who’ve been brought up in an environment where they’ve learned to be obedient and diligent. They end up lacking in leadership and creativity, and this shows up in their ability to be effective scientists. The American/Western postdocs tend to be more independent and creative in their approaches to problems, something that I attribute to the American emphasis on creativity rather than knowledge. Maybe we need a mix of cultures to truly produce the most effective students.”

the key to make america continue to be the land of invention is to combine a health portion of laziness with a equal portion of diligence when it comes to work.

students from other countries are awesome when it comes to working on paper but lack creativity. the reason they are so driven is because they don’t have a fall back. in the us if someone drops out the can live off of public assistance but in a majority of Asia there is no fall back either you succeed an make money or you fail go back home and get a job paying next to nothing and live the rest of your life in poverty. the foreign kids due to there respect for adults don’t rebel and to be a good inventor you have to rebel against preconceived ideas. someone said man couldn’t fly but some one said you cant tell me what i can and cant do and hence we have the plane, and the helicopter.

to fix Americas laziness we to reduce laziness a bit so you still keep the creativity it inspires but also combine it with a deep respect for knowledge there is no single solution but if we combine foreign culture with american culture you get an unstoppable force of invention with the discipline to perfect it into a working model. a good start to assimilating foreign culture into american culture is to instill a deep respect for our elders something i see lacking in many of my fellow students taking back to teachers if i did that and my parents heard i did that it would be self defamation of my and my families name and i would be beat to a pulp by my parents. that not something many american students fear when the disrespect their elder for them its who cares their old they cant do anything. to fix the problem with people not respecting their elders can be fixed by making it legal to use corporal punishment on student when the disrespect an teacher and at home if kids disrespect their parent the parents have the right to beat them till they draw blood my grandma did it to my parents and they are productive member of society and that a lot more then i can say for my fellow students who as opposed to my parents and a lot older people will become burdens on society

“We’re going to raise a lost generation of children unless they are properly disciplined and beat.”

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- Permalink # car1995 said
  
  if you work had in school you will have it set for the rest of your life make it through law school and you can assure a 100000 salary
  
  “Sorry, teach, but our American kids know that college is for boozing, drugs and hooking up. They’ll start working hard when it matters — the day they get their first job.”
  
  they sure will be working hard for a 20000 salary a year at McDonald’s
  
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Permalink # kristinacarpenter said

“My ‘C,’ ‘D,’ and ‘F’ students this semester are almost exclusively American, while my students from India, China, and Latin America have — despite language barriers — generally written solid papers, excelled on exams, and become valuable class participants,” Miller wrote. She noted that many of her foreign students have difficulty with English, but make up for that with hard work. Her American students, meanwhile, appear challenged by work.” http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller
American students are lazy. I even admit that I have been lazy and not done all of my work like I should have. Students from other countries want to come to America to get their education because they can’t get the education that they need in the country that they live in. Students in America take advantage of the education and resources that they are given here and act like they don’t care about it. “Too many 18-year-old Americans, meanwhile, text one another under their desks (certain they are sly enough to go unnoticed), check e-mail, decline to take notes, and appear tired and disengaged,” she wrote. – http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller
Many teachers don’t care if the student’s text in class and when they do text during class this takes away from the things that they could be learning.
Another professor wrote in: “I used to be a university faculty with a joint appointment in engineering and management schools — the biggest difference I noticed with domestic and international students was the ability to handle criticism. Domestic students tended to be very defensive when pointing out what can be improved.”- http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller
I think the teachers need to be more aware of what the students are doing during class but the students also need to pay more attention in class so they can make their grade improve.

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Permalink # nikiafleshman said

I dont particularily think that American students are lazy but i think that most of us are blind to the fact that there are countries where education is their only way out of poverty and their poor countries. I think that we take that for granted. In America we live such lavish lifestyles compared to other countries much poorer than us and we dont look at the circumstances that those people live in. I believe that the decline of education comes from students thinking that they could grow up and get rich off of something that doesnt require academics (eg. sports or music etc.). They arent looking for something to follow back on or thinking about their futures but mainly focused on a career doing something that doesnt require a lot of work which essentially means that some are lazy. In this particular article the author says that American students need discipline http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller#ixzzs1jG1pNJGD. I agree with that statement 100%. I dont mean to sound crazy but if Americans got their tails whipped by their parents to let them know that school wasnt a joke then our education system wouldnt look so bad. Thats why other countries have a better system than us because they let their kids know that education is not a game and if you want to be somebody and do something in your life you need a decent education. because 9 times out of 10 you wont be as lucky as Lil Wayne and end up rapping. I think that a majority of American Students are lazy but the minority of us are not. Americans just need to show more dedication and their parents need to show a little more discipline and the system would probably be mcuh better.

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Permalink # sadie said

My “C,’’ “D,’’ and “F’’ students this semester are almost exclusively American, while my students from India, China, and Latin America have – despite language barriers – generally written solid papers, excelled on exams, and become valuable class participants. http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/21/my_lazy_american_students/
I believe that Most American students are lazy. They miss assignments and then expext teachers to take time out of there day to help them get caught back up. Trust me i am awful to do this. iBelieve that most students do this because they are so accustom to getting away with it. It is also a cultural thing. In many other countries parents would not allow there children to get behing in school work. They try to push there children to be the best of the best. They dont allow them to txt in class or use email during school. “Too many 18-year-old Americans, meanwhile, text one another under their desks (certain they are sly enough to go unnoticed), check e-mail, decline to take notes, and appear tired and disengaged,” she wrote. – http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller
I believe that american students are lazy compared to students of other countried due to our lack of diciplin and motivation. Many students believe that they can still succede in life without good grades or a college education. Some believe that they can make a living by becoming a famousd rapper or football player. Or for many girls they believe they can mary someone wealthy and be set. American students need to be shown more diciplin so that they can compete with other countries students for jobs in the future.

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Permalink # Savana Childers said

“But creativity without knowledge – a common phenomenon – is just not enough.”
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/21/my_lazy_american_students/

This is completely true. American students present creativity and manipulation or even invention, but just because they know how to move and manipulate things to make them something new or better doesn’t mean they’re using their knowledge. Often times, things are created new through stumbling in an experiment and mistakenly, something new is created. I believe students across seas are not “smarter” so to say, but more focused, because they don’t get to have all of the luxuries that we do in America. I feel, if they had these luxuries, then they’d more so display the things that we do. A lot of how we’re raised and what we are raised around differentiates American students from students over seas. In America, we’re competitive, but not like China, India and places similar to those.

“They text in class, expect extensions for no good reason, and act surprised when they don’t earn A’s.”
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/04/miller

I also agree with this, and, I can say, I’ve acted like this before. What American teenager hasn’t texted in class before? I know I have, and that really does completely distract us from the knowledge that we should be obtaining. I feel that if I didn’t have my phone, and really tried to pay attention as much as I possibly could, my grades would reflect that. Again, as I said previously, Americans have all of this technology to distract us, while the students over seas, are much more strict with how they learn. I don’t think American teens are lazy. I just think that our learning environment isn’t as strict as those in Europe and Asia.

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