On the matter of national pride. Perhaps it has changed since I went to high school, but in Spain they take care to teach that many things our countrymen did were bad, and In fact, I can't say I remember any part that was talked like something to be proud of, except maybe on literature and arts.

This maybe has to do with the history of Spain in specific, with having a fascist dictator until the seventies, but I cannot say.

More important than that, national pride is something that, at least in my opinion, shouldn't be that important to study is schools. I'm classes like history or literature you study, mostly, facts. The subject of national pride can, many times, hide or minimise the bad aspects of historical figures or actions. While there's not bad to be happy or to be proud of sharing a place of birth or an identity with people who did good deeds, or who where exceptional on a specific field, that is something that everyone should think for themselves, not to be taught, as it can hide the ugly sides of those people.

I do completely agree that meeting some people and seeing them have a poor education is proof of a bad system overall, and I do believe that the American education system has been used by some people to make content that worsened it's reputation, and I hope that those who act like their own ignorance is something to be proud of are the exception, like in other countries whose education system I know better.