Calculus in Lower Education

Since Calculus is a sort of "big picture" view of what everything in Highschool Math actually means and looks like, should there be some kind of Pre-PreCalculus or Calculus Concepts that can be introdeuced around first year highschool?  So people could perhaps actually understand what it is they're learning?

Japan is not "the rest of the world".  Not all Canadian high school students graduate with an extensive knowledge of calculus.  In the US, the opportunities are there for those that want to learn.  Most US high schools have AP programs; AP calculus and AP chemistry can get you out of the analogous freshman university courses given a good AP test score (although many US universities do not allow this).  If the AP classes are not there, just about any local community college will have at the very least first and second year university-level courses in those areas. 

And if that's not advanced enough for you, check out the results of the Intel science talent search (http://www.sciserv.org/sts/64sts/winners.asp), and keep in mind that these are *high school students*.

Sorry if this comes off as abrasive, but it sometimes irks me to hear people talk about all US students being idiots.  The truth is, the "problem" isn't 100% education system.  It's also culture.  If students *want* to learn, they have to go out there and do it.