[spywaregorilla]

That's not unreasonable if you have good tests that hit the right elements. My experience about 10 years ago with the AP exams were very positive. The tests were good, and even though the classes were taught to the test, they were some of the best classes I ever took.

[MattPalmer1086]

Education should be about more than just passing standardised tests.

I always remember my history teacher taking an entire term on the battles of the second world war. He brought in videos, old shell casings, all kinds of stuff. Everyone was into it, even kids who normally wouldn't pay attention.

At the end of term he apologised to us, since none of that would be in the test, and now we would have to work harder to get through the exam material. We didn't mind; he had hooked us on the subject.

But that is now rare. Increasingly teachers just teach to the test. And the number of tests the kids have to take keeps rising.

The best you can say about it is everyone gets the same tedious and stressful introduction to everything, which only proves their ability to remember lots of stuff under time pressure.

[spywaregorilla]

Is that really kids liking history or is that kids thinking war is cool?

History is also largely a joke subject that's just interesting fun facts and dry US history repeated ad infinitum for most american grade schools.

I would say the only history class that was actually of any value for me in high school was AP modern european history.

[bobthepanda]

the problem, at least in the US, is that the tests and standards have tightened up without necessarily giving the teachers better training or better productivity tools to teach them, and now their job evaluations also depend on it, so now everybody is optimizing for the test. Usually to the detriment of subjects not on standardized testing like the arts or physical education or anything resembling a break time.

Throw in the fact that in much of the country, teachers have to do things like pull second jobs to get by and beg parents for basic supplies like scissors and paper towels, and it's no wonder everything is falling apart.