Many American students complain about the college admissions system, especially with regards to the pressure to excel in standardized tests like the SATs. However, they have little to complain about when compared to students in Brazil, whose only way to prove their intelligence and preparation for college is by taking one massive standardized exam, or maybe two, for each … [Read more...] about The Book Is on the Table: Where Your SAT Nightmare Comes True
The Book Is on The Table: Reversing the Course
The idea of education for all is widely defended but becomes challenging to sustain when the issue is education in underdeveloped countries. These governments cannot afford to invest on public education, leaving low-income families with the only option of sending their children to bad schools because they cannot afford private institutions. Even worse, they may not send their … [Read more...] about The Book Is on The Table: Reversing the Course
The Book Is on the Table: Creative Writing in High School
Educational institutions have guided students away from developing their literary voices and styles with the education system's growing focus on standardized, formulaic writing. Schools need to increase their investment in the arts, through courses such as creative writing, in order to provide students with the skills to master academic writing while embracing creativity and … [Read more...] about The Book Is on the Table: Creative Writing in High School
The Book Is on the Table: Memorizing Education
Oh, the joy of high school. Wake up early, see the same people every morning and afternoon, eat less-than-tasty lunch, and memorize all sorts of information teachers deem important. On the day before a major test, most, if not all, students push themselves through the process of memorizing key names, dates, formulas, you name it, to do well. Then, when these students proceed … [Read more...] about The Book Is on the Table: Memorizing Education
The Book Is on the Table: Lessons from Finland
When I was 15 years old, I moved from Brazil to the United States and studied 11th and 12th grades at a New York public high school. I remember that the amount of time spent at school, pressure to succeed in standardized tests and available resources were some of the aspects of the system that struck me the most, for better and for worse. These same aspects strike Finnish … [Read more...] about The Book Is on the Table: Lessons from Finland