Fewer than a quarter of American 12th-graders knew China was North Korea’s ally during the Korean War, and only 35% of fourth-graders knew the purpose of the Declaration of Independence, according to national history-test scores released Tuesday….
Only 20% of U.S. fourth-graders and 17% of eighth-graders who took the 2010 history exam were “proficient” or “advanced,” unchanged since the test was last administered in 2006. Proficient means students have a solid understanding of the material.
The news was even more dire in high school, where 12% of 12th-graders were proficient, unchanged since 2006.
There is absolutely [b]no excuse[/b] for not teaching American History, starting at a grade level where students are beginning to be capable of understanding its importance. My children began learning it early on, because I insisted on it……having majored in History in college, and knowing its vital importance as a subject. We teach History…..and particularly that of our own country…..in order that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. [b] “If you do not learn from the mistakes of the past, you are doomed to repeat them”[/b] was something I heard many times, and that statement has been borne out all too often.
I have many books on various subjects in my library, and among them are volumes about the Founding Fathers, the early Colonial times, the history of the exploration of our continent, the French and Indian War (the Seven Years’War), and every war in which this country has been involved. I have books dealing with the exploration of the American West, including the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Northwest Territories, and the taming of the American West…..and virtually everything which has happened since then. I have made these books available to my granddaughters, and I know for a fact that the school libraries [b]can’t even come close[/b] to what I’m able to provide them in History education.
They don’t know basic civics either.
Cennydd–If you are a social democrat there are lots of reasons not to teach American History. If you have no idea about what America is and where it came from, a benevolent government can tell you anything and as long as they provide bread and circuses and you will believe what they say.
I’m not a social democrat, but I believe that History clearly belongs in the classroom, and should not be relegated to personal libraries like mine. Not only that, but I believe that History should ‘come alive,’ and if a teacher is worth his or her salt, and if they are given the tools with which to teach the subject matter, (and we need to ensure that they are), then they should should do so. I think one of the problems that we now face in this country is the often abysmal quality of teacher education, and we can thank the university system in states such as California for this miserable state of affairs. When, for instance, I find teachers who can’t articulate themselves well, who often have trouble spelling, or who have trouble parsing a sentence, then it rings an alarm bell.
#5–We are in total agreement. My “social democrat” comment was directed to the current Executive branch of the US government.
If we have to admit that the Bible is too much for a bishop, we ought to cut a 4th grader a break about who was North Korea’s main ally in 1950. I know a lot of great public school teachers, but our system is overwhelmed. We expect nothing of individuals, families and churches, but load junk on our schools. My mother grew up in rural North Carolina in the 1920’s and 1930’s. She said that if you got in trouble at school, you got in trouble at home and the minister would ask you about it at church.
The trouble for what little passes for teaching history in our schools is that it’s been reduced to a PC catalog of “-isms,” and themes. The results are predictable.
I think that there are many reasons for this sorry state of affairs. Among others, I’d posit that if you have teachers who themselves lack an appreciation for the real value of history, and little formal training in the study of history, you’re fighting an uphill battle.
My love for history and civics was sparked early on by some very dynamic, well-read teachers, and refined by several professors who stressed critical reading of primary sources. Even the (mostly) liberal faculty in my college’s history department in the ’70s weren’t yet completely given over to revisionist, PC interpretation posing as critical analysis. That’s another huge problem, though, in history and social studies in general.
History and civics are also subjects that seem to be all-too-dispensable in the fight for time and money. While I also went on to take up an arguably “practical” trade (medicine), it continually strikes me how much I benefited from majoring in history, and having a healthy leavening of education in the humanities. Critical thinking, logic, verbal and written communication skills, an appreciation for literature and the arts, a desire to seek answers to the big questions of life, including where we came from, where we’re going, and why we’re here–that’s what the humanities can nourish. And being a good citizen in a republic demands an understanding of how that republic came into being, and how it is governed.
[b]Absolutely correct, Joshua 24:15![/b] Right smack dab on target!
[blockquote]Critical thinking, logic, verbal and written communication skills, an appreciation for literature and the arts, a desire to seek answers to the big questions of life, including where we came from, where we’re going, and why we’re here—that’s what the humanities can nourish. And being a good citizen in a republic demands an understanding of how that republic came into being, and how it is governed. [/blockquote]
That’s IT! Well said.
Read again what #8 wrote.
Cennydd, come out of retirement and work on getting certification to teach social studies. For all the stuff you find important enough to teach your children and grandchildren, you’ll find there is only time in the classroom for what is mandated from folks who know better than you. Your students will be tested on it at the end of the year and you don’t want to be in a failing school. If you still want to buck the mandated curriculum, do it with the knowledge that it will cost you your teaching position.
No, they only [b]claim[/b] to know better than me!
And my granddaughters could end up [i]teaching their teachers[/i] History 101!
As one who could be labeled a “social democrat” and as a history major, I’m appalled at the history scores. However, I remember history stopping at 1945 as late as 1982 when I took US History in the 11th grade. The only was I knew that China was North Korea’s ally was from M*A*S*H!! I suppose we could either revamp the history curriculum, or re-run MASH episodes . . .
However, we did have an Abraham Lincoln actor visit us for a school assembly, so my classmates and I at least could identify a picture of Lincoln (which, according to NBC the other night, very few kids could do).
I find the History Channel to be a valuable resource, and even though I don’t have a teaching credential, I think it should be required viewing; especially if it deals directly with American history. If there are CDs available, perhaps they could be used as resource material for instruction in the classroom as an adjunct to written material. Our 200th anniversary of the beginning of the War of 1812 is fast approaching, and this would be a good subject with which to begin, since so little emphasis has been heretofore placed on this period of our nation’s history.
And remember: The War of 1812 has been called “our second war for independence from Great Britain.” The Civil War united what was once a federation of states which thought of themselves as New Yorkers, Virginians, etc, instead of [i]Americans[/i], and we became truly united as the [i]United States of America.[/i] Some very important things to remember…..and only History 101 can teach our children about their country’s history, and its hopes for the future, based on a study of the mistakes of the past.