Curriculum in school

And here is this topic. Now I'll be the first to admit it, I do not get perfect grades. I have never gotten perfect grades, and quite frankly, I don't think I will ever get perfect grades. There always seems to be a test that I'm just not ready for, or some project that I do not do well on. However, I do know that I learn something in school every day, regardless of test scores or perfect grades. If America is ranked seventeenth in math/science, then why not make it harder. I'm not in love with science or math (go english!), but I know that if the challenge was brought upon me, I could rise to the occasion. I would enjoy learning more in school, and having it be harder so I could learn more, and be more successful when I'm older, in any way that it may benefit me. There are things that I do in certain classes that take the entire class period, rather than maybe twenty minutes- how long it should take. Sometimes that is my fault, sometimes it is not. But I think that American standards of learning need to be raised so that Americans learn more in general. After all, that is why I did the IB Programme- I wanted a challenge.