It seems to me that any education reform here in America -global, international, or local-is similar to the movie 50 First Dates. (Not a film I recommend. It is crass and on level with 5th grade locker room humor.) In the film, a young woman named Lucy has suffered a brain injury, leaving her with no connection between short-term and long-term memory. It is as if her brain hits rewind each night while she sleeps. Every day she relives the day before with only small variations dependent on people she encounters. Lucy lives in the present, and her family tries to protect her from knowing and understanding her past and her present. She approaches life with an optimistic, child-like perspective. While this makes her an endearing character, it also makes her unable to form a lasting relationship with anyone she has met since the accident. Lucy does meet a young man named Henry and Henry, in very unconventional ways, begins to “date” Lucy. But due to Lucy’s lack of memory, every date is for her a first date- thus the title. Henry continues to woo Lucy any way he can, but the depth of their relationship is limited, as you can imagine. Commitment to the relationship is seemingly impossible for Lucy and depends on Henry alone.
The more I read about education, the more I realize the U.S. is like Lucy, while other industrialized nations are like Henry. In 50 First Dates Henry stops his car at the same spot every day knowing that Lucy will drive by. He orchestrates little scenes, like his car breaking down or an animal in the road, just to get her to stop and talk to him. He relentlessly pursues Lucy, even though she has no memory of their previous encounters. The world may not be going to such crazy lengths to pursue intellectual relationships with the U. S., but global education groups such as the Bologna Process, the 1994 Group, and Universitas 21 have pursued collaboration with the U.S. through many venues, both intellectual and political. These groups concentrate on internationalism, global awareness, sharing of intellectual resources and solving world problems. Like Henry, these groups are a good “date”. We say we have so much in common. We say we care about the same things. We claim to want what other nations want. But, somehow, after a little time away, the conversations are easily forgotten. After ten years or more, we have made little progress and committed to very little. (Chronicle of Higher Education. Feb. 19. 2010. Pg. 29-30.) (A discussion for another day- positive potential of America’s involvement in Universitas21 http://www.universitas21.com/)
The U.S. has optimistically been “dating” the idea of global education but has little memory of it. For ten years we have been asking the same questions.
In 50 First Dates, Lucy is wide-eyed and innocent as she interacts openly with Henry about all that she loves. She is sweet and positive. Sadly, her disability makes her vulnerable and gullible. Like many girls on a first date, she asks Henry the same questions about himself. She is amazed when Henry always seems to say just the right things. Likewise, the political rhetoric spoken in our country about education is equally as satisfying and sometimes as manipulative. Many of our nation’s leaders have spoken at length of internationalization, global education, and education reform. They have done so with great enthusiasm and conviction. As a nation we are quite gullible and disabled. If this is not true, then how is it ten years have passed and we are still asking the same questions and have made little progress, if any?
In January of 2000, the Carnegie Corporation of New York gathered some of America’s most influential leaders to meet and discuss educating our nation’s citizens about the world. The objective was to assess the current situation in the U.S. and then find ways to increase global awareness and competence. The group made the following assessments: American students were very behind in their basic knowledge of the world. There were a variety of “scattered” attempts to connect students to international ideas and a great deal of interest in “integrating global perspectives into the curriculum”. Many educators were enthusiastic and full of innovative ideas. There was a lack of direction and leadership. And there was no comprehensive plan to implement solutions. The process of establishing standards across the K-college curriculum was too overwhelming and daunting for anyone to figure out. I was amazed by the comparison with the current state of education. Today’s education journals are publishing articles that provide the same assessment.
In 2000, the Carnegie group asked three key questions that we are still asking today:
- Are schools, colleges, and universities preparing their students to function effectively in a global society in which time and space no longer insulate the nations, peoples, and markets of the world?
- Do U.S. citizens understand enough of the world beyond our national borders to evaluate information about international and global issues and make sound judgments about them?
- Is education in the United States preparing Americans for sustained involvement in an interdependent world?
In 50 First Dates Henry finally convinces Lucy’s father to allow him to create a video for Lucy to watch every day. The video teaches Lucy about her accident and the important people and events in her life. Every morning she is encouraged by Henry and her father to ask as many questions as she needs to understand and accept the truth about herself and her relationships. The video helps Lucy accept what is real about her past and present, but it also helps her move forward in her relationships with people like Henry. I think the U.S. needs a reminder video about its desire to go global. Maybe this way we can accept the realities of our interconnected world and fully engage in a relationship with it. Or perhaps we are not really as interested as we think?
