Ignorant Young Americans?
Sunday October 22, 2006
In a speech given at Wharton Center for Performing Arts in East Lansing, Michigan, historian David McCullough stated, "We are raising young Americans who are by and large woefully ignorant of American history." Do you agree or disagree? Post your thoughts by clicking "comments" below.
Comments
World history too.
What little history that is taught is edited so drastically that the truth is often not touched. Who has heard of the Olive Branch Treaty and its part in America’s fight for independance? Among other things.
I agree 100%. Not only in history but in many other subjects as well, not to mention common sense.
My son is in 8th grade and is just learning about The Declaration of Independence. I’m thankful he’s learning that much! Textbooks and teachers give a smattering of what they want young people to know. Talking to young people, listening to young people, for the most part, is
painful - they either give the biased opinion of their teacher, or they know very little or nothing at all about how our government is run, much less about world history. Sad, indeed.
Ah, yes, let’s not forget that common
sense appears to be dead.
I agree also Subjects aren’t taught in school anymore just teach how to test it is a shame as the dumbing down process is really showing up now. The news media also doesn’t give the truth either its all owned by the big Corp. which doesn’t want the truth told.
I teach American History and American Government on the undergraduate level at a small university. Most of the students I teach are woefully ignorant of the 5 freedoms in the First Amendment and have little or no understanding of the importance of knowing our history!
I agree. History is to the human race as memory is to the individual, so if we don’t know some history, we’ve got problems. As far as I can tell Americans, young and old, are suffering from amnesia or ignorance. Why else would they initiate a war in Iraq so similar to the one in Vietnam? Young Americans were not alive to experience Vietnam, so the young are ignorant; the old suffering from amnesia.
Until we can separate out classes according to willingness to learn and aptitude, teachers will continue to have to interrupt classes for behavioral issues that take away from quality learning time and learning issues that dictate more to the lower level than any other level. This is the one single reason that curriculum may not be adequately covered. There are so many students who are willing and able to learn who must either have a dumbed down curriculum or wait while the teacher addresses dysfunctional behavior.
I remember a few years ago the local paper published the curriculum for Elementary and Middle School children from a small rural school in Kansas during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Excerpts from math, language, geograpy, literture, and history were taken as tests for a sampling second and third year college students.
Few passed.
Some village people in Europe speak at least 2 languages, yet here in the United States foreign languages, not to mention history, geography and culture are practically non-existent in schools. I lived in Europe for two years and when I returned, I fell into a deep depression because I found I could not relate to anyone.
The damage caused by the United States´ approach to education is going to be very hard to correct if something is not done soon. We are dooming our children to a lifetime of ignorance, which results in lesser opportunities in life.
It is tragic that we learn about other countries only when we are at war with them.
As a former teacher and a reader of Hirsch’s “Cultural Literacy,” I continue to be dismayed at the ignorance of young people. Lately, I’ve wondered at the STERILITY of their discourse. If they express themselves metaphorically at all, it’s in terms of pop music, tv shows, and other pop forms of their culture of ignorance.
I totally agree, that’s why I sent my child to a private school to get what the public school lacks: discipline, knowledge, ability to think and reason, arts, etc. Hate to see our tax dollars produce such a poor product.
I agree I think young Americans do not know their history or geography very well. I do think it is really are administrators and politicians fault though. Our leaders put all the focus on math science and standardize tests. Students and teachers do not have time to know about history. I also believe these leaders could care less about History or Geography.
Unfortunately, I must agree with David McCullough in that we are raising a generation that are woefully ignorant of just about everything. Pop culture (TV, music, reality shows, video games) has taken over the minds of our children. Who is to blame? 1) parents who are allowing children to raise themselves or who have abdicated the responsibility to others; 2) schools that permit disruptive children to terrorize others; 3) No Child Left Behind without any emphasis on the social studies at all; 4)standardized tests - social studies/history content is not even important enough to be tested; 4) our entire society which remains silent while we continue to do the same old thing year after year after year. We waste too much time bewailing the problem, yet too few are trying to tackle the issues and do something positive. I teach in a public high school and each year the caliber of students who are academically prepared for rigourous and challenging coursework is steadily diminishing. I have never seen such intellectual laziness in my 20+ years of teaching - and nothing seems to help motivate the students to change and get out of the rut they are in. The majority of students today are clueless about the challenges and expectations for the 21st century.
I agree with the statement that most young people know very little about American History.My children would ask me a question about certain events that took place in the 50’s and 60’s and I would answer them.They were alway surprise that I knew so much.I was shopping in a walmart and the young cashier who happen to be young and black did not know about the trial regarding the man who had alot to do with the church that burned and killed the gitls.I had to educate her.Oh by the way I am white
much time is wasted on nonesentials American history should be emphasised omre.
It is true that the youth of our Nation is becoming more and more ignorant. Being 20 and pregnant with my first child, I plan to help my child understand the things that I didn’t. Why place all of the blame on our govement leaders, and our school teachers? It’s time to place the blame where it belongs, in the home. I don’t understand why so many other parents and adults complain about this, but what do they do to help? Do they educate their children so that they do not fall under this ignorance?
I have a child in public school, and he is academically ahead of the rest of his peers. By the way, that has NOTHING to do with what the public schools have done for him. Since elementary school, I’ve heard the whining of teachers and administrators regarding having to deal with disciplinary problems at hand, and also working with those who are not gifted. Not gifted to these individuals = in 8th grade and unable to spell the word math! My child does have a History teacher who teaches. Thank you, Mr. X. As for his other teachers, they don’t teach anything except how to line up on the left side of the hall, as opposed to the right, and other such nonsense. These “educators” are paper-pushers: they don’t teach. They hand out assignments (which they know nothing about), and they insist on kids using crayons (hello?? - it’s middle school, not kinderegarten); they give them busy work, then load them up with nonsensical projects and 4-5 hours of homework a night! The bright kids acts as teacher in group projects, and also gets “stuck” doing all the work.
Teachers and administrators, wake up!
Teach!!! Stop being bureaucrats and teach these children. Stand up for what’s right! Have some integrity!
Yes, I agree we have lazy students.
If we had more parental involvement (a lot more), and teachers who would let the school cop/assistant principal act ast the disciplinarian, more time could be spent doing things the old way - teach! Don’t push papers, give no explanations or examples, and expect students to “get it.”
Teachers, do your jobs! Parents, do your jobs! Students, listen up, and learn. If a 13-yr-old is only able to read at a 4th-grade level, and doesn’t know his/her multiplication tables, we will have (and seemingly already have)very few students who are learned. All of us have a part to play in this.
And, to those teachers who insist on spending class time doing busy work instead of teacing - WAKE UP! Do your job! There are students there who want to learn! And, for those who are not interested, try to find a way to make learning come alive!
they not only are not aware of american history, but world history, also, not to mention what is happening in their own towns and cities.
The problem has been a long time in the making. It appears that learning to think, not just memorize facts, has been ignored for at least a generation already. Twenty-five years ago I helped teach a college course in the humanities. Each week students were expected to write a one- or two-page essay, discussing an assigned question. There were no “right” or “wrong” answers. The paper was to show the individual’s grappling with the topic. Grading papers, I learned: (a) many students had not the first idea of how to organize an essay; (b) most students, though 19 or 20, had not yet advanced to abstract thinking; and (c) even the best in the class were all but panicked by marginal notes asking a question meant to push their thinking one step farther–they saw a teacher response only as meaning they had done something wrong. As for history, what importance does it have if it is presented only as facts without a broader significance–something merely to be memorized in order to pass a test…and then forgotten. Unfortunately, not knowing our history means not only that we are doomed to making stupid mistakes in our own day but that we are deprived of hope by not knowing how our predecessors solved difficult problems; we can only rail–pre-defeated–against the wrongness we see in our own day.
Fortunately, my child has teachers who explain to students the significance of abstract thinking. For instance, it is useless to memorize acronyms for setting up algebraic equations if one is not taught how to apply that in real life. Logic is not taught in most public schools. Common sense seems to be long gone. Instead of the focus being on Thinking, the focus, in most cases, is on meeting the teaher’s agenda for the year and making sure the end-of-year state test scores are at least average! The SAT is now composed of an essay component, yet most teachers haven’t taught students proper sentence structure, punctuation, grammar, etc. Teachers espouse an open-door policy of asking questions, yet when a student musters the courage to ask a question, many times there is a mockery made of the student (and I’m referring to comments made by educators, not other students). It’s not a matter of pushing students’ thinking one step further by expecting them to ask questions…. I’ve heard the sarcastic remarks made by educators when students ask questions. This does not apply to all teachers, but it does apply to many. That’s shameful, and it happens every day. Teach the children well……… teach them to be articulate. They already know how they feel. Encourage them to voice their thoughts - whether it be in written or oral form. If a student doesn’t know the answer to a question, be respectful and kind and treat them with dignity. No question is stupid.
If a student doesn’t know how to write an essay, teach them how to do it. If the teacher doesn’t have time to teach these things, then find a peer tutor or spend some extra time after school with these kids. Teachers, you were once a kid, too. Try to remember how that felt.
We must remember these students are our future leaders and care-givers.
Allow them to speak in class, don’t treat them as little people who have little importance. Remember, at the end of the game, the kings and pawns go back into the same box!
i, too, am a reader of Hirsch’s
Dictionar of Cultural Literacy. For those who are unfamiliar with this book, I recommend making it part of your library. It’s not just the young people who are STERILE in their discourse. We must ask ourselves how these young people arrived at this crossroads of ignorance. Could it be that adults are not doing their jobs? My child reads Hirsch’s book, too. Perhaps, we might think about sharing what we know …….. pass it on to the next generation? Let’s find a way to tell them about confirmation hearings, civil rights,
and town hall meetings that impact the towns in which they live. Let’s share with them what a gerrymander is, or recite the Preamble to the Constitution to them. Let us not be so quick to criticize the children …. for children and adults are lacking basic knowledge about their towns, states, and the country in which they live.
Ignorance is malignat. Let’s do what we can to put an end to it, one step at a time. “The man who is dissatisfied with himself, what can he not do?” ~ Henry David Thoreau
English and History are required subjects,like physcial education.Thus, they suffer the same fate,controlling inept pupils.All other disciplines screen the students and deter them from progressing.Why should any teacher be ashamed? If there wasn’t ignorance there would be no need for the services provided. It’s just like lawyers and doctors,misfortune breeds cash.
Are our students more ignorant? YES, but not because of the teachers.
Thank you to the ones of you who recognize that most of the problems begin in the homes and recognize that the goverment plays a role in our disfunctional schools. Thank you Pat Allen, Christopher Jones, Cassandra, and Debra.
Yes, we have teachers who do not honor their profession; however, we have many more teachers, especially new ones, who begin each year with hopes and ideas on how to instruct the young ones. Once they get in the classroom, they realize that they have time to do everything but teach: they need to be the parent, the counselor, the principal, the nurse, the secretary, and the teacher who teaches students how to pass the standardized test; then, if there is any time left over (after assemblies, pep rallies, etc.), they can be the kind of teacher they want to be: the teacher that does the special projects with the students and helps them discover the wonders of the world.
When we will realize that testing is just but one measure of the students’ progress and let the teachers truly teach without comparing students, then we will begin to see a change. We use standardized testing to make sure teachers are doing their jobs. Let the teachers prepare and administer a pre-test at the beginning of the year and a post-test at the end (both tests should be approved by the principal and school board - to make sure the teachers are not taking the easy way out, since this seems to be a concern). If the students have made progress, then the teachers and students have done their job. Who cares how the students in California compare to the students in New York! We also need to stop comparing our students to those from other countries. We have a different culture, we have different values… how can you compare a student in Japan, who does not address the teacher unless he/she has been asked a question, with a student in the U.S., who is allowed to talk back to a teacher because he/she knows there will be no major consequences (perhaps silent lunch or loss of recess!).
When we will realize that discipline begins in the home, the principal will be able to do what he/she has been hired to do instead of dealing with big disciplinary issues, hence delegating smaller but very disruptive ones for the teachers to deal with. I don’t believe in corporal punishment; so, how about instituting something else for the students to do, if they misbehave….how about getting them to mop floors and clean toilets at the school? Oh…my bad…that would be considered child labor and too humiliating (I cannot understand why, since we do have people that do those jobs - a big THANK YOU to our janitors who try to keep a clean and healthy environment - no thanks to our very disrespectful students who don’t know how to use a toilet and a trash can!). We have been stripped of the power to discipline in the name of saving the children. The children know it and they are playing the game! I understand there are individuals who do abuse children. I believe they should be punished. However, because of them, we can no longer even threaten a child with a spanking without being told that we are going to be reported to the authorities (by the child!).
When we will realize that students with disabilities need more people to help them (including paper pushers), then we will stop taking help away from the classrooms and therefore forcing the teachers to become paper pushers (I am sure you are aware of the amount of paperwork and meetings involved per child with special needs). Give more money to the schools in order to hire more people to do the tasks that need to be done, allowing teachers to teach. The government (local or/and national) is asking for all sorts of papers on ALL students, yet the government does not give us enough people to fill those papers, leaving the duty to the teachers!
When we will realize that it is the parents’ resposibility to make sure the child gets to school and does not stay home, then the teacher will not have to keep up with the absences/tardies to relate to the secretary, because the secretary has been burdened with many other duties to fulfill (some more of those papers the government asks us to fill out).
As a teacher I am frustrated because I cannot teach. I spend 60/65 hours a week on my job. 50 hours only between Monday and Friday, another 10/12 hours on Saturday trying to clean up the room (the students trash because they have no respect for themselves or others), cleaning up the cluttered desk because of all the papers we have to fill out (and we don’t get to do during the day because we are trying to teach while disciplining those who misbehave), preparing lesson plans and all that needs to go with them (experiments, projects, worksheets - yes! do you need worksheets as well! - ect.); the remainder of the hours on Sunday to make sure all is truly ready (did I think about the student with the special need? Is he/she going to be able to understand the worksheet/project?).
I was once a parent who complained that schools did not do what they were supposed to do…teach. I am now a parent and a teacher, and I now know why many teachers do not teach!
Are our students more ignorant? YES, but not because of the teachers. I apologize to all those teachers I have criticized in the past. Only when you walk in someones’ shoes you really know what is going on.
I can only see my side of the story. I do not know what goes on in the government when it comes to schools.
I do know that as much as I love teaching, as much as I love science and social studies, and as much as I want the students to learn of the beautiful things of the world, I do not think it is worth sacrificing my family for it. I have had to neglect my family to do what a teacher is asked to do. I want my children to learn those beautiful things they don’t get to learn in the classroom. Am I thinking about renewing my contract? No.
Ellen,
please, don’t renew your contract - you’ll do everyone a favor.
William, there are inept teachers that should be booted out of their jobs but are protected by administration and
teachers’ unions. Stop bashing students. Why should teachers be ashamed?? Some teachers, not all, should be ashamed of their consistent behavior of disrespecting students by making kids feel unimportant, insignificant…… is that clear enought for you? Cameras w/audio in the classrooms of America would be very telling. My child has teachers who curse, yell, scream, threaten…… the teachers are bullies, William. Enough reasons for you to understand why teachers should be ashamed?? Teachers are also ignorant - i guess that’s why they have teacher workshops? It’s a capitalistic society.
Education, discipline, morals, integrity, respect DOES begin at home - and it is enforced in this home. I give my time to my child from the time school is out until around 11 pm at night.
If teachers who have 2-3 months off in the summer whine and complain, do as Ellen has proposed - don’t renew your contract!!
Each teacher thinks his/her class is the only class a student has. hence, mounds of homework is heaped on students. my child may be in the minority, but he does his projects, essays, and all the rest of the assignments (including silly busy work); he picks up after himself in the classroom, he addresses his teachers in a respectful manner, he is not a disciplinary problem. Question for teachers who are “toughing it out until retirement” …. Why don’t you open your eyes and realize your colleage who has a room next to yours is probably as inept as many of the students????
Each teacher, with the exception of one writer in this blog, appears to really dislike kids. If you’re that miserable, stay away from them!
ps. William, to quote you: “If there wasn’t ignorance there would be no need for the services provided. It’s just like lawyers and doctors,misfortune breeds cash.”
your comment is illogical. if you’re saying that studnets should already know what is being taught in the classroom before entering the next grade in school, then that’s not ignorance, that’s called GROWING UP! - and you’re implying if they don’t have foreknowledge of upcoming classwork, they’re ignorant???
Students are in the classroom to be taught (stay on topic, please. this has nothing to do with doctors and lawyers). Misfortune breeds catastrophe!
Adults and kids are ignorant about many topics. Let’s not confine the ignorance to History.
We are all studnets - we never stop learning, unless we make that decision.
I agree with Gail’s comments. especially what she has to say to William. Kids shouldn’t be considered ignorant because they don’t know what’s going to be taught in class.
They go to class to be taught!
Yes today’s young people are not being taught American history. They are being fed a bunch of revisionist nonsense that is supposed to make the students feel guilty about everything the U.S. has ever done. I am not saying that the U.S. has always done everything 100% correctly. However, there is no doubt that we have been blessed to live in this nation that has so many freedoms granted to us by God and the U.S. Constitution. A big part of keeping those freedoms is the U.S. military and the blood that was shed all over the world in the past as well as currently. Freedom is not free as is so often quoted. Yet teachers from grade school through college love to malign our military.
Why do so many people from other countries want to live here in the first place? Why do we have the illegal immigration problem? Because the U.S. has what everyone else is jealous of.
The teachers have the autonomy to teach American History correctly if they so desire. Unfortunately, they often choose to teach revisionist American History because they believe it. It is their religion and they want to bring in as many converts as possible. They start teaching it to preschool students and by the time the students have graduated from college they are card carrying members.
I am a middle aged college student. It is amazing how totally ignorant the students just out of high school are. They can’t spell, read, write, or do basic math. I believe it is a combination of the educational system and the fact that parents are often way too overwhelmed to pay any attention to what is going on in their children’s lives. They use the schools as babysitters for their children and don’t want to rock the boat. It is too much of a hassle for them to get involved.
Seems there is a lot of blame being placed on kids when the real problem is
over-crowded class rooms, poor planning on the part of the teacher, poor planning on the part of school administrators, and a lack of respect for the impressionable minds of young people!
Kids are rushed in each class. if they miss one day of school, they are expected to find a peer to obtain make-up work! That’s absurd.
numerous articles have recently been written about the stress that teachers place on students: it causes depression, apathy, fear - and in the worst of cases, it causes suicidal thoughts.
Teachers/schools, stop robbing our kids of any free time to relax!
you rob them of their childhood!!!!!!
Kids have a life outside of the classroom, and it’s difficult to find an hour in the evenings to sit and talk to my child because homework and projects have been asssigned.
Admit it. Some teachers are just sarcastic and need to be working in the prison systems as disciplinarians.
you have no place in a classroom!
Stop whimpering about lesson plans and the amount of time you spend working 60 hours a week! You have the summer to recover. And, if you don’t like what you’re doing, GET OUT OF DODGE! and give the school kids a break.
in terms of giving more money to the school. you must be kidding! i’m
sick to death of giving money to my child’s school. i write at least one check a week to the school (not to mention all the “freebies” the teachers ask for at the beginning of the school year: paper punchers, ink jet cartridges, reams of paper, and the list goes on ad nauseum.
Teachers, you are in a position of authority in the classroom. many of you set poor examples and abuse your authority. maybe the reason some of these kids are “problem kids” is because of your pitiful example.
Again, give the kids a break, teachers!
Quit your jobs which allow you to be arbitray in the classroom and take long summmer vacations. You have it easy; if you don’t think so, then take a job working at McDonald’s or Walmart!
many of you educators are high-minded and senseless!
oh, i agree that teachers malign our military! They indoctrinate our kids to think the way the teacher thinks. Propagada used in the classroom? you bet!
By the way, when will the history and social studies’ teachers remember that Native Americans were in the US before Christopher C. arrived????
I agree with james. Christopher C. came to America, he didn’t discover it!
Talk about rewriting history!!!!!!
Robert and James, i agree with you!
We disrespect Native Americans by celebrating Christopher C. as the one who discovered America. Another
wrong that should be made right in the history books, and taught from the mouths of the teachers.
Dear Gail,
teachers have teacher’s workshops because our dear government keeps changing around the curriculum thinking that the next one around will be better than the previous one. They have just changed it to incorporate more hands on experience and actual understanding of the subject rather than just parroting back information (Hooray for that!). Unfortunately, they have yet to provide teachers with the necessary tools to help students achieve the new goals they have set (at least where I am from). THAT is why we have to go to teacher’s workshops. It is not because we are ignorant.
I applaude you on your idea of video and audio in our classrooms. This is something I have asked to get into my classroom for quite a while. I am still waiting to hear back. Yes, I have my bad moments with the children (when they hit each other, say mean things about each other, take for themselves items belonging to others without asking first, etc). Don’t you? I am human after all, but the point is that, every time I mention a tape recorder to my students or a videocamera, they all quiet down, they all start behaving. They don’t want their families to know what is really going on in the classroom. The only problem…unless I will soon be given a camera or a tape recorder to place in my classroom, the only leverage I have on them will no longer work.
Dear Gail, I also hope you talk from experience. I hope you are a teacher in the classroom. If you are not, I suggest you spend a month, heavens…a week would probably do, in a classroom, from beginning of day to end of day.
I did say we do have teachers that do not honor their profession. I also said that I would not renew my contract so that I could have time to spend with my children; time that right now I am spending for other parents’ children, and being disrespected for. I also go to bed at 11pm, some days later than that. The difference is that while you are helping your son, I have to tell him to do it on his own because I need to grade students’ papers! How fair is that to him? He is the reason why I don’t want to renew the contract. I want to do for him what you get to do for your son.
Now, not all children are disrespectful. I have about three or four in each class of 12 (and I am blessed to have such a small classroom) that are very respectful. Ask those students how the others behave. I should perhaps scan the letters of apology they write to their teachers in behalf of their disrespectful peers and post them on the site.
These students want to learn, but are being held back due to those students who decide that they want to do everything but learn.
On the homework subject…I for one don’t give out homework because I am aware that many students do not have the parental support (your children are lucky) to help them guide them through the project and because children also need time to relax and be children. I give homework when they have to prepare for a test. I try to cover in class the necessary things they need. However, for some subjects, you have to have homework, as repetition is the key to learning a specific item. I don’t believe in busy work. I believe in having them do what is necessary to learn, nothing more. Have you addressed the homework situation with your son’s teacher?
Also, as techers, we don’t dislike children. We don’t appreciate their behavior and the fact that nothing is done about it. There are teachers who belittle their children. I agree with you and something should be done about that (perhaps those cameras will help); however, there are teachers who bend over backwards for their students, only to be yelled at and being told to take their x@#! out the door. We give them a hand, they take the arm and rip it apart. We give them the other arm thinking that perhaps they don’t know how to accept kindness and we should give them another chance, and they rip us apart even more. Your child and others out there, mine included, have been taught right from wrong, have the parental support they need; they know how to speak with a regular voice and how to display their disappointment in an appropriate manner. Are all the children in your son’s classroom as respectful and diligent as he is? Chances are they are not and they are the reason why your son’s teachers yell. You are looking at your child and speaking from his perspective. A teacher may have bashed your child and that is why you answer the blog the way you do. I am sorry that has happened. I am sorry he had to witness such a behavior from an adult. As I am sorry that many times the few good ones have to suffer consequences along with all the other ones who have not behaved. We try to be fair and just to the best of our capabilities. At times, that is just not possible to achieve. You have the power to go to the principal and voice your concerns. You have the power to go to the board of education and talk with its members if you cannot get results with the principal.
You mention being a minority (I don’t recall anyone else mentioning race). I work in a school that has a large minority. I have some of the sweetest and hardest working students any teacher could ask for. However, I also have some students whose siblings dropped out of school at 16 and they (at age 14) are in 5th grade, waiting for the famous sweet 16 to come around.
I have also worked in a school were minority was just a word, and we had problems there too. Disrespect, lack of cooperation, lack of desire to learn are not limited to certain races. These students make it hard for the other ones to learn and for instruction to happen in the classroom. By the way…I am also a minority.
As far as the 2 or 3 months off…some teachers may get that time off. All the others take classes or teach summer school….Just for the sake of it, I added up all the hours I work at the school (did not add the hours of pre-planning, post-planning, work done at home such as grading papers, etc) and distributed it over a regular work year….(I used 50 weeks since generally speaking people get two weeks off with pay)…I came up with an average of 46.8 hours per week. Yes, some of us may have summers off, but I think we make up for it during the school year.
Anyway…I think we both got off the subject of the blog: Are young Americans ignorant?
I still think the answer is yes. They are more ignorant because of the behavioral problems we have that don’t allow teaching to happen in the classroom.
They are ignorant because of all the other issues teachers are asked to deal with that are not part of teaching.
They are also ignorant because of the curriculum teachers have to follow.
How so? Teachers are told what they are to teach and when they are to teach it. High schools have different history, science, math, English, etc. classes based on the student’s performance. Each class offers different information. The very basic classes are for those students who fail to apply themeselves (I am not talking about those students who have disabilities - they have different classes as well). Then you have the medium classes. They are for those students who work but are not as ambitious as the remainded of the students. These last ones…get the AP classes. They are given more information and more challenging courses. They are the ones who will study about the Olive Branch Treaty and its part in America’s fight for independence.
Given that we have chosen, as a society, to separate children in classes based on what they are willing to learn, and given that the number of students in the more challenging classes is much lower than the number of students in the basic classes, the answer is YES, young Americans are ignorant of all those things that others learn (whether in a different country or in a different classroom within the same school).
I wanted to steer the comments away from the current discussion back to the original topic, for a second if that is okay.
I would have to agree with McCulloch that students in both our public schools and colleges are woefully ignorant of our history and of the history of the rest of the world.
Why? Is it the teachers’ fault for failing to teach adequately based on lack of funding, stringent government regulations, or just not caring? Is it the overworked parents that don’t care about what their children are doing in class and dump them in school just so that they can work unhindered to afford that Hummer in the driveway and the second house off in the country? Is it the No Child Left Behind Act, which institutes standardized testing nationwide and bases the amount of money that schools receive on how well the students do on such tests? Or is it all the students’ faults, with a lack of care about anything but themselves?
While there is no simple answer to this problem, I would submit to you that it is probably a little of all of the above. Education should be a group effort. There should be coordination between teachers, government, and parents about what students are doing, and if one side should see something wrong, then it is time for a change or a correction course. I realize that this is a very liberal point of view and is probably not very feasible except in a very small environment, which is increasingly not common, especially in our cities, but it may be something we can aspire to.
I would point your attention in another direction about the great “Why are our children ignorant of history or geography when it is so important” question. What is the motivation for knowing history and being a good student? Thinking frankly for a moment, there really is not one. When will history get you a million dollars or great fame, notwithstanding you do something like David McCulloch or Stephen Ambrose and write multiple bestselling history books? It probably will not happen. Our society has an extremely high focus on getting rich and famous. Now, granted, there is nothing wrong with doing so (in fact it’s commendable if you are able to do it without being unethical or unscrupulous), but my point is that it is “easier” to do those things by being an major athlete, or an actress, or anything like that, than knowing when Washington crossed the Delaware, or when the Battle of Stalingrad was fought. Last I checked, I didn’t decide to be a college history professor to make a million dollars and have fame and influence throughout the nation. (It could happen, but not likely). I am putting myself and my family thousands of dollars into debt to go to grad school because I believe that I can help other people learn about who they are and what we have become because of what has happened in the past. But I digress. The point is that there is no motivation for people to study history or anything else that won’t make them a quick dime.
The important issue, then, is to “light the fire” of learning underneath people, especially young people. If people want to know about the past, they will find a way to know more about it. If kids want to know when Washington crossed the Delaware or when the Battle of Stalingrad was fought, they will find out. And they will probably keep learning things related to that, such as “Why did Hitler invade Russia in the first place?” They may not get it from their teachers, it may come from a book, but they will seek the answer if it is important enough to them. And that will open up a wide world or learning and discovery resulting in happiness.
Sooner or later, if it hasn’t already happened, the ignorance of our kids and their preoccupation with things that won’t have any value next year will come back and bite us. For example, I think I heard that Japan and Europe have passed us with students who excel more in science and technology. Correct me if I am wrong though.
Perhaps the most effective way to change this is to get Hollywood to focus on something else other than who Jennifer Aniston is sleeping with or if Brittany Spears has cellulite on the back or her legs (since that is so important– sarcasm by the way). When it becomes cool and trendy to know alot about history or geography, when you see someone like Tom Cruise with a library full of the classics and great works of literature, or when Entertainment Weekly shows Christina Aguileira in an interview conversing intelligently about the current situation in Darfour, Sudan, then I think you will see a change in students’ lackadaisical approach to academics and learning. Until then, all we as educators and parents can do is to do the best we can, just wait and attempt to plant the seed of learning and hope that it germinates later.
I’m sorry if I rambled or offeneded anyone or anything like that. Again, these ideas are very idealistic, but that is what I think.
Cheers!!
Matthew,
THANK YOU.
I don’t know what else to say but THANK YOU.
Just like everything else that has been pushed aside, history, common sense, ENGLISH,PRAYERS, what flag to fly when in the USA, and the list goes on.
Sometimes, the youth don’t find interest in everything they’re taught and only walk out a classroom with half an education. But in other cases, teachers don’t apply enough knowledge to younger Americans in a group specific way that will want to make them learn.
If you sat in front of me for a few years and told me about a bunch of historic events, I’d lose interest after the first 10 minutes. If you applied how that story affects my society or put it in words that will compare to something I can relate to, then I might want to learn. The way I see it, if one of us screw up, it’s everyones fault. Don’t just blame young american, blame everyone else who revolves around this problem too…When the world changes for the worst, we adapt and influence it for the best.
Ellen, you misread my comments. Not that it makes a difference, but for your edification, I am not a minority & neither is my child.
As for staying up past 11 pm - my child is lucky to get to bed by 11, and I’m lucky to get to bed by 1 am because I need some time to breathe!
I know the steps to take in this school district when it comes to an inept teacher: asst. principal, principal (who always defends the asst. principal), then the school board who gives 3 minutes to discuss a significant issue before cutting off a speaker - the buck really stops with the county commissioners (the school board members are syncophants who aim to please the superintendent) … excuse me, while I laugh at the stupidity of all of this. Audio & video in the classrooms? Hey, you forgot to mention the teachers will also clean up their acts if they’re being watched!
As for talking to my child’s teacher(s), they don’t answer email, they don’t answer their phones during planning period.
The fact that you have be so dramatic in thanking Michael for his “dream” is laughable.
I have spent time in the classroom, Ellen………. I’m well aware of what goes in the classrooms in this area.
I am appalled by the ignornace of teachers, administrators, and students!
We all have a role to play in making sure young Americans are educated.
And, by the way, to whomever wrote about parents using schools as babysitters…HA! School is the last place I would entrust my child and have some peace of mind about how he is being treated!
Now, let each of us do our part in helping young Americans become articulate, bright, creative, and respectful.
And, when I add up all the hours I spend at work, I’m amazed I have time to take a phone call from a friend.
WHY? I go above and beyond what is expected of me. I view teaching as a blessing, not as a job! What an opportunity we have to influence young minds. I don’t complain about grading papers (isnt’t that part of the job description?).
I wish you well in your new career.
Speaking of ignorance….who is in charge of wasting taxpayers’ dollars on new English & Math books each year?
That individual or committee is making some fat cat rich! These “necessary” new textbooks say the same old thing: 2+2 = 4, but with a new zing, a new twist! Sheer
lunacy. Those dollars could be better spent for items in the classroom.
I’ve read this blog, and have concluded Ellen is angry and unhappy.
I think she will be happier at home, not in the classroom.
Adieu!
Unfortunately, from an Australian perspective I can tell you Americans are woefully unaware of geopolitics and world affairs. That’s why Bush is in power….and why the rest of the world is so against him.
Now we see what political correctness and the secular social progressive agenda is all about. Revisionist history (if taught at all), no American culture studies, no civics, no government studies, and no geography! I can understand why the National Education Association woukd demand social, rather than academic promotion in our schools. If our children actually knew what was going on in this country they just might decide to be responsible citizens and change things for the better. They also may come to understand how great a country America really is!
I agree enthusiastically.My frame of referenceis the Holocaust.As a survivor I go around to various institutions, schools and colleges, and speak about my experiences as well as the importance of knowing history so that events like the Holocaust never happen again.
I remain constantly surprised by the little attention the Holocaust receives in text books as well as the teaching time given to it. I find that often,both the teacher and the students know very little about this event. It’s not encouraged as a teaching topic and receives very little class time.
There is absolutely no perspective provided to the teaching of the Holocaust, especially whedn it comes to the perpetrators. The focus is only on thed bad Germans and what they did to thew poor Jews. No one raises any question as to how something like the Holocaust is permitted to take place. There is absolute silence when it comes to how the United States participated in allowing the death of six million Jews. When you attend the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC you are only exposed to the existence of one perpetrator, the nazis. And how do the american soldiers fare? They are dubbed as “liberators”. What a joke!! The impression that many students get from their learning about the Holocaust is that WWII was begun as part of an attempt to stop what the nazis were doing to the Jews in europe.
That’s how history has been taught and this is how ignorance has been perpetrted as well as possible responses to future tragedies. Just look at Viet Nam, Iraq. The distortion here are greater than the facts. And it’s the former that prevail in this political culture. Shame on you USA !!!
Regarding the comments made by Chris (the Aussie) stating Americans are
ignorant of geopolitics, hence that’s why we have Bush as president, and that’s why the world is so against him (Bush). Chris, your logic is flawed!
You’re entitled to your opinion.
Your continent is floating out in the ocean like a target. Seems you’d want the US on your side, Chris.
Where do your statistics come from regarding Bush? Just your opinion.
Having to vote for President of the US with choices such as Bush, Gore, Kerry (heaven forbid, Hillary!), Bush gets my vote! He may have a speech impediment, but he’s not stupid!
He surrounds himself with some of the most brilliant minds in this country - C. Rice being one of them!
Get rid of your “Ugyl American” attitude, and remember if our great country can be attacked on 9/11 by extremists/murderers, so can yours.
If we had Gore or Kerry in office as President, we’d all probably be living in a lock-down situation facing the Apocalypse!
I work as a docent aboard USS LEXINGTON Museum on the Bay (in Corpus Christi, TX). One of our displays involves the attack on Pearl Harbor. I am always amazed at the number of High Schoolers who have no idea of the attack - some thinking it was “just a movie.”
BIG PICTURE: Ignorance permeates every part of the world and does not discriminate when it comes to race, color, creed, gender, of how many $$ an individual has acquired.
If we want the issue of ignorance to be solved, it’s quite easy: ask GOD
ALMIGHTY for wisdom. HE is also known as I AM, The Lily of the Valley, The Day Star, The Great Physician.
God bless.
Just a quick comment for Chris, the Austrialian. Chris, I think your logic has gone walkabout!
Are you sure your ancestors aren’t
French? Smart as tacks, the lot of ya!! And, that’s not a compliment.
G’Day
Our problem is equality. I don’t have the time or energy to fully defend this right now, but the reason we are unable to educate children properly is because we feel everyone should learn the same things at the same rate. As someone who recently finished school I can tell you that regardless of the people in office or the teachers and administrators in our schools, no groups will be educated when the class can only move at the rate of the slowest learners. Despite what you guys say (much of it true) about teachers, there is no chance of the most intelligent students reaching their potential when school caters to the weakest. It is simply impossible.
michael,
I agree. While a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, that should not be the case with education, as everyone learns differently and at different rates. Perhaps school districts should do as someone above said– put students in classes based upon their aspirations, level and aptitude for learning. I think we do this sometimes with gifted students, but perhaps the bar for advancement to a higher grade or level of learning is set too high. Maybe we should do it with other people as well, those who show a greater but certainly less than gifted ability to grasp greater concepts, even retaining students at a certain level if they are not advancing. While this seems radical, perhaps it would work, if not for academic reasons, but for social ones. A 14 year old kid in a class of 8 year olds will certainly feel motivated perhaps to work harder to grasp the concepts that are being taught, based upon social pressures from those of the same age. Naturally, a child’s self esteem would have to be reinforced to eliminate feelings of inferiority and depression that arise from such a situation. This may not be “politically correct,” but it may well be, to use a crossed analogy, the insulin that will jump start the system again.
Age may be a good benchmark for what to teach, but I think that we need to take into consideration as well the fact that not everyone learns at the same level as others. It should not be the only thing for what to teach and how to advance students to higher concepts and learnings.
Just my 2 cents!!
Cheers,
Matthew “The Texan”
A 14-yr-old in class with 8-year-olds is utterly ridiculous. Why can’t those students who are not as bright as the academically gifted kids be placed in special classes. That, of course, would probably cause a politically correct revolution!! Parents of kids who are “slow” or are behavioral problems should be tended to by the disciplinary system set forth in the school system. In my child’s school, if a child misbehaves, he/she gets in-class suspension, out of school suspension, or expulsion!
Why are schools expecting teachers to deal with a mixture of “slow” students, gifted students, and those that are behavioral nigtmares?? That makes no sense.
Separate the gifted kids from the other kids. Years ago when I was in school, that’s the way things were done (and it worked).
Retaining a student year after year, embarrassing the child??? My guess is the child will wait until age 16 and then drop out!
Common sense!
I do not know what the situation is in USA, but in UK we are certainly raising whole generations of citizens totally ignorant of both British and World history.
To Gloria Stalarow, your comment is largely irrelevant. We are not talking about race as an issue here and it is a shame that you have to bring that up when we are all Americans. It would be best to try to make sure everyone is educated, but please do not make it sound like you are better than others because of it.
I’m almost inclined to say yes, although everyone I know is pretty well-versed on American and World history. We certainly didn’t learn it in school, though - it’s something we had to seek out on our own.
As for the generation behind me - the one that’s being raised now, I can’t really say. But I think it says a lot that, on our standardized tests, we don’t test kids on history and government. I’ve always thought those are just as important to understand and master as basic math and grammar.
It’s easier to keep adults at bay when they were raised without being made to feel that history was important to seriously understand and debate, I guess.
I agree. I’m 19 years old and it’s kind of sad to see my generation care more about myspace and MTV than what’s really going on in the real world.
I completely disagree with this statement. I am a high school student myself, and before someone can make such a broad statement such as ‘young Americans, ignorant?’one must account for the regional aspects that are involved in this question. Inner-city kids are obviously going to be less informed than students who attend private schools. Children who attend Southern public schools are taught in a conservative, restrictive manner, obviously those liberal-minded, progressive New yorkers are going to produce children who are far more aware. While in the South, crucial parts of history and science are ignored in their textbooks. But how is it possible to generalize in such a way that one can ask the question, is this generation prone to ignorance?
However, I do agree that our generation as a whole is far too preoccupied with current fads such as myspace, the media, and whatever else defines this era. But can’t one say that every era is composed of those roudy, revoltionary teenagers? Pop-culture has absorbed the lives of teenagers for years. Following the Baby Boom after WWII, teenager delinquency was at an alltime high. It is clearly a trend in history for adolescents to be sucked into the world of pop-culture.
Another component about this period of time. High-schoolers are undergoing extreme pressure due to the competitiveness of the college admissions process. Thereofore, why would students feel motivated to explore and learn beyond their textbooks, when they must strive to present themselves to the college board. History students will go under the wire to achieve acamdemic requirements.
Taking into account Americas current turmoil, it’s a shame that young Americans are not more enthusiatic about learning about American history. However, pressure among college’s and parents has made it difficult for children of today to learn to their potential.
i disagree. young people know a lot of history. just because you base this fact on the minority of teenagers, don’t clump the rest of us in there.
Agree 100% We are raising a generation of fat, lazy, video game players.
A 14 year old in a 8 year old class is ridiculous. I totally agree. It was just an example of what might work, using something like social pressure as a motivation. If that is the only thing that works, then maybe that is what should be done. Certainly there are other motivations that could be used.
However, if we separate the gifted students only, doesn’t that place the not so gifted students at a disadvantage at being lumped together with those who may hold them back because of disciplinary problems?
Separating people according to ability seems to me the only fair way to educate our children so that all are able to learn in their own way and at their own speed, irregardless of what other students are doing or not doing.
Matthew (the Texan), we agree that 14 yr olds in class with 8 year olds is utterly preposterous. How that could even come about is a big question in itself. I don’t agree that it’s maybe okay to actually put a 14 yr old in with 8 year olds in order to pressure him/her to do assignments. PRESSURE may be one of the reasons this kid is in the position he’s in! We don’t need to place further pressure on students, they have enoough to contend with. Obviously, if there is that much age difference and the 14 yr old remains in the class, he/she more than likely doesn’t CARE A WHIT what peers or anyone else thinks!!! They’re so far behind by this time, they’re waiting to become drop-outs.
I just read a research paper stating that the starting salary (today) between a high school graduate vs a person holding a bachelor’s degree, is $24,000/year.
Put the students in classes with according to ability.
Disciplinary problems need to be investitaged……talk to the student and not be so quick to judge them as lazy, stupid, ignorant. Not many teachers or counselors in schools sit with a student to find out what’s really going on in a kid’s life.
Treat the kids with respect.
As for those who are offended by the suggestion of separating children according to ability/grades, I make no apologies. This has worked in the past, and it can work now. Too many are afraid of offending the sensitivity of others when they should be listening (not talking all the time) - listening to the students who are angry, illiterate, problematic.
A little understanding goes a long way.
Kids have enough pressure from teachers, peers, and over-critical parents.
We need to listen more, and criticize less. I agree with the high school student’s statement: the question is not that we have ignorant young Americans.
If I were 14 and surrounded by 8 year olds all week in school, I’d be angry and certainly would have no incentive to perform in school.
That 14 yr old is crying for help!
I agree that separating students according to aptitude makes sense if we want to make any progress in this messed up educational system in the US.
Regardless of what parents, studdents, or the ACLU might think about that, I believe this is an avenue that should be explored in order for all students to progress.
Also, I agree with the high school student’s remarks about “ignorant young Americans…” There are ignorant Americans of all ages. Why are we targeting young Americans???
Most parents can’t help their child with geography, history, or social studies because they have no knowlege of the subjects (or very little). A parent told me last week that Canda is a continet!
Maya
Mr. Blumenstein, One would think from your comments that United States was responsible for the holocaust, and not the Germans. At the time of the holocaust Germany was its own country, with its own government, and the German people elected Hitler and the Nazi party. How can you blame the USA for that? Also, you must realize that right this very minute we are protecting Israel by our presence in the middle east (but our media isn’t saying a thing about that, are they?).
Yes, our public school system, combined with societal apathy, and a media willfully twisting the facts, are raising a generation of ignorant Americans.
As a 26-year-old I am aware of the little knowledge I have of our country’s history - and I have a BA, received good marks in all my classes and was a “good student” in general. I find myself constantly going to the internet to find out dates for wars, details on political and social events, etc.
It is truly a shame how little many of us know.
I would like to apologize for the 14 year old in a eight year old class statement. It appears that I have offended some people with it. It was an extreme example. The point I was trying to make with it is that I don’t think we should merely advance students along the school system just so that they don’t feel uncomfortable or out of place. Nor would I advocate using such a system indiscriminately on all students. That social pressure to perform would probably drive some students to just drop out and roam the streets as was suggested up above. However, I maintain that for some it could and would work. For it to work, though, you would have to have the cooperation of the parents, with lots of positive reinforcement that they are not inferior or any less of a student because they are in a lower “grade.” In certain circumstances I believe that it could work.
I would also submit that any fix of the U.S. education system is not going to be a quick one, done in an election year so that the current party in power could stay in power and take all the credit for it. It will take commitment, time and dedication over the course of years, perhaps even decades. It can’t be a effort focused on just school children, but also adults (Granted it would be easier for students, a la the “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” saying).
Another question that this discussion raises is, “What is a satisfactory level for people to have a grasp of world events or history?” Certainly it is not knowing the exact date of the enactment of the 16th Amendment, or the exact year when Alexander the Great fought at the Battle of Gaugamela. In my history classes in college, the instructors largely were not concerned with dates so much as if we understood the concepts and what happened. Perhaps that is the way to go.
I hope that I have not offended anyone or such.
Cheers!!!
For the most part, I agree with this statement. However, I think there is still hope. I am 23 years old, and I was in the audience for McCullough’s speech. I was discouraged, although not surprised, by the fact that I saw not more than one or two people even close to my age in the crowd. The rest was a sea of gray hair. I can attribute my interest in history to the fact that I was taught to read and instilled with an intellectual curiosity from a very early age, before I even started school. I believe the fault lies not only with our schools, but ourselves. If you want your kid to learn history, then first you have to know it yourself, and you have to take some responsibility in teaching your children and encouraging them in the quest for knowledge. Take them to a museum. Watch PBS and the History Channel with them. READ TO THEM. TEACH THEM TO READ. STIMULATE THEIR IMAGINATION.
We can’t expect the public education system to give kids a perfect (or these days even decent) education, so we all have to be role models. Your kids look up to you when they’re young, and they will absorb the information and experiences you present to them, we all know this. I realize people have to work to support their families, but if educating your kid is important, you make time. Stay-at-home moms – anyone remember those? Many of the guilty parents in these scenarios are the heads of quite well-off, comfortably middle-class families. They could easily spend less time working or vacationing and more time educating their children. If all you value in life is working, making money, and the frivolous pleasures of consumerism, then your kids will follow. Set a good example.
There is something I think is important to remember about the changing nature of history. Yes, everyone in America under the age of 30 has been inundated with pop culture, but pop culture is important, too. It’s a reflection of our times and the collective consciousness of our nation, to some extent. The history books of the distant future will contain chapters on MTV, video games, Google, and Myspace. But we sadly lack the education in media and humanities in our schools to put these elements into their proper context. Teach them music appreciation, the arts, the history of TV and the internet. If our kids are going to be so involved with these, then wouldn’t it be good to have them ponder why these things are popular and what is good or bad about them? Talking about them in school would at least start to put pop culture in a historical/cultural framework for kids. Yes, most TV is crap, but if you’re willing to think about it in the right context, there is a lot about our culture and its history we can learn from it.
This being said, I don’t think all hope is lost. Besides looking to ourselves for the solution, we should also remember that history is dynamic. It’s being made right now, as we speak. Mr. McCullough also addressed this in his speech. It’s not too late to start shifting our priorities, even if it means starting small.
American History and American Government, are not taught in the school system. My 8th grade son is always asking me questions about the omissions in his text. He is sharp enough to google or wikipedia topics. I told him those with an anti American agenda are trying to write out signifigant parts of history. His nutjob teacher blames America for all,disputes God’s existence,and has claimed that Hitler did not terminate six million Jewish people.
Yes, I agree with the young man who was among the sea of gray-haired people. However, not every parent or guardian has the wherwithall to teach their children. We aren’t just talking about ignorant young Americans, we’re talking about ignorant Americans!
My comment to Independent Patriot: My child has teachers who omit the truth and who will NOT mention God in the classroom. They use their status as teacher as a soap box to influence young minds in their direction. Very biased teachers. And, to those who don’t believe the Holocaust took place, I do not understand how any American (young or old) could possibly believe that that did not occur!
I’ve been to some of the concentration camps in Germany and Belgium. It is eerie. These places are out in the middle of fields. Some have been made into museums. The bullets holes are still in the firing walls. The tortue rooms still have wires and all kinds of devices intact.
We, as a people, must make an effort to educate ourselves, then educate our children and others around us. And, don’t rely on one sourse for information. Research, read, watch documentaries. Listen to those silver-haired folks - they can teach us a lot.
We all need help.
Please, excuse above typo. Should read “wherewithal”
As Yakov Smirnov, the Russian emigre, would say, “America: vat a country”. History?; how about composition, literature, civics,…? Heck, just give me fun, high grades, boost my self-esteem, and let me start at $60k.
It is a shame that most children in the urban centers of the U.S. are forced fed lies about American history as well as World history, how will they understand the truth? It is a known fact that blacks were kept ignorant, and there were unprotected up until the late 1960’s from racist whites as well as rascist laws. The youth of the urban areas where i grew up at don’t even realize ghetto is a word that wasn’t even developed for them, and no one tells them any diffrent especially the white, suburb parent and teacher that must blame every shortcoming in their lives on someone. Propaganda is all the young, American is getting and we as educators, and informed adults know it.
If I’m lying, e-mail me at verb_one@yahoo.com anytime.