Why is education so bad in America compared to other countries? I’m sick and tired of reading and hearing about all the bad things in the American educational system. As a former teacher of both college and high school mathematics, I find my insides turning every time I read a report on how we are failing our children. But are we failing, or are there other factors which need to be addressed? Let’s take a look at these.

The educational debate has been raging for decades already, and every month or so someone comes up with the supposed solution to our educational ills. These soi disant experts rally their call and come up with new programs which will remedy our maladjusted programs. The “new math” is one example of these innovative constructs which only served to further bewilder an already confused educational curriculum.

The truth of the matter is that education can never improve when the very customers are against such, when they don’t see any connection with reality, and when they can’t find any reason why they need to learn the fodder we force on them. We need to make our children self-sufficient. We need to show them how to thrive and prosper. Our educational programs need to show students how to make it in the world, and yes, this means showing them how to thrive financially. It does no good to tell them that they need to learn history and geometry and English literature so that they can ultimately graduate high school, get into college, and then hopefully find a job. This type of persuasive speech can neither fool nor motivate our savvy kids of today, and it certainly will not get them to taking to the books and getting A’s.

As Napolean Hill mentioned in his classic Think and Grow Rich, if the Carnegie philosophy about accumulating wealth were taught in schools, the time spent in school could be cut in half. This should not be construed to mean that education should be all about learning to make money and such lofty ideals as being literate and well-read are not important; it’s just that what good is being lettered if you can’t make it in the world?—and yes, making it in the world means being able to make money and provide for your family.

The underlying theme of my educational philosophy, and one seen in all my teachings, writings, and ebooks, is that of the shortcut approach. No need to spend countless time trying to learn something. Get right to the meat and go straight for the jugular. My shortcut mathematical methods give one a huge advantage in that they permit one to master mathematics with a minimum amount of time invested. The rest of the time could be spent learning how to make money and how to thrive financially.

Once students are a on firm footing with school and don’t dread the daily routine of having stale fodder crammed down their already stuffed throats, they can approach school and their studies with a much healthier attitude. Look at it this way. Suppose you were a gym enthusiast and really liked to have a great build. You hated the time you had to invest to maintain your current physique. Suppose someone offered you a way to maintain that build with a program that took one-third to one-half the time. Would you still want to do your longer, already stale program, or would you like to jump on board the new one? I think the answer is self-evident.

The same is true with education in America. We need to show our kids the good shortcuts that will lead to academic success, increased self-esteem, and a healthier attitude toward school and learning. If we don’t, we’ll just get more of the same old innovative programs that come along promising to cure our educational ills. Much like resistant bacteria though, our savvy kids will just thwart any attempts to be overcome by the “new medicine” that the administrators and other educational gurus throw at them. Rather than breed new strains of bacteria, why don’t we work with our kids before they themselves mutate. After all, we don’t need any more mutations.

See more at Shortcut Math Ebooks

By: Joe Pagano