--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We spend a lot of time training and…" description: "\"We spend a lot of time training and retraining. It's heartbreaking because our education system has failed all of us. And again you go to China, even M..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d7/douglas-r-oberhelman-34987_again_we-spend-a-lot-of-time-training-and-retr_306791.jpg" --- # We spend a lot of time training and retraining. It's… ![“We spend a lot of time training and retraining. It's heartbreaking because our education system has failed all of us. And again you go to China, even Mexico, Brazil the education systems are valued - ours are not in this country at K-12 level. It's amazing how that change has transpired in my…” quote by Douglas R. Oberhelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d7/douglas-r-oberhelman-34987_again_we-spend-a-lot-of-time-training-and-retr_306791.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d7/douglas-r-oberhelman-34987_again_we-spend-a-lot-of-time-training-and-retr_306791.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d7/douglas-r-oberhelman-34987_again_we-spend-a-lot-of-time-training-and-retr_306791.jpg) > “We spend a lot of time training and retraining. It's heartbreaking because our education system has failed all of us. And again you go to China, even Mexico, Brazil the education systems are valued - ours are not in this country at K-12 level. It's amazing how that change has transpired in my lifetime.” [Douglas R. Oberhelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-r-oberhelman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Education systems in the U.S. are failing, prompting people to look abroad for better models. **In simple terms:** U.S. schools are lagging behind other countries. Key Takeaway Consider reforms that prioritize learning outcomes. Themes education policy comparative analysis systemic failure global perspective Mood frustrated concerned determined Type critical analytical call to action When to use this quote - school board meetings - parent-teacher conferences - policy advocacy - international study tours Key Concepts public policy equity curriculum design Questions to Reflect On - What changes could improve K‑12 outcomes? - Why do other nations succeed where we struggle? A Different Perspective Reforms face political resistance and funding constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amazing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amazing/) [Brazil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brazil/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Education system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education-system/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Heartbreaking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heartbreaking/) [Lifetime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifetime/) [Mexico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mexico/) [System](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/system/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Training](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/training/) ## Related quotes > [Today's public education system is a failed monopoly: bureaucratic, rigid and in unsteady control of dissatisfied captive markets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-t-kearns/today-s-public-education-system-is-a-failed-monopoly-bureaucratic/) David T. Kearns > [My mother was Catholic, my father not. I went to Catholic high school. Every form of education failed me. I was trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/my-mother-was-catholic-my-father-not-i-went-to-catholic-high-school/) [John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/) > [Education has failed in a very serious way to convey the most important lesson science can teach: skepticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/education-has-failed-in-a-very-serious-way-to-convey-the-most/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [ This \[Barack Obama\] administration has failed America's inner cities. Remember, it has failed America's inner cities. It's failed them on education. It's failed them… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/this-barack-obama-administration-has-failed-america-s-inner-cities/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [We must revamp K-12 education law to ensure Washington does not stand in the way of meaningful reforms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kline/we-must-revamp-k-12-education-law-to-ensure-washington-does-not-stand/) [John Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kline/) > [Common Core, the initiative that claims to more accurately measure K-12 student knowledge in English and math, also encourages children to step up their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harsanyi/common-core-the-initiative-that-claims-to-more-accurately-measure-k/) [David Harsanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harsanyi/) > [Truth be told, our modern education systems crush the very spirit they claim to instill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-kelly/truth-be-told-our-modern-education-systems-crush-the-very-spirit-they/) [Matthew Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-kelly/) > [I think higher ed in the U.S. is fairly healthy, and by global standards it dominates, and it makes people more productive. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/i-think-higher-ed-in-the-u-s-is-fairly-healthy-and-by-global/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [If you take a look at education, the kids that get good grades are said to humiliate those who don't. And what, then, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/if-you-take-a-look-at-education-the-kids-that-get-good-grades-are/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [You have, unfortunately, a K-12 educational system where the requirements to graduate are not the requirements to be college and career-ready. So if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-chertavian/you-have-unfortunately-a-k-12-educational-system-where-the/) [Gerald Chertavian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-chertavian/) > [All I suggest is to make K-12 like higher education. 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We need to strengthen education systems so that young people can benefit from cultural diversity, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ban-ki-moon/it-has-been-said-that-knowledge-is-power-we-need-to-strengthen/) [Ban Ki-moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ban-ki-moon/) > [If our society was a lot wealthier, I think we'd also probably have better education systems - this is pretty intuitive, I think, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/if-our-society-was-a-lot-wealthier-i-think-we-d-also-probably-have/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) > [Whether the task is fixing health care, upgrading K-12 education, bolstering national security, or a host of other missions, the U.S. is better at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-v-gerstner-jr/whether-the-task-is-fixing-health-care-upgrading-k-12-education/) [Louis V. Gerstner, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-v-gerstner-jr/) ## More by Douglas R. Oberhelman > [Why is Caterpillar bad if we create a new job in India or China to receive U.S. exports? It makes no sense to me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-r-oberhelman/why-is-caterpillar-bad-if-we-create-a-new-job-in-india-or-china-to/) [Douglas R. Oberhelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-r-oberhelman/) > [All of our competitors around the world, every country is investing more in infrastructure as a percentage of their GDP than we are. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-r-oberhelman/all-of-our-competitors-around-the-world-every-country-is-investing/) [Douglas R. Oberhelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-r-oberhelman/) > [Inflation was driven by higher labor costs, not higher goods costs. Frankly, I'd love to see a little bit of that. Because I'd love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-r-oberhelman/inflation-was-driven-by-higher-labor-costs-not-higher-goods-costs/) [Douglas R. Oberhelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-r-oberhelman/) > [Caterpillar is the world's leading manufacturer of construction equipment, so of course we want contractors to choose our equipment for projects. But our immediate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-r-oberhelman/caterpillar-is-the-world-s-leading-manufacturer-of-construction/) [Douglas R. Oberhelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-r-oberhelman/) > [We're going to have to raise revenues in some form or fashion, and we're going to have to cut spending, including entitlements of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-r-oberhelman/we-re-going-to-have-to-raise-revenues-in-some-form-or-fashion-and-we/) [Douglas R. Oberhelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-r-oberhelman/) > [Caterpillar exported $20 billion of goods in 2011, all by American hands and American workers, to all over the world. 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