Scary statistics

My first lesson today was with my 12th grade bilingual class, whom I've taught for four years. We have one of those "love-hate relationships"....I love them, but a couple of them don't love me too much. That's ok. Today, we got to talking about Hungary's "achievements" and it's "ranking" in some interesting areas. I did not know until today that Hungary boasts the highest number of Nobel Prize winners of any nation! However, it seems that very few people know that fact. Instead, the following facts are published for the world to see. Budapest is the leading center for pornography in all of central europe. Hungary is second in the world when it comes to suicides. Hungary is also second in europe when it comes to obesity. They also have one of the highest abortion rates and divorce rates in europe. I asked my students why they think this country is such a "leader" in these areas. One of my students commented, "Hungarians are just really stupid!" I countered with, "But I thought Hungarians were considered to be extremely intelligent!" A resounding "No!" came from more than one student. Then one of my brightest girls piped in and said, "Hungarians are well-educated, but they are not intelligent. Anybody can get a diploma, but knowing how to use that diploma and the knowledge is another question." Well-educated but not intelligent. These comments coming from high school seniors, preparing to take their cumulative final exams in 5 months...not the typical "I know everything" attitude one sometimes expects from high school seniors. Maybe they will be the leaders in helping to change some of these scary statistics and move Hungary forward! I pray this be so. www.ceokids.org