Immigrating to the United States to understand the American education philosophy: American education provides students with two diplomas. The first is the explicit diploma, which is the conventional diploma that is easily understood. Additionally, there is an implicit diploma, which is the civic diploma that embodies the consciousness of being a citizen, meaning to be an honest, hardworking, caring, and humble citizen who does not take shortcuts. The formation of this value system is achieved through the interaction of family, society, and school.
The implicit diploma in the United States is of high quality and will accompany a person throughout their life. The type of implicit diploma a country provides to its citizens, or whether it provides one at all, is a very important issue.
In contrast to civic education is elite education. Americans believe that civic education and elite education are not contradictory; civic education is the foundation of elite education. Without civic education, elite education cannot exist. As long as civic education is done well, elite education will naturally follow. Focusing solely on elite education while neglecting civic education will only lead to disastrous outcomes. Elites are often difficult to identify or select early on, and it is also challenging to designate and cultivate them through artificially constructed training programs from a young age. Truly great geniuses are not typically discovered by ordinary professors; for instance, Albert Einstein applied for a doctoral degree twice. For a country to provide quality education, it must excel in civic education; elite education without civic education is nonsense.
A country cannot train all students to become Einsteins, nor can it use the methods for training Einsteins on all students. The purpose of education is to enable a student to accurately find their place in the future.
The interpretation of 'Teaching According to Aptitude, Maximizing Individual Talents' in the American education system:
1. It is an educational failure to train someone who is only suited to be a carpenter to become a PhD, just as it is a failure to train someone who is only suited to pursue a PhD to become a carpenter. Successful education is when those suited to be carpenters are trained as carpenters, and those suited for theoretical studies are trained as PhDs.
2. Informing parents about the true situation of their children is an important part of American education, and teachers in schools play an indelible role. From the first grade, teachers begin to communicate and interact with parents, enabling them to understand what their children are likely suited for by the time they graduate from high school.
3. Equality of status is paramount; one cannot assume that a professor holds a higher status than an excellent craftsman. In the United States, a carpenter's income should be comparable to that of a full professor, with a carpenter earning approximately $200 to $400 per day.
4. Objectively addressing dropout rates and recognizing that the most exceptional children may not pursue master's or doctoral degrees allows for a space for free development, especially for those who may leave a mark in history. They believe that exceptionally intelligent children, after completing civic education, sometimes become elites through dropping out. For example, Bill Gates, Dell, and others, particularly in the business sector. In the eyes of Americans, only second-rate students pursue doctoral degrees; first-rate students do not complete their studies. Objectively addressing dropout rates is a concept of civic education.
In the United States, higher education is not always better. In a rule-of-law market economy society, the status of politicians and businesspeople is certainly high, and they do not require advanced degrees. In the U.S., if a mayor or governor's business card states a doctoral degree, it may be viewed as odd. This is my personal experience. In the eyes of Americans, a mayor should primarily experience the sentiments of the people, serving in the community and giving speeches in their twenties to understand the hardships of ordinary citizens, while those with doctoral degrees should engage in research. We Chinese often regard degrees as a means of elevating status.
