Regain Competitiveness

When I was in elementary school, classes were assigned by capability. There clearly was a fast learner class, an average class, and a slow learner class.  The teachers knew, the parents knew and the students knew.    When I was in high school, an A in AP classes was assigned a 4.0.  There was no bonus for taking an AP class.  However, the top students still  took the AP courses.

Nowadays, it seems schools no longer segregate students by learning capability and now teach to the lowest ability in the class.   Also, AP classes now give an extra point for each grade (A=5.0) so students are not discouraged from taking a tougher class. My seven year old daughter even recognizes the problem.  Her observation of first grade is that they are just reviewing what they learned in kindergarten and pre-school.

To me, it's no wonder that the U.S. is losing competitiveness in the global business world.   We no longer have high expectations of ourselves.   We no longer challenge ourselves to be the best.   We don't want any child to fail because of the impact on their self esteem.

We need to better prepare our children for the global competition they will face.  Let's go back to ranking them.  Give them incentives to be better.   And challenge them to excel.  Building competitiveness and resiliency early in their lives will make them stronger for future adult challenges.
 
For more on  Crossing Generations, check back every Thursday for a new segment.

This is not financial advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

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