For some reason or other, Americans bear the dubious reputation of overkill if they are aiming too narrowly at an excellent education. First of all, the educational vision is too frequently factual information alone, rather than ideas or a big general picture. Look at tests from third grade to postgraduate education. Facts. Facts. Facts. And so teachers and children cram, cram, cram (and forget, forget, forget). Too often children discover that they learn merely to pass a test, get a grade, and then no one cares.
