USA--Culture Smart! by Gina Teague

Author:Gina Teague [Teague, Gina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-85733-676-4
Publisher: Kuperard
Published: 2013-05-27T16:00:00+00:00

GROWING UP IN THE USA

Visitors from cultures where children are raised to be seen but not heard can be shocked at the amount of consultation and negotiation between American parents and their children. The American family is a democracy. Relatively young children are included in family decisions—from choosing burgers or spaghetti for lunch to Florida or California for vacation. Youngsters will usually dictate what they eat, wear, and how they spend their time at an earlier age than in other societies.

Everyone has a right to be heard—no matter how young. This means that parents can be interrupted or a teacher’s statement challenged. Such behavior would be deemed disrespectful in a hierarchical society. To individualistic Americans it is a simple matter of expressing an opinion, being an active learner, and exercising their rights. Authority figures do not merit automatic deference, but should earn respect through their actions. Teachers should not be placed on a pedestal, but rather be partners in learning. Parents should be able to answer the question “but why?” rationally. When it comes to discipline, physically reprimanding a child with a smack is severely frowned upon. Parents encourage children to mediate the sandbox skirmishes for him or herself. “Use your words,” they are taught.

Both the educational system and home life instill the values of independence, self-reliance, and self-expression. This ethos is first displayed in kindergarten in “show and tell,” where children build confidence and self-esteem by talking about an interest or achievement to classmates. Rather than rote learning, the emphasis is on teaching children educational self-sufficiency through research, analysis, and problem-solving skills. A percentage of class grade, from first grade to graduate school, is based on class participation, rewarding students for speaking up and “making their mark.”

Independence is learned in a series of time-honored steps, as responsibility is gradually meted out. Children as young as six will go on “sleepovers” at each other’s houses. Schools and civic and private organizations provide many outward-bound activities. The ultimate sign of independence is “getting wheels.” In many states, teens can drive at sixteen or seventeen. Driving is considered so important that many schools offer “driver education.”

Outsiders who judge American society based on media images may be critical of the amount of freedom given to teens. The philosophy is to empower the individual by preparing them with practical information and a sense of moral responsibility. Rather than shielding children from the world, it allows them to take risks. The greatest learning, after all, comes from one’s mistakes.

Schools play their part, usually providing a comprehensive education program that incorporates civic responsibility. In the light of tragic school shootings often perpetrated by youngsters who “didn’t fit in,” a recent focus has been on raising sensitivity to peer pressure, bullying, and the cliquish nature of larger high schools, where “nerds,” “goths,” and “jocks” are powerful subcultures. Sadly, social networking can now make “cyberbullying” a 24-hour activity. Every kid now has a camera-equipped smart phone to instantly share their school friends’ moments of embarrassment with the world.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.