In a classroom, the behaviors and values that students uphold are more important than the lectures themselves. Classrooms are the most pivotal part of any schooling system. Students would always be taking the habits they maintain in a classroom, and the culture of their school in which they grow up to their professional life.
United States of America (USA) has not coincidently become an influential and powerful nation, but its inclusive culture and its people who have struggled for decades, or perhaps centuries have made it one. American education system is a good reflection of its people and its vibrant culture. As a semester exchange student from Punjab University, Lahore, Pakistan to University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, I am trying to keenly observe things around me and utilize every bit of my exposure in learning about the reasons behind success of this nation (USA) and more. As far as my experience has been concerned, I can say that the culture of classrooms in this country is what makes USA greater.
In fact, American classrooms are nurseries in producing a kind of human resources for its political and economic systems who could meet the diversity and freedom-oriented national goals of the country. Instructors are aimed at providing students with an environment where they could not feel that there is any kind of hierarchy in the classrooms. Liberty, diversity and punctuality are the core values in the classrooms. Professors/instructors prefer being called by their names, but not the titles such as Mr., Sir., or Professor.
Education culture has positive impacts on education system. The brains in academia and communities concerned can cooperate with each other in doing great things for their nations even with few facilities in hand.
This is not because they do not proudly own their titles, but because they want students to feel that they are in an inclusive and friendly environment where they could speak their minds freely. Students are ones who decide what to be or what not to be asked in a classroom, but not the instructors. Moreover, there is a diversity in the classrooms. Students of other nations are not only encouraged to apply for studying in the USA, but they are also provided with scholarships by governmental and private organizations.
This has a very positive impact on American culture and education system. For instance, international students, who join American colleges, have always a critical/dissent opinion on American political system, its policies and on its culture. Such dissent voices further create a culture of diversity and acceptance. No doubt, one can only grow to one’s natural height when he is not a victim of some kind of ideological or physical limitations. Human beings have countless potentials, but not everyone does utilise them.
Those of the people would only utilise their potentials who have an environment to express themselves. The environment in the USA’s classrooms is one of its kind where students have high chances of polishing their skills and growing to their natural heights. More importantly, punctuality, which is a core principle when it comes to discipline, is a leading factor in USA’s classrooms. Professors often ensure that they are in the class 10 minutes earlier, so do the students. It can be claimed that sense of responsibility and duty on every little thing contributes in the greater civic sense and to the national culture at the large. Interestingly, excuses can earn a moral acceptance in a classroom when a student comes late, but they cannot compensate a mark of late attendance (ethics are flexible, but not the rules that regulate punctuality). Probably, compromising on any single rule is bad because it never goes alone (be it in a classroom or a public office). It is always followed by thousands of others. This is the reason American never compromise on rules.
However, American classrooms are still not the perfect ones on the earth, but they score higher in terms of producing essential, efficient and influential human resources for the world’s market today. In contrast, the developing states have a different story when it comes to schooling and their classroom environments. They are always struggling with their education system since they are victim of some kind of institutional or political instability. In those states, communities can play a vital role in maintaining a good education culture, be their education system weaker.
Education culture has positive impacts on education system. The brains in academia and communities concerned can cooperate with each other in doing great things for their nations even with few facilities in hand. The fact cannot be denied that most of the students in the Third World countries are deprived of breathing the fresh air of freedom. Their thoughts are imprisoned of some specific limitations, be them religious, nationalistic or social. Those students are badly struggling for a free environment to breathe, let alone creative thinking. It is high time for developing nations who are trapped in lots of crisis to recognize the fact that their development and growth is proportional to providing more spaces for their students to grow. Educational institutions should be canters for polishing students’ skills, but not indoctrination camps to manipulate their thoughts for maintaining a status quo. Creativity is in vain without liberty. To conclude with a single phrase, it’s liberty that waters creativity, and uniqueness in American classrooms.
The writer can be reached at: @irshadhameed16.