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Code7000

Hello, I am here to debate to as why the resolution  that the U.S geography education is extremely flawed. I would like to define the american geography system as the way that geography is taught in the U.S.
I would first like to explain what happens in classrooms during the session in which geography is taught through grades K-12.

KIndergarten: No geography is taught whatsoever.
1st grade:You are taught where north america is. Geography does not extend beyond that in 1st grade.
2nd grade: You are taught where states are. When I say that I mean only the states that border yours.
3rd grade: You are briefly taught famous locations in the U.S.
4th grade: Your first time learning global geography. You are taught where the continents are, You will receive a brief geography quiz with questions like "What continent is germany located on"
a. Africa
b.Europe
c.Antarctica.
5th grade: There is no geography taught whatsoever.
6th grade: You are first taught european countries.
7th grade: Geography is briefly taught.
Grades 8-12: History completely replaces geography.

MayCaesar

In my experience, you cannot really learn geography without a strong motivation. Even if geography was taught well in schools, people would forget everything as soon as they graduate.

I know geography pretty well, because travel and history are two of my favorite fields/activities, and I naturally had to learn our planet's layout as I pursued these two hobbies. Ask me any question such as "What countries border Oman?", or "What is the landscape like in Western Maryland?" - and I generally will be able to answer immediately, without thinking.

But the areas of the world I was never particularly interested in, I never learned. I do not know what countries border Mali. I do not know whether Ivory Coast is mostly desert-like, or jungle-like, or savanna-like, or anything else-like.

The bottom line is: to really learn something, you need to be interested in something requiring you to learn something. If you are not, then all the education in the world will not teach you anything. You might learn some abstract facts, such as what Chile's capital is and where it is on the map - but this raw knowledge will not be very helpful, since you do not have anything to associate with those facts, and they are nothing more than words in your mind. On the other hand, if you are interested in history, then you can learn how Chile's capital came to be there, how it developed over the years, what major events occurred there, etc. - and that is a pretty solid knowledge that can help you at some point in your life. 

AmericanFurryBoy

This system that you outlined is outdated and probably only used by your state or school district. Where I live in Minnesota we have more rigorous standards that teach us about everything around the globe. I would say that most of the topics directly relate back to the US but other than that its pretty comprehensive.