Remember a couple decades ago when America was the best country in the world? I don't really, since I'm still a student in high school but I've heard stories and read the books. The last time the US placed highest in the education systems of the world was the 1960s to the 70s, this was obviously way beyond my time. But today, though however much we tell each other otherwise we are far away from first place. Countries that were once considered of the third world variety are now ranking in high places. Finland takes first place with South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore coming closely behind. Sixth place...the US isn't there. Seventh? Nope. Eighth? No. Ninth? Nada. Tenth?! Yeah, no! The USA officially as of 2013 ranks 17th place in the world for our educational systems. In fact the only things we do lead the world in are:

1. Most expensive ways to have a baby
2. Obesity
3. Anxiety disorders
4. Small firearm ownerships
5. The highest number of incarcerated citizens per capita
6. Energy use per person
7. Health expenditures
8. Cocaine use

Now, I'm not sure about you, but I'm not really proud of these statistics. Especially since I'm a student of one of the high schools in America, I am one of the students being tested and I know that I may even be one of these students that are pulling us down, or I may be one of those dragging us up. Where I come from originally, Singapore, the curriculums are difficult, if you don't do well you get left in the dust. Forget no child left behind, whether you get left behind or not is up to you. Now it may just be because of my location, a small rural town that nobody's really ever heard of, but I know for a fact that my peers are smoking weed out back behind the school, that there are some who are sexually harassing others and are proud of that, there are even some that don't give a damn who finds out because they know that they won't do anything about it. I also know for a fact that not every school in America is like this, I know that there are some of my peers that are working hard to drag us out of the shadows of the others, I know that some people, like me, and hopefully you, are ashamed of where we are and are striving for better.

Be the change you wish to see in the world.

Mahatma Ghandi said that. He said that during a time of struggle and a time where freedom was not that common, but though we are not struggling for the same type of freedom as this great man. Though we do not have the same type of struggle, a struggle is a struggle no matter what category of struggle it is. Whether we are struggling for independence, educational reform, or for socks to wear since our siblings took them all, it is still a struggle. And in this struggle for a better education I hope you will join me and the large number of people that have been trying to change this from decades before me. I wish you good luck, as I hope you do as well to me. Let's work together to bring America back to number one.

- Karma