How our students spend their Two Million Minutes

By maureen on 26 Oct | 3 comments

Just how did you spend your high school experience?

I recently spent almost three months working in Shanghai, China. Touring several universities and high schools, as well as tutoring a Chinese middle-schooler, I discovered Chinese students not only spend significantly more time (daily and yearly) in school, they view education as the most important thing in their lives. Many of these students dreamed of studying in the U.S. and I was astonished at what they thought they had to learn to get there:

Calculus by 16. Engineering planning, computer science and advanced calculus by 18. All while learning English to “no-accent” fluency—many also learn several other languages—and study a musical instrument. These students, often from incredibly adverse, poverty-stricken environments, do it all without batting an eye. No wonder policymakers are worried about the U.S. losing its competitive edge.

That's why I was excited to find this exact issue featured in the documentary “Two Million Minutes.” As you can see from the trailer above, the film compares the high school experience of six individuals from three different countries. Check out the stark difference in attitude between the American students who believe their success in the world is assured, and the other students who hunger to use every minute to their advantage.

We've been talking about global competitiveness and the U.S. falling behind for years. But hopefully this will be a real wake-up call for those who still haven't gotten the message.

I’m curious to know what you thought of the individuals presented in the trailer. Do you think American students are aware of the global competition taking place around them?

To learn more about the film “Two Million Minutes” visit http://www.2mminutes.com

Topics: College & Work Readiness |

Comments

Posted: Mon, 06/29/2009 - 9:43am — David Mushroomer (not verified)

All while learning English

All while learning English to “no-accent” fluency—many also learn several other languages—and study a musical instrument. These students, often from incredibly adverse, poverty-stricken environments. All these things are evident I must say. how to write a coursework | mba thesis writing

Posted: Wed, 10/31/2007 - 10:25am — maureent (not verified)

Well-rounded students at the expense of rigorous standards?

Thanks so much for your comment, Neil! Can't wait for this film to be released to see how this subject is explored. Good point about American schools having a greater interest in producing "well-rounded" adults, but curious if that's at the expense of the needed rigor and standards students in other countries are held to? Obviously, comparisons can't be made apples to apples for a variety of reasons, but I'm excited to see how this film tackles the direct link between today's education and our increasingly globalized society. I'd love to rekindle this conversation after I watch the film. Hope we can stay in touch!

Posted: Mon, 10/29/2007 - 11:28pm — Neil (not verified)

About the film

Thanks for taking interest in the film. There are some stark differences in the attitudes of the children, that's for sure, but there's also a difference in the focus of the schools involved. While foreign schools concentrate more on round-the-clock studying and testing, domestic schools (like Carmel) have a greater interest in producing well-rounded adults who can function in modern society, as well as be knowledgeable in their field. Personally, I would take the education I got here over a Chinese or Indian school any day, and I have a feeling that after viewing the film, most parents and students would have to agree. Anyway, if you'd like to further discuss the film, feel free to email me about it.