Book Notes: The Smartest Kids in the World and How They Got That Way
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13259960-the-smartest-kids-in-the-world
"One thing was clear: to give our kids the kind of education they deserved, we had to first agree that rigor mattered most of all; that school existed to help kids learn to think, to work hard, and yes, to fail." – page 193
Expectations and resilience
All students learn Math & Reading -- no splitting up
Kids will fail and try again
Don't need empty, continuous praise
Kids can and need to understand real-world, complex concepts
Demographics aren't a factor <-- parent involvement/pushing much bigger factor
All kids can write --> get rid of multiple choice tests
Kids can handle failing grades and then improve
No more "A for effort"
The world after school is not like that --> kids are being set up to fail once they graduate
Kids need to learn to think and work hard to succeed
Education is a serious, important quest
Education is more important than sports or self-esteem
Kids are less supervised in top countries, b/c they know the stakes
The fundamental difference between US and top performing nations is the focus on rigor and respecting education
School environment
Teachers
Teachers job is as important as a doctor --> Only the most talented should be allowed
Spend less money on fancy technology and repurpose it to pay teachers more and pay for high quality training
We need higher standards for teachers. Teachers who meet these standards will justify higher pay and will command more respect
Better teachers mean we need less structure, b/c better teachers want and take advantage of autonomy
Top countries spend about 1/10th as much on technology. Foreign exchange students generally agreed that it was a distraction in the US
Parents & at home
PTA kids often did worse
Kids need role models
Kids do better when
parents show interest in what their kids are doing
parents read to them 6 nights per week
Art work, posters, etc. won't help grades
No kids like school -- all kids like TV and video games. The difference between cultures is how seriously the kids take school
! Beware, push your kids too hard and they'll retaliate. One child in Korea stabbed his mother and then hid the body for 6 months.
Sports
Sports in school confuse priorities
Only a minority of students play, the rest watch
Meanwhile, American obesity increases (so it's not making us any healthier)
Sports teaches leadership; ...but only to few, while draining focus and resources for everyone else
Primacy of sports sends mixed message to kids about how to succeed in life
Sports diminishes relevance of school as a path to success
Athletes spend all time training, there's no time to learn
Teachers need to be good at coaching, which distracts from time to be good at ...teaching
Sports should exist, but separate from school. Secular.
Appendix - questions to ask current students when touring schools
In this class, do you learn a lot every day?
Do students in this class usually behave the way your teachers wants them to?
Does this class stay busy and not waste time?
If you don't understand something, what do you do?
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