Comparing education
Debates about education will never end. Some people consider our
educational system to be close to perfect; others say that it is too hard and that it is
unnecessary to study all the school subjects. Comparisons of the American and Russian
educational systems are usual, as they represent different kinds of philosophies.
In Russian schools children have to study about 15–17 subjects –
not more and not less, as they are required. Very rarely do schools have in the schedule
special or professional subjects. In the United States, drama, journalism and photography
are as important as chemistry and history. In our schools the curriculum is strict. In the
USA you can choose what to study; but government, history, English and math are
obligatory. There are also a number of subjects, like geography, Spanish, chemistry,
physics, trigonometry, biology and computer classes, that you have to take during a year
or a half-a-year during your high school years. You can also take one of these subjects at
an advanced level. A program of chemistry at the advanced level of a graduate class is
common with our 9th grade program. In Russia we can’t study management or TV-production
at school.
Such democracy in choosing subjects according to your own preferences
makes school life easier and calmer. American students don’t usually have much homework
– half an hour of homework is too much for them. On the other hand, they have holidays
only twice a year, and their summer vacations are only two and a half months long, while
our children don’t study in the summer at all. Americans study at school for 12 years,
while we study only 11.
The average level of education in America is lower than in Russia, but
at school they have the opportunity to study advanced subjects that they would take at a
university. So it is very hard to say which is the best way of studying. Is it better to
have students choose their own subjects and make studying pleasant, or create a
non-flexible schedule for a more effective educational process? This is a problem for the
new generation to solve.
By Kirill Kutyrev
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