They all wanted good grades. That was the number-one priority. They would rather get all a's and learn nothing than get B's and C's and actually learn something new. This has completely confused him. He thought that American would be different. He realized, however, that none of the students wanted to think. Sadly, he also realized that Russia may have not won the space race, but either did the United States. Education in both of these countries was the same -- students were only concerned about the outcome.

He said to his students: "Suppose you fly in a plane. What is more important for you: the pilot's real competence or his papers that certify he is competent? Or suppose you get sick and need medical treatment. What is more important for you: your doctor's real competence or his diploma?" He would answer, of course, that you need to know how to fly. You need how to treat someone who is sick. However, many of students felt differently. Their first priority was to get papers that certify that they are competent rather than to develop real competence.

Unfortunately, this situation is getting worse all the time in the United States. Since the "No Child Left Behind" program, increasing...

If the students do not do well on the State tests, then the school will not receive as much money from the government. Thus, teachers' salaries are based on how well their students take a test -- now how well they think or if they are creative. Similarly, a principal of a school or a superintendent of a city is only concerned about how well his teachers' students do on the examinations.
When you go into a typical public school now, you will see children learning how to do writing prompts that are like those on State examinations. They are learning how to take multiple choice tests. They are learning how to write SAT essays. They are learning how to fill in little holes on pieces of paper with their #2 pencils.

However, these same students are not learning how to color out of the lines, or figure out how 2+2 can equal 5, or new ways to figure out a science experiment. They are forgetting how to think. They are becoming rote robots. Professor Toom is correct. We are losing the Space race and every other race there is, as well. Other countries around the world are becoming much more advanced than us because they are given the chance to fly.