U.S. Diary: 4 Things I Love About The Public School System In The U.S.

From assured seats in public schools to free and quality education, here are 4 reasons this mom loves the U.S. public school system, despite its share of problems.

When my Religion in the Media professor at American University instructed me to call him Jack, I visibly and violently recoiled. “But Professor, I can’t call you that! It’s so disrespectful.”

My professor was 70 years old, with a long-white beard. I’d been living in the U.S. for 2 years by then. I was enrolled in a Master’s program in Film, Video and New Media here in the U.S., and was steadily falling in love with the whole American system of education. I never did call my professor by his given name, but my love affair with America’s education system continued way beyond my American University days.

Education is a right

I live in the state of Maryland and here, elementary and middle school education is mandated. Rules vary state to state, but elementary level education is compulsory in most places. Not sending your child to school is actually a prosecutable offense – a child has to be enrolled in a public, or private school, or registered as being homeschooled.

As a parent, I can be assured that my child will definitely have a seat reserved for her in my zoned elementary, middle or high school. “Sorry, our seats are full” can never be put forward as an excuse by the zoned public school.

It’s free

No uniforms!

Cons

This is not to say that the American public school is a perfect utopia. Among kids, there is brand consciousness, there is bullying, and the mean girl syndrome that starts in late elementary or early middle school years. Gun violence is a real threat in some schools. In such places, it is not uncommon to find metal detectors installed at entrances and security personnel on duty.

There are parents who try to game the zoning system. The Common Core curriculum, newly being followed in many states in the U.S. is also widely ridiculed. Its focus on teaching students a variety of methodologies which they learn to apply in different situations has left several parents, educators and students flummoxed.

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Gun violence is a real threat in some schools. In such places, it is not uncommon to find metal detectors installed at entrances and security personnel on duty.

Activities and amenities at individual schools are largely dependent on funding. If School A has an active and involved PTA whose members show up for school board meetings, and School B doesn’t, it is possible that School A will get way more state funding for optional projects than School B.

Funding for art and sport activities is often cut. My teacher friends tell me that there is constant pressure on them to make their lessons more engaging, while making sure students perform well against state and national benchmarks. Most schools follow letter grades instead of a ranking system. The spirit of healthy competition, that a rank based system encourages, is often lost in a grade based system.

But even with all its flaws, I find the public school system in the US to be a viable alternative to private schools. A country like India, where 29.5% of the population lives under the poverty line, has plenty of bigger problems to deal with. Where the state cannot step in, the gap has to necessarily be filled by private parties or non-governmental organisations.

I’d love to hear from students, parents, teachers, educators about the education system in India, and what we can learn from each system.

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