Land of the free

@Krit, your posts are invisible because you blocked me.

Blackflag: I read what you wrote. I just disagree and think you weren't talking about the point. And my point was that it was an American schooling system and there is a lot of American culture in the states. That is why I don't think that I'm completely inexperienced with the US school get system and why I have some understanding of the US, which you said I don't. I was merely giving you my background. The whole point was that you called Wyoming a country and said I don't understand the USA. Very sweeping statements from someone who knows nothing about my background.
I am saying, without a doubt, that you cannot understand a culture without living in it. Even then, it takes a very long time to be emersed in a culture before you understand it. I still don't truly understand the Samoan culture even after living there for four years and being surrounded by Samoans here. It was a primary school, a private one, run by US teacher, with an American principal, using an American curriculum. Trust be, I remember those awful 'learn by number' texts books well.

sea_shell: Uh............ this is getting repetitive. America doesn't have one school system. It is ran by individual states, maintained by an individual common core, and federal regulations. Schools in Samoa, DO NOT follow federal regulations. They, I repeat, DO NOT, follow federal regulations. That is because the American Samoa isn't apart of the United States. It is an insular political community that associates itself with America.

" That is why I don't think that I'm completely inexperienced with the US school get system and why I have some understanding of the US, which you said I don't."
This is what you said. I stated clearly that by your own qualifications, you can't argue from my POV."
It is funny that you thought I said the same contradiction that I pointed out.
No, it was you who said this earlier, and I was giving an analogy that shows the slippery slope.

"he whole point was that you called Wyoming a country and said I don't understand the USA. Very sweeping statements from someone who knows nothing about my background"
Show me the exact line where I doubted your background.
Please don't use straw mans. I never brought up anything you haven't told me.
You said you went to school in the American Samoa, correct?
I was pointing out that the American Samoa isn't in the United States.
That is what we started talking about.

"am saying, without a doubt, that you cannot understand a culture without living in it."
This is a fallacy. "You can't have a credible argument on X because you don't live in Y".
Is that not what you're doing? It isn't true in the slightest either.

"It was a primary school, a private one, run by US teacher, with an American principal, using an American curriculum. Trust be, I remember those awful 'learn by number' texts books well."
*Sigh*, which is what led me to tell you America doesn't work like this.
America doesn't have a curriculum. The states make laws on education.
The American Samoa isn't in the United States, and there is no such thing as an American curriculum.

I don't know how much I can stress this point, but you're still not understanding it.
Education is ran by the individual states. Samoa is not a state or apart of the United States.

Conclusion: Your case is saying "I can't say your school isn't an American system because I don't live in Samoa".
Well, I basically used your same logic, without the "can't". I'm saying, and quite correctly, that your school can't be an american system.

Final Clarification: There isn't a universal American curriculum. It is ran by individual state legislatures, and the American Samoa is neither a state nor apart of America.
The one thing that connects the education system is some bvery basic principles called the "common core", and they are minimal.
For example, I don't get an American education. I get a Michigan education. In Louisiana, creationism classes are mandatory, in Michigan they are not.

NZ has one universal education for the whole country. America on the other hand, has 50 different education systems.
The American Samoa, isn't apart of america. It is unincorporated. The Samoan legislature regulates and approves private schools.
You have recieved a Samoan education.

And no, I don't know what "learn by number" textbooks are. Because my education is designed by a specific school district regulated by the Michigan legislature.

I know this can be difficult to understand, but our education system isn't like that of New Zealands. In New Zealand, you will get the same curriculum whether you're staying in Wellington or the extreme south. In America, your education is designed differently for wherever you live. Since the American Samoa isn't even legally in the United States, it is 100% impossible to have gotten an American curriculum. As an American curriculum doesn't even exist.

It is called federalism. A new wave of thinking. One of the greatest edges America has on political systems. I'll do some copy and pasting to show. America elects two senators to a house called the senate. Each state recieving equal representation, like the European Union. They are granted these powers in the senate.
Internal improvements
Subsidies (mainly to shipping)
Tariffs
Disposal of public lands
Immigration law
Centralized National Defense
Foreign policy
Copyrights
Patents
Currency

Only the senate, our collection of state representatives, can vote on these things, IE, this gives the states the abillity to regulate diplomacy and commerce, as the constitution grants them. Additionally, they have full control over these things, which the federal government can't directly interfere with (most of the time)
Property law
Education
Estate and inheritance law
Commerce laws of ownership and exchange
Banking and credit laws
Labour law and professional licensure
Insurance laws
Family laws
Morals laws
Public health and quarantine laws
Public works laws, including eminent domain
Building codes
Corporations law
Land use laws
Water and mineral resource laws
Judiciary and criminal procedure laws
Electoral laws, including parties
Civil service laws

Where each state's individual congress, mandated by its individual constitution, divides the state into administrative zones with these rights....
Variances (adaptation of state law to local conditions)
Public works
Contracts for public works
Licensing of public accommodations
Assessable improvements
Basic public services

Which was exactly the point I was trying to make. All the above things are determined by the individual states.
You can't recieve an American education, nor does the American Samoa folllow standard banking, property, or commerce laws.
You follow Michigan property laws. Texas banking laws. Wyoming Education system.

Which is why you can't recieve an American education unless you're living in America
Hopefully that is the ultimate clarification.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federalism_in_the_united_states

Blackflag: The issue is that you are trying to clarify something that we both disagree on. I understand your points, I just disagree completely with you. That is why it's repetitive. Saying that you can understand a culture without living there for the fifth time does not make me all of a sudden think like you. All it does it make me think that it's arrogant to think someone actually believes that. And stating points, assuming I don't know them (state designed curriculum) is wrong too. I had an American teacher live with us and observe my teaching for an entire term. Yes her curriculum was designed by the S.D curriculum board or whatever their label is, but that is what she had to teach.
This part here is exactly why I think reading something is not the same as understanding it. The NZ curriculum document is only a set of guiding principles and learning objectives. We do not have set lessons that we teach at certain levels, at certain years. The school designs the teaching, the lessons and the learning experiences. Schools have autonomy in designing their lessons and it is the teacher who de sides the needs, not a district. I have 7 reading groups in my class, four maths groups and three writing groups. In many universities in America they teach to the NZCD because it is a great model. And because we get better results.
And if you are following a state (any state) curriculum, it's an American system. I'm not bothered if you don't feel the same way, because on this point I'm not going to change my mind either. I was there.

sea_shell: Saying that you can understand a culture without living there for the fifth time does not make me all of a sudden think like you. All it does it make me think that it's arrogant to think someone actually believes that.
This is the problem though. I'm arguing with facts, and you're jjust repeating yourself. I have to keep restating myself because what I'm saying is going unrefuted,
Just because you're taught by an American teacher in a foreign country, doesn't make that school american. Imagine you're in England, but got taught by a French teacher. That teacher still adhere's to English laws, regulations, and common core. You were going to a private school, regulated by Samoans.

I'm not sure what an SD curriculum is. I researched it, and found that it is Indonesian education standard. Are you talking about South Dakota?
I highly doubt that your teacher regulated and modelled her classroom after tiny South Dakota, and how did you discover this? Did your teacher tell you it was a South Dakota education?

The funny thing is that South Dakota has ranked consecutively as the worst education system in America.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/10/quality-counts-education-rankings-2013_n_2451431.html
http://theconstantcommoner.blogspot.com/2014/03/30-of-south-dakotas-vo-tech-grads-leave.html

South Dakota is one of those states that hurt America. They represent 800,000 people out of our 316,000,000 million nation, but get two senators.
Those of which being republican puppets.

Blackflag: No, she was in my classroom in NZ. She had just graduated from doing her B.ed and came into MY classroom because she had heard so many good things in our education system. I am a teacher and she stayed in my class for a term. For me to tell you that it was a private school, using an American curriculum with ALL American teachers (who were paid US dollars) five times and you to argue and banking systems is just silly. Remember what you said about looking and sounding like a duck?!
P.S- I think fast food, political correctness and television are what's really hurting America. That and the Kardashians.

sea_shell: AHHHHHHHHHHH! There is no such thing as an American curriculum!!!
I feel like my arguments are flying right past you.

Blackflag: Wasn't it you in your proposed and then abandoned debate that America has the best cuisine? Then you preceeded to talk about foods in different states and then even brought in other ethnic foods from other countries. You cannot have it both ways. You called that American food. I completely disagree with the premise of your argument, I'm not saying it has to reflect every state be American, Americans don't walk into a room and say "I'm an Arkansas native" they say they're American. We disagree on the term "American education". Like admin said, you have a habit of deciding on a definition of words and then argue that point.

sea_shell: This is entirely different. American cuisine originates from one of the 50 states. An american education must also originate from one of the 50 states.

Unless your curriculum follows one of the 50 education systems, you did not receive an American education. All you've proven is that you got an education from an American teacher. If a french man makes spanish tacos, are you eating french or spanish food?

Which is EXACTLY my point. You haven't show what state your education is modelled after. You've show what nationality your teacher is, but if my analogy made any sense, then that kind of argument is a transparent fallacy. Which one of these 50 states was your curriculum modeled after?

Your education was recieved in the Samoa. Therefore, it is a samoan education.
Regardless of whether or not our teacher has American nationality.
End.Of.Story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Blackflag: [quote]test[/quote]

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Blackflag: Ah yes, your numerous exclaimation marks have swayed me.

No. If I was in Australia and ate food grown and produced in France, made by French men. I would say I was eating french food. Like my American education out of American text books taught by an entire staff of Americans. In American Samoa.
Also, F.Y.I, Samoa is a different country.

sea_shell: That's the problem though. We have lots of Mexican food in the United States. Most of it is made with our own grown beef, and grain, yet we call it mexican food, and not American food???? I wonder why? Here are the misconceptions with your stance.....

1. The American Samoa isn't in or apart of America. It is an insular political community, wait for it, associated with the United States of America.
2. My textbooks come from european, and one of my teachers isn't American, so does that make that class a European education?
3. There are two Samoan governments. The Independent State of Samoa and the government known as the Fono, which adminsters the insular political community of "American Samoa".

You never answered my question. What state was your education designed after?

Samoa isn't a country.
It is an island chain, IE, region.