America, Land of Opportunity

I teach foreign languages, so I spend a great deal of time talking about life in other countries. I show pictures of beautiful places and share information about cultures that are very different from our own. There is almost always a student in the class who raises his or her hand and asks “Mrs. Jarman, why are you still living in the U.S.? Why don’t you move to Europe?”

With a smile on my face, I usually answer that I don’t move because I am American. Of course, there are those times when I travel and see American tourists behaving as if everything that happens in Europe will stay in Europe. I cringe when I see fellow Americans who don’t understand that they represent every American to most Europeans.

I remember speaking to a group of French high school students who were exceptionally well-behaved even though I had been warned by the teachers that there were some behavior problem students in the class. The students gushed that they had never met a “real” American before. They had only seen images from sitcoms and other U.S. television broadcasts.

I’m happen to be very proud to be American. I’m proud to be part of a culture that encourages individuality. Be the best that you can be. I’m part of a culture that embraces the idea that if I work hard enough, I can achieve my dreams; a culture that offers second chances.

In many European school systems, students are tracked around the eighth grade. Based on academic performance, students are funneled into programs that are geared towards future university study or preparation for administrative or manual work forces. If you are tracked for university, your tuition is paid for by the government when you enter college. Many American students envy their European counterparts as they struggle to find ways to finance a college degree.

Yes, tuition is paid for, if you get there. But when I think about many of my students who in ninth, tenth, or even eleventh grade are still not sure what they want to do after high school, I worry about what would happen if they were tracked in eighth grade. It doesn’t leave much room for exploration and consideration of other possibilities. And late-bloomers are certainly not going to have many opportunities in European school systems.

The beauty of being American is that we are all so very different, and that makes us so interesting…and so special!

This blogpost appeared as my monthly column, The Empty Nest, in the Frederick News Post on July 1, 2012.