OK. I really don’t expect kids to know the names of Supreme Court Justices (even if picking from a multiple-choice list). The Speakers have changed a lot in recent years, so, maybe excusable.
I get that their teachers (who should be fired for incompetency) have not distinguished between a democracy and a republic, which means that the kids, in their ignorance, think of it like
Democrats are the GOOD guys, therefore a democracy is a GOOD thing
Republicans are the BAD guys, therefore a republic somehow is a VERY BAD thing
But, you aren’t DUMB if you don’t know something; you are IGNORANT.
And, unlike STUPIDITY, ignorance can be cured by learning.
That the ignorant did not learn is largely a function of bad teaching. Now, the individual teachers may not be bad, but they are following the curriculum (think of it as a blueprint of what the teacher has to teach), and that curriculum is bad – very bad.
Some, if not most, of what students should be learning comes down to rote learning – the kind that is so frowned upon today. It’s the kind of learning that consists of reducing the concepts to their simplest, most easily understood form, and drilling that relentlessly.
How long? Until every student, when asked the question, What is the difference between a democracy and a republic, will spew the answer out. And, can correctly identify the USA as a republic of the constitutional type, and (briefly) explain why.
Guys, that method WORKS. It’s helped many students learn their ‘times’ tables, their ABCs (I still chant the alphabet when filing), and how to read written music.
It worked for Catholics who barely spoke or read the language who were drilled on the Baltimore Catechism.
Now, do those so drilled truly understand the more nuanced concepts?
Maybe.
Some will. Some won’t. However, like the rote learning of the driver’s license manual, it works to get them their learner’s permit. What they do after that is the problem of the NEXT teacher, who has to guide them to be road-worthy drivers.
It’s the majority of the job of the K-3 teachers; even after that point, there is a certain amount of rote learning that is core. In chemistry, learning the chemical symbols is rote. So is learning how to identify how many electrons/protons/neutrons there are in the elements on that chart.
Learning the trends of the periodic table is a rote task.
Learning the names of acids/bases, reading a pH scale, or learning the organic molecule functional groups is ALL rote.
So, not for the ‘dumb kids’. Useful even for advanced topics.
But, it is boring.
Not for the kids – anyone with ANY contact with minors knows that they LOVE repetition, whether it’s sports statistics, song lyrics, gossip, etc.
But, the tedium of repeating the same content, over and over again, starts to wear on teachers after a short while.
That’s why a lot of teachers, back in the day, were THRILLED to get married and retire from day-to-day teaching. Their own kids needed some of the same methods used on them, but the difference is: kids grow up. The former teachers weren’t facing 20-40 years of the same old, same old. There was variation in their own children’s personalities, proficiency, time required for them to master tasks, and the opportunity to deviate from the plan, should the situation indicate it.
Later, when their children were grown, some returned to teaching, but the break made a huge difference in their outlook on their work. And, to be fair, many were only going to do substitute work, or until their husband retired, or until they hit some financial goal.
Additionally, today’s teachers experience a LOT of peer pressure to go along with the WOKE/DEI/Progressive/Leftist agendas. Being identified as an independent thinker will leave that teacher isolated at work, left out of after school social activities, and excluded from the hallway conversations.
And, for most elementary/middle school teachers, that hurts – a lot.
Most of them are quite social. They often describe themselves as people-oriented, outgoing, and never too busy to talk.
Being isolated is, for them, unbearably painful. For many people fresh out of school, their workplace is the source of their social interactions.
It did bother me a little to be ignored at work. But, being a STEM-type, I was able to function without their approval. I also had a husband, children, and hobbies/activities that weren’t dependent on them.
The isolation forced me to find other ways to boost my self-esteem. I turned to professional activities with national organizations, blogging, and other hobbies.
And, I retired immediately after I was fully vested, rather than wait until I had the maximum number of years to boost my pension. As a result, I was able to establish alternative sources of income and to settle into an active life outside of teaching.
So, what’s the solution?
- Connect non-compliant teachers with other professionals – Ashland University has programs for teachers.
- Ashbrook.org has many programs, some for teachers, some for students.
- You should be aware the Other Side has an interest in this, and have started initiatives to “improve civics education”. What that means is up for question. And, it’s possible that Dreyfuss may lose interest, particularly if he gets an acting job. It’s more than possible that some professional activist(s) may run this; keep an eye on it.
- This is a self-paced course for high school students – I have NOT checked it out thoroughly yet. Caveat Emptor.
- ICivics – Can’t recommend this one. On the landing page, the second box has this:
“American democracy”? That says it all for me.
That’s all for now. My dog died yesterday, and I need a restorative nap.
