Been saying this for a long time - You should contact Richard Dreyfuss, the actor, as he has been pushing for reinstating civics in the public schools. You might be a good pair to push this.
Education is the key to maintaining our liberty. Hopefully, live-long learning will be a result of that basic education.
I benefited from being drafted into the USMC, 1969-71. I learned from fellow Marines that educational opportunities were not equal. 2 Marines with HS diplomas from schools in Florida could not even spell basic words, like Love, and I assisted them in writing letters home. What a wake up for me!
please fully fund Public Education, and stop funding alternate private 'schools' with tax payers money.
"They must learn about our history of racism and of genocide — not, as Republican governors and legislatures across America have charged, in order to be ashamed of America — but to be aware of the moral challenges America has faced."
The only SHAME to be faced should be that of the GOP and their utter destruction of the Common Good.
“A republican form of government, without intelligence in the people,” he wrote, “must be, on a vast scale, what a mad-house, without superintendent or keepers…”
That explains our republican majority in the House.
Compulsory two year service after graduation (or dropping out of school) is a good idea. It would maturate the individual so he could make better life decisions. It could give them a choice: the military, a medical corps, the Peace Corps or other international organizations, Teacher Corp, the Red Cross or other disaster relief organizations, Habitat for Humanity, Forest fire prevention and suppression, or any number of organizations that exist for the common good. We need to do it, not for economic reasons, as we had to in the 30’s, but to strengthen both the participants and the country at the same time. We are floundering as a country, at odds with each other over everything. A common experience could bring us back to greatness.
Wow...How could I have just assumed that my children (now ages 39 to 48) had to take a civics or government course in high school. I know I did even in a private college prep academy and so did my husband. If this is the case across the country, no wonder our "participation" has decreased so drastically. Learning what it means to be a citizen not just a resident with privileges is essential!!!
I agree with all you state regarding education and service. There really is no way to preserve a democratic republic if the citizenry is ignorant at best or hostile to education at worst.
It will take a protracted effort to overcome our current polarization to make this all happen. The forces of fascism and white supremacy are terrified of legitimate civic education and of course an honest study of history. My hope is that we will stand up at the voting booth over the next few years and create the type of momentum that makes pursuing these goals possible.
When I started college in '68, you went to get an EDUCATION. A foreign language was required. This is where students were exposed to ideas that they may not previously been exposed to. For me, in the "60's, there was a big switch away from a general education to that of one based on science and math so we could compete with the Commies. I took my first social science courses in college and it opened my mind to a whole new world. You would then go on to grad school the start to focus on your "career." Today, from what I see, you go to college to get a job ad make more $. Just look at what DeSantis has done to education in FL, especially at New College. I remember: "Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country." Sad days ahead, I'm afraid.
I's a septuagenarian, educated in public schools. We took three years of mandatory Civics classes starting in 8th grade. I recall learning that Thomas Jefferson said "Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty." Today, the pubic school students in my city do not take a Civics class until their final year of high school. That's too late.
One of the main problems with the people who live within our boarders is they have lost touch with the reality of how this country operates. Without an understand of what make things work they have no idea of the difference between right and wrong. Example, Biden is correct Trump is wrong. A simple appraisal of what is dividing this country and our people. If our schools would teach its students the correct way this country works Trump would never have been elect in the first place. When you look in a mirror everything is in direct opposition to how we view ourselves. Trump is the mirror image of how this country views itself, everything the man stands for is the reverse of how we have grown accustomed to living. If students had been educate on how things should be they wouldn't have voted for a man that wants to burn it all down. To teach civics as a part of a normal secondary education is a must. The problems we are experiencing today could have been partially elevated by simply teaching our children the truth about how this country works. Bring back "Civics."
It started with Reagan and wasn't limited to civics.
Teaching was supposed to be my profession. I was lucky enough to attend and graduate from Boston University to become one.
I watched with what at the time was disbelief as Art, Music, Drama, and yes civics too virtually every class deemed " extracurricular" were whittled down to Math, Science, English, History and sports and no longer offered at all.
A tragedy of tremendous proportions that never received the pushback it should have gotten.
Now it's even worse as it's not just the creation of undereducated and well rounded and informed students but the actual indoctrination of lies about history and the ideology of white supremacy. That's why you have proud boys on the board of education in Florida.
Robert, Iove this idea. I've also thought that 2 years of service for young people would be what is needed. Like the military, young people could offer 2 years of service in many fields. Of course, they would receive training. This would be in many different fields in which they might be interested. Forestry, nursing, farming and land usage, overseas service, teaching in low income communities, and many others. The list of needs for service to mankind is endless. These young people would be provided housing and paid, just as a new military member going through boot camp. The training would likely be converted to college credits.
Now, for those who choose not to be subjected to this service, parents could pay to have their sons or daughters absolved. They would probably need to pay somewhere between 30 and 40 Thousand dollars, a year. I can hear the screams of UNFAIRNESS now.
A side light is that some fields might involve foreign travel. While I was in the military, I traveled to several countries. That is an experience that really opens one's eyes to the benefits we enjoy as Americans. And even in Europe where life is good, being in a country where the signs are in German or Japanese, or Thai, and distance is measured in kilometers is broading, to say the least.
The training to begin a young persons will also give them a start on beginning their careers. A short boot camp, classroom study, selection of a program, and the rules for their stay in the service would then lead to a specific training course. Much like the CCC my dad did in the late 1930s, this would be a great service to our country.
Excellent insights throughout--all of which remind us that Americans’ understanding & protection of the common good are essential to the preservation of our democracy.
(Note: “high school degree” should be “high school diploma”; a “degree” is conferred only by a college or university.)
Sounds like that kind of education - teaching tolerance and morality would lead to a lot more Democrats and a lot fewer Republicans! It's obvious why it's not supported by Washington.
Been saying this for a long time - You should contact Richard Dreyfuss, the actor, as he has been pushing for reinstating civics in the public schools. You might be a good pair to push this.
Education is the key to maintaining our liberty. Hopefully, live-long learning will be a result of that basic education.
I benefited from being drafted into the USMC, 1969-71. I learned from fellow Marines that educational opportunities were not equal. 2 Marines with HS diplomas from schools in Florida could not even spell basic words, like Love, and I assisted them in writing letters home. What a wake up for me!
please fully fund Public Education, and stop funding alternate private 'schools' with tax payers money.
"They must learn about our history of racism and of genocide — not, as Republican governors and legislatures across America have charged, in order to be ashamed of America — but to be aware of the moral challenges America has faced."
The only SHAME to be faced should be that of the GOP and their utter destruction of the Common Good.
“A republican form of government, without intelligence in the people,” he wrote, “must be, on a vast scale, what a mad-house, without superintendent or keepers…”
That explains our republican majority in the House.
Compulsory two year service after graduation (or dropping out of school) is a good idea. It would maturate the individual so he could make better life decisions. It could give them a choice: the military, a medical corps, the Peace Corps or other international organizations, Teacher Corp, the Red Cross or other disaster relief organizations, Habitat for Humanity, Forest fire prevention and suppression, or any number of organizations that exist for the common good. We need to do it, not for economic reasons, as we had to in the 30’s, but to strengthen both the participants and the country at the same time. We are floundering as a country, at odds with each other over everything. A common experience could bring us back to greatness.
Wow...How could I have just assumed that my children (now ages 39 to 48) had to take a civics or government course in high school. I know I did even in a private college prep academy and so did my husband. If this is the case across the country, no wonder our "participation" has decreased so drastically. Learning what it means to be a citizen not just a resident with privileges is essential!!!
I agree with all you state regarding education and service. There really is no way to preserve a democratic republic if the citizenry is ignorant at best or hostile to education at worst.
It will take a protracted effort to overcome our current polarization to make this all happen. The forces of fascism and white supremacy are terrified of legitimate civic education and of course an honest study of history. My hope is that we will stand up at the voting booth over the next few years and create the type of momentum that makes pursuing these goals possible.
When I started college in '68, you went to get an EDUCATION. A foreign language was required. This is where students were exposed to ideas that they may not previously been exposed to. For me, in the "60's, there was a big switch away from a general education to that of one based on science and math so we could compete with the Commies. I took my first social science courses in college and it opened my mind to a whole new world. You would then go on to grad school the start to focus on your "career." Today, from what I see, you go to college to get a job ad make more $. Just look at what DeSantis has done to education in FL, especially at New College. I remember: "Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country." Sad days ahead, I'm afraid.
A STEM is not any good without the proper roots.
Two years is not a lot to ask and two years fly by. We very much need to get back to being community minded and get out of our cult like ways.
I's a septuagenarian, educated in public schools. We took three years of mandatory Civics classes starting in 8th grade. I recall learning that Thomas Jefferson said "Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty." Today, the pubic school students in my city do not take a Civics class until their final year of high school. That's too late.
One of the main problems with the people who live within our boarders is they have lost touch with the reality of how this country operates. Without an understand of what make things work they have no idea of the difference between right and wrong. Example, Biden is correct Trump is wrong. A simple appraisal of what is dividing this country and our people. If our schools would teach its students the correct way this country works Trump would never have been elect in the first place. When you look in a mirror everything is in direct opposition to how we view ourselves. Trump is the mirror image of how this country views itself, everything the man stands for is the reverse of how we have grown accustomed to living. If students had been educate on how things should be they wouldn't have voted for a man that wants to burn it all down. To teach civics as a part of a normal secondary education is a must. The problems we are experiencing today could have been partially elevated by simply teaching our children the truth about how this country works. Bring back "Civics."
It started with Reagan and wasn't limited to civics.
Teaching was supposed to be my profession. I was lucky enough to attend and graduate from Boston University to become one.
I watched with what at the time was disbelief as Art, Music, Drama, and yes civics too virtually every class deemed " extracurricular" were whittled down to Math, Science, English, History and sports and no longer offered at all.
A tragedy of tremendous proportions that never received the pushback it should have gotten.
Now it's even worse as it's not just the creation of undereducated and well rounded and informed students but the actual indoctrination of lies about history and the ideology of white supremacy. That's why you have proud boys on the board of education in Florida.
Robert, Iove this idea. I've also thought that 2 years of service for young people would be what is needed. Like the military, young people could offer 2 years of service in many fields. Of course, they would receive training. This would be in many different fields in which they might be interested. Forestry, nursing, farming and land usage, overseas service, teaching in low income communities, and many others. The list of needs for service to mankind is endless. These young people would be provided housing and paid, just as a new military member going through boot camp. The training would likely be converted to college credits.
Now, for those who choose not to be subjected to this service, parents could pay to have their sons or daughters absolved. They would probably need to pay somewhere between 30 and 40 Thousand dollars, a year. I can hear the screams of UNFAIRNESS now.
A side light is that some fields might involve foreign travel. While I was in the military, I traveled to several countries. That is an experience that really opens one's eyes to the benefits we enjoy as Americans. And even in Europe where life is good, being in a country where the signs are in German or Japanese, or Thai, and distance is measured in kilometers is broading, to say the least.
The training to begin a young persons will also give them a start on beginning their careers. A short boot camp, classroom study, selection of a program, and the rules for their stay in the service would then lead to a specific training course. Much like the CCC my dad did in the late 1930s, this would be a great service to our country.
Excellent insights throughout--all of which remind us that Americans’ understanding & protection of the common good are essential to the preservation of our democracy.
(Note: “high school degree” should be “high school diploma”; a “degree” is conferred only by a college or university.)
Sounds like that kind of education - teaching tolerance and morality would lead to a lot more Democrats and a lot fewer Republicans! It's obvious why it's not supported by Washington.