America‘s education system is consistently mediocre. It is not as extreme as some countries, not as laidback as other countries, and tends to have students ranked in the middle for their classes. Americans are typically very proud of their education system, even though it is not anything special compared to other countries. How is something considered wonderful when it is so startlingly average?

According to Dr. Patricia Fioriello, Americans have standardized tests, a lot of homework, and are more focused on preparing students for careers rather than real life. Also on this side of the education spectrum is the many Asian countries who prepare their students for tests and make sure they do well in school, but do little to prepare them for life outside of school and work. Not only this, but there are higher suicide rates and less creativity. Test scores are better, but people are not as happy as they could be.

The other side of the education system is Finland. Finland gets outstanding scores when compared to other countries and has a happier student population. They have a much more relaxed system, with less class time, less homework, and no standardized tests. Only the most qualified individuals are allowed to become teachers, unlike in America. Finnish teachers need a master’s degree, unlike in America where teachers only need bachelor’s degrees.

Americans always seem to be in the middle, both with scores and philosophy. One way to get rid of this issue is to learn from other countries and fix what has been broken. America can be better, but only if educators agree with change.