educational experiences - EU and US

one of the major reasons for taking my son back to europe is, on many levels, the impoverished education I received in chicago - the ignorance, bigotry, racism and sexism that I experienced from 1971-1995 probably took me the better part of 10 years to 'unlearn' after I left, as I re-educated myself about the world and what's right and wrong. despite the obvious and great advantages of US education, this is in addition to unhealthy levels of narrow-mindedness and self-interest, rampant capitalism, hipocracy on a grand scale, lack of international connectivity (let alone general knowledge) or real interest in and concern for the world beyond US borders. In hindsight, the primary and secondary educational curriculum and the system in which it has developed leaves much to be desired, coming from the perspective of an internationally educated and concerned world citizen. I'm sorry my fellow americans, but this country is not what I thought it was 15 years ago.