Education Short List

I don’t like to admit it, but when I was a classroom teacher, I didn’t spend as much time as I wanted on social studies. It wasn’t because I didn’t have available materials; I just didn’t have the time. I knew that I was cheating my students by not teaching them about their American History, and that was very upsetting to me.

Which is what made me interested in reading an article by Metro Parent parenting magazine on this very topic. The article, Civics Education: Lost in America by Teresa Carson put the focus specifically on Civics Education – or understanding the United States government system, the right and responsibilities of what it means to be an American citizen. Yet to me, the bigger picture of the general lack of social studies education in the classroom, especially in the lower grades – is what concerns me the most. “The emphasis on ‘teaching to the test’ might be creating a civics gap…experts agree that students need more day-in, day out, education in civics.”

This was very true for my fellow teachers and me. Even more alarming was that since we were in a Title I school, our daily focus was on reading and math. All subjects after that were secondary. “Lower income and more diverse school historically have not does as well on standardized testing. As a result, educators say, these are often the schools that emphasize reading and math at the expense of non-tested subjects…”. It was frustrating to be part of that then, and now still looking at it from the outside.

The article goes on to talk about local students, groups, and schools that are finding ways to reintegrate Civics education into the classroom curriculum. The one example I especially enjoyed was about a group of 4th graders (which is what I used to teach) who pushed a legislation to have the Dungeness Crab made into Oregon’s official state crustacean. I find these stories to be a point of inspiration for all involved in education. When people take it upon themselves to ignite a fire of change – I love it. It in turns inspires me to challenge myself to find new ways to bring important material to my students. [This is very much the case with a special project I have been working on for nearly two years. But I will have to tell you about it later].

I hope that as time goes on, and we begin to see the impact that the lack of social studies (and art and science and physical education) have, and how it really means that our students to do receive that well-rounded education – then perhaps a greater momentum will ignite a bigger fire for change. “Nobody argues that civics is not a vitally important topic, but finding time and funding…in these economic times is challenging…but we need more…it’s a requirement.” Our students are going to be our future leaders – they need to know what they are leading us into.