1/ I keep returning to one core thought: civics education really matters. It’s absence, at least in part, is what makes a Donald Trump and a MAGA movement possible.
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2/When we don’t invest in civics education, the conditions are ripe for Christian nationalism & MAGA tribalism, a politics that divides Americans & would have shocked the Founding Fathers, not because they didn’t believe it could happen, but because they believed they had taken steps to prevent it.
This is true! And it’s the exact reason Bennett took Civics out of the high school curriculum! It was part of the long game these Facsists have been working towards since F. Lee Bailey!
It’s education in general, Massachusetts spends 2x as much per kid as Arizona does, and look one’s a solid blue state with a thriving tech economy, and the other is full on conspiracy haven
Bingo! Thats my argument. It’s time to pull the money going from blue states to red states. I see no other immediate wake up call. Will it happen..no..but why aren’t we making that the bull horn chant?! We have to stop acting as if all is good in this country.
Nope. I went to high school over 30 years ago, and there wasn’t much civics being taught then either. A lot of whitewashed history though, thanks to the Texas textbook takeover.
So, @joycewhitevance.bsky.social I wholeheartedly agree with you, and I also think mandatory 2 years national service out of high school should be a requirement, for those who meet the physical requirements, military service for that same 2-year period.
I’m some ways it might as well have been a romp. When 49.8% of a nation’s population is unable to get a simple decision correct, that nation is lost. Doesn’t matter if it was 40% or 70%, result is the same for the people.
This is so true. Seems silly to hover over these numbers, 'cuz whatever they are, they indicate apathy, ignorance, nihilism in the face of what is coming...a significant majority that is willing to get comfy with all of it.
Well, 49.8% of those who bothered to vote
How about all those “nah, I don’t like either so I’ll stay on the couch” idiots.
Idiots because they have no problem complaining what we’re stuck with😡 but couldn’t do some critical thinking before Election Day!!
4/In his farewell speech, Defense Sec’y Lloyd Austin said, “American democracy is not a sprint but a relay race.“
We’re here for the relay race, to be part of a community that runs together toward the finish line of democracy. We have to take on personal responsibility for civics education.
5/We need to find a way to infuse civics into daily life so more people will care about and understand what’s happening. Sitting back, doing nothing—not an option at this point. Evil happens when good people do nothing. That’s why I write my newsletter Civil Discourse. https://Joycevance.substack.com
"Infuse civics into daily life." Yes, but o do so, we must address two things:
1. Reliance on consumer accountability, where people choose among options, over civic accountability, where people help create their options; and
2. The growing complexity of everyday decisions, which exhausts people.
Just saw that you’re a knitter… we don’t knit civics, but we do knit global warming — and work with communities to knit their own local climate histories for public display. Always looking for more knitters… ❤️
One hears "more civics" a lot, but why assume it would make a difference? It didn't stop the John Birch Society & other 1950s-60s Far Right groups gaining traction, & likely the only thing that limited their growth was the era's media reach. Even defining "civics" would be an ideological fight.
Also, congress should be forced to pass a civics test just so we know they know the rules they are trying to break. (and so we know they have at least been exposed to the basics!)
He got more votes in each successive election. The electorate saw him launch an insurrection, be criminally convicted, indicted for stealing our secrets. They heard his own people say he is a fascist and they said yup, gimme more of that. The trouble is the people, he is the result.
Ms Vance, your pep talk is encouraging but reality is: Trump has control of all 3 branches of our govt. After pardons, he will have the equivalent of the Nazi SS, which only he will control. No matter, he cannot be charged with crimes and can pardon criminals. Will you be surprised at the outcome?
That's only part of it. A lack of teaching how to tell fact from fiction has been the primary factor in this.
Notice how many of Trump's cult are theists. Why? Because once you believe in one thing without evidence, you'll be open to believe anything without evidence.
I humbly disagree. That election in November 2024 says otherwise. We can't move forward unless we admit that that election defined 78 million people in this country and is ruining this country. Ninety million chose to do nothing. The rest of us already believe in ourselves and are getting to work
It’s a pity most of our young ones, not having meaningful conversations or the elders cannot be bothered with the young ones. I give thanks for mine in the Caribbean. My daughters and grands, we do the conversations when we get gather.
May I suggest connecting w/ your area League of Women Voters. Dedicated to registering, educating, and motivating folks to become life time participants in the voting process. Vote, work at the polls, peer to peer. Nonpartisan. Protecting democracy.
We could tutor groups of kids after school. Have different civic leaders present the lessons. I’ve thought about this many times. Parents have kids do art, gymnastics, soccer, scouts outside of school. They should sign them up for civics, teach them how government works, how to be good citizens.
In addition, the total failure to hold Trump accountable for federal crimes is due to systemic failures and because of those failures, a criminal is about to retake the highest position in the nation. Hundreds of thousands of people will die because of it, and lives will be ruined. US Law failed.
I would also add that we are equally lacking in honest history education as well. If American history classes hadn't been so heavily edited to make us seem as though we never do anything wrong, and actually was taught factually, we might have been able to see the patterns repeating and stop it.
Religious leadership needs to speak up! A large part of this travesty is being created by Evangelical Christians in their hopes of hijacking our democracy.
They are behaving in a disturbingly un-Christ-like way and religious leadership should be correcting this. Nary a peep.
2/2 meticulous, and continuous on the part of the Conservative Party to ensure they can take away the levers of power from the people because at some point, w/o civics, the people wouldn’t realize what was being taken away, because they don’t even know the basics of how our government functions
1/2 Civics, like most classes in HS and Jr High, were purposely sacrificed. The Right, going back as far as Reagan, have systematically/purposely cut education budgets so that public schools only have to teach enough for someone to be able to add, subtract, and do repetitive labor. This was mindful,
When majority young Americans sit around 4 hours playing video games, making bets w/Taylor Swift w/announce her engagement, swishing right/left on social media -
They approach civics same way they do an overflowing trash can. In their mind, trash on floor is NOT their problem. Neither is civics.
I used to argue a lot online with tax deniers, sovereign citizens, and other crackpots, and what they all had in common was a view of government as monolithic and conspiratorial. I tried to convince them that government is mostly ordinary people just doing their best to do what they think is right.
I agree that civics, and much else, is missing in education these days. When I read your piece, it struck me that something else, perhaps beyond civics, is being left out: the idea of basic fairness. We can't win all the time; losing is part of life (and politics) and shouldn't be so personal.
One way to infuse this into daily life is to discontinue isolationist lifestyles. Rise in automobile-dependency, suburbanization, and internet addiction all correlate with rise is American narcissism. When you only see your community as a passing blur, you develop anti-social views
Just spoke w/ a new young assistant yesterday, who just turned old enough to vote. She had no knowledge. Before I could start, my other assistant launched into why politics mattered. I'd had that discussion w/ her years before. She is avid now. When we engage young people directly, a lot improves.
Personally I have become an admin on my county Democratic Party page on FB. Will be specifically tracking and reviewing both state and federal Congressional activity, posting verifiable information only that is public. I hope I can continue and as long as https://Congress.gov is not shut down.
In China you have to pass a test to join the Communist Party. Perhaps the DNC should institute a free civics course for adults and require voters to pass a test to join the party. It won’t fix the fascists but it will help a little.
One vote more is all that matters. I hate it but that is the way it is. That is the way our country works. No need to keep pretending close matters. Rule of law ha ha.
I’m not entirely convinced she lost, tbh. There are 15 countries currently who have found election tampering by Russia. Isolated US counties have a pattern called a “Russian Tail”. Red states heavily gerrymandered. This wasn’t fair.
Yes, but he and his enablers claim the opposite, and his idiot followers believe that. And Republicans in Congress will follow along. They've never cared what the truth is.
Was just going to post the same thing. The narrative foisted upon Trump supporters will always be regarded as truth. Re: aid to NC and GA, even with R govs saying otherwise. I've never seen such a disconnect between what's real and what's lies. I'm not sure civics is going to counter this.
True. Civics classes that kids will sleep thru aren't going to fix this. There's a real breakdown of values, and I don't mean the culture war nonsense.
A breakdown of trust. Walter Cronkite was trusted. Dan Rather was trusted. They could report on the news and nobody would question their motives. There's an echo chamber of Fox and Rush then those who came after who honestly I think see their supporters as a huge money grab. I can't believe ...1/2
It’s the combo of not voting, voting corrupt “3rd party”, finances not protecting the ppl from fraud n oligarchs, election n legal gerrymandering on key states/counties n out of times electoral college votes, So civic edu n easy to manipulate systems, n ppl not caring, allowed this democracy mess
Conservative, classic Republican Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor agreed with you on civics education. She founded ICivics, an organization for civics education, she believed in the Constitution. https://vision.icivics.org/
Absolutely. I would also include economics education. I HATED my 8th grade econ class. But, in it, I learned things like compound interest, how the stock market works, and what tariffs and marginal tax rates are. It might be the most useful class I took.
It was so good. Granted, I don't need to know how to balance a checkbook anymore, but the rest of it laid the foundation for understanding how all these invisible systems work. Funny how much I hated that class, and how grateful I am that I had to take it.
I must have picked up most of that stuff somewhere, and I do remember choosing a stock and pretending to buy it in some class or another ("lost" my shirt, so it's good that it was pretend). Mostly I learned on my own, but I bet I'd know more if I'd had that class.
They have been taking money from education for many decades, hence Americans lack of reading skills. If you can't read and comprehend, you can't learn. That's what Maga/"Republicans" have always wanted even though, on the other side of their forked tongues saying, we are not able to compete w/China.
1/People feel protected by FOTUS, when he is actually manufacturing and perpetuating the overblown fear of “others”-immigrants. Starting brutal deportations overplays any actual danger and manufactures more irrational fear, insecurity and feelings in some that they are in grave danger.
2/ Maslow’s hierarchy of needs helps us understand. https://youtu.be/L0PKWTta7lU
Repubs constantly telling us we are unsafe and threatened when we are not from “others” and “enemies”. Activating some people’s flight/fight/freeze response.
3/The more people he deports-the less safe those manipulated by this tactic will feel. It will create an increased and perpetual heightened level of fear.
Anyone have ideas about how Dems can break through this? I think more than just civics are involved.
It’s the totalitarian playbook.
This is so true! As a 60 year old who got a solid civics education, I am constantly shocked by what 20 year olds DON'T know that I considered common knowledge. It is a problem for sure.
When I 1st moved to NJ 50 yrs ago from my growing up in DC bubble ppl acted like I was a weirdo freak of nature for being interested in politics . Since 🍊 💩 seems like almost everyone is interested but w no foundation .
Reminds me of the song: 🎶 House built on a weak foundation will not stand oh no
I don't understand: when were civics classes removed from school curriculums?
I was taught civics. Okay I'm old and have not paid attention so very much to this. When did this stop? Honest question.
Remember Reagan? That’s when it started. Then came standardized testing, starving the Dept of Education, blaming the teachers, while making them buy their own supplies, etc. Anyone who ever voted Republican voted for this.
You and @radiofreetom.bsky.social seem to take a similar posture in that the lack of attention and education of the average citizen is to bear the full weight. Respectfully, I think this diminishes the impact of the constant stream of disinformation on the psychology of the average person.
While this is likely a contributing factor for younger voters, the Boomer MAGA’s I know had Civics lessons in school. For them it was about their religious leaders feeding them non-stop political propaganda and conspiracy theories. They trust and don’t verify.
I think I read somewhere that they killed off civics because it worked too well informing kids how to protest for civil rights and against the Vietnam war. Discuss.
A guy complained on the White House Facebook page that Biden had not signed the Social Security Fairness Act earlier in his administration, clearly assuming Biden is a king who can create legislation all by himself, without Congress first passing it. This is how we get autocrats. Bring back civics!
I can't remember if they covered in Civics the step after the Bill was passed by House then Senate and goes to the President for signature. The chamber to first introduce the Bill sends it to President. I was blaming Schumer cause he had it last. Sneaker Johnson sat on the Bill as long as possible.
I don't recall that. My civics class was in 8th grade, and this detail seems technical for that age group. If it did come up, it surely would have seemed nitpicky to kids. Also, when I was that age, both chambers were so firmly in D hands that such shenanigans were unthinkable. Still should be!
I think it’s a combination of the feeling of disenfranchisement by males. Women don’t necessarily need to be with a man. An additional reason is the growing income inequality. Tiny houses are becoming an in thing. They are probably popular because people can’t afford a traditional home.
3/ the first meeting of the Social Studies committee convenes next week and I'm on it😊But yeah anyway, as an educator, I'm doing my part as best I can.
2/ the three branches of government and how they're supposed to work, etc. https://ICivics.org is an amazing resource. Social studies is no longer a tested subject in elementary schools in NY, so it gets little attention formally. Apparently we're working in changing that in my district because
1/I make it a point to teach civics concepts to my elementary students. We talk about Constitution Day (why rules are important), Election Day (please tell your parents to vote, if they are citizens. You get to register when you're 18. You have the right not to vote, but that's not good citizenship)
Almost all US states require a middle school or high school civics class. That’s all me and my peers took 50 years ago. What specifically do to think needs to be different? Or is there something else going on that is undermining what they learn?
An allergy to factual information, a lack of critical thinking, and a willingness to accept bombast as absolute certainty ("I'll end the War in Ukraine in one day") helped lead to the election of Donald Trump.
On the facade of the Boston Public Library is this quote: "The Commonwealth requires the education of the people as the safeguard of order and liberty."
Without an educated citizenry, we are well and truly screwed.
100%. And these insane years will actually make it pretty interesting.
And people will be reading about how the government and the media failed the American people.
I sti do not understand how he can be allowed to take the oath of office we all know he will violate immediately. 🤦🏻♀️
My elementary school has pared the time for science and social studies to four 44 minute blocks a week. For both! It’s tragic. I close my door and teach subversively. Civics matters. Science matters.
I have been thinking this for a while. It has become apparent that all high school students should be required to have an amount of time dedicated to learning about the U.S. constitution. It seems that many do not understand the concept of balance of powers. And the president is not above the law.
Add to civics coures in logical thinking starting in elementary school. Children are bombarded with messages trying to get them not only to buy things they don't need, but to buy harmful ideas. Many are gullible. They should learn to tease out the truth from distortions and outright lies.
Yep. And people have been annoyed with me for MANY years for saying so. And also history and current events (national and global). We are a deeply ignorant people.
The Reagan agenda, implemented over the last 45 years: starve the Dept of Education, trickle the money up to the wealthy, and blame the teachers. If you’ve ever voted Republican, you voted for this agenda.
Definitely the huge wealth gap that has grown the last 40 years, directly due to govt policies, and the many ways big money, dark money can buy politics these days.
This is from Carl Sagan’s 1995 book and it seems more poignant today. It’s a little wild how he could imagine how insane our world would get in just a few decades away.
With all due respect, I don't agree...DJT is great at 1 thing, Marketing! The sad thing is people believe his BS, especially after The Apprentice... he is a sham, he's devious, the ultimate Wizard of Oz..and half our country buy his crap hook, line and sinker! THAT is the problem IMHO!
We do teach civics. And government and personal finance. We teach all of it. There’s still home ec (now consumer family) and wood shop. We say the pledge of allegiance.
Social Studies teacher here. I take my job incredibly seriously. We do civics and current events in tandem with history. It’s so important, and we could use some support.
Yes, Joyce, I am 100% with you on this, and perhaps an easy way to get started teaching civics is to use the Citizenship Test and have small study groups at libraries, apartment buildings, etc. The test provides a framework to teach civics.
Look at the textbook publishers who cave to those who whitewash history and minimize civics in their materials in order to sell books. They are complicit and it’s not a new thing - Texas has been doing it for decades. Right wing ideology should not have a place in public education.
As an educator we are trying. Please demand that true history and civics standards are taught in schools! They are trying to force us to whitewash history because we can’t “upset” MAGA parents. I’ve experienced this personally. I won’t comply. Follow back please, we need your help
Oh if she’s in Chandler than she’s certainly surrounded by MAGAs. I’m sure she has stories of patients who have no idea that they voted against their own interests
I bet you are right. A friend in Prescott Valley said that there are a lot of Californians moving into that area. Either they are Trumpers or they will help to turn AZ purple or blue.
I remember teaching on zoom during January 6th and I had some parents say they were going to get me fired for talking about Trump. I said “have at it”. My principal tried to explain to me there “concerns”. I told him the same-I guess trying to find a teacher during COVID proved too difficult 😂😂😂
I’m so tired of this talking point. Schools do require and teach civics; it’s a graduation requirement. You have no evidence to support your “core thought” but it’s so easy to blame teachers.
More important is the teaching of discernment. Some schools are starting this in elementary schools. That’s not to say civics isn’t important but I know plenty who had that and still voted MAGA.
I think that the lack of critical thinking skills has been even more of a factor. People believe what they’re told without objectively considering the facts.
Yes, and I think it actually started with the dismantling of the Service Core at both state and federal levels by Republicans over the last four decades. People do not understand what the Core did and how critical it was to community or what a profoundly cost effective investment it was.
An honest "democracy died in darkness," free of fear or favor Fourth Estate is essential to that civic education. News media shows what education tells. Integral news media can't keep devolving into mere stenography. When a president tries illegal exec action, factual news must explain fact of law.
That’s a significant motivating factor destroying public schools. They are an essential element for our democracy to thrive. Destroying them creates the stratified on steroids society that not only ensures those at the top of their position, but it makes it easier to control those at the bottom.
Yes. Sadly though the basics of such an education have been subverted by people who know better. The lack of integrity is a systemic problem. All of this present situation was avoidable. Knowingly allowing a felon come to power is an abject failure.
How do we fix this? Older, white people vote for this more than any other group. They had the classes. Years ago, but they had them. I think it’s more rural fear of everything not rural. I’ve lived in rural areas and large cities.
I taught 33 years. We do teach civics, in more than 1 grade level. Unfortunately, many kids don’t value education/pay attention in class/do the work. And often, their parents don’t care. Kids can get D’s and F’s and still pass on to the next grade level! 😡
Civics was taught in 5th and 6th grade as part of social studies. Where I taught. Then a separately a concentrated Government class was taught in high school.
My dad took us to see Irish play Translations yrs ago in SF, about old Irish hedge schools. Time for underground schools of civics, arts… afterhours intergenerational community-building where youth are engaged & inspired away from excess gadgets. Time for mutual aid teach-ins, in-person or not
underground where needs to be, vs book banning boards. Awakened youth can organize hedge schools themselves, mentors of good will welcome. In safe spaces indoors or outside in beauty of nature
You're absolutely right. In my college days, which were very long ago, I remember talking to a student who did not know that a President can't sign a bill into law until both houses of Congress have passed it. And I went to a college with pretty high admission standards.
One of the first classes I took when I immigrated to the U.S. some 70 years ago (gasp!!) was a civics class. That class served me well and introduced me to a vision of what a civil democracy can accomplish.
Couldn’t agree more. I taught high school students for 11 years. Never
did I see civics as part of the curriculum. Whereas, I learned everything I needed to know about the three branches of government and the checks and balances in my 7th grade civics class.
Speaking as a retired educator - thank you. Too often we have sacrificed the end goal of education (creation, involvement, action) to the underpinnings of fact gathering and repetition. Education centered on activity and engagement (like Civics) is more sustaining for students through their lives.
With several cable networks showing the same stories over and over again for days on end, why can't one of them devote an hour a day to a show devoted to teaching civics? They could consider it their public service.
Back in 1990 a buddy in the Marines explained to me that the Republican's focus on reading, writing and arithmetic and attacks on liberal arts and soft sciences was always about dumbing down the electorate.
He was prophetic
Since the beginning of MAGA, I've always thought MAGA people must have slept though their high school civics/government class, or never attended high school.
THAT is the real issue here in the US: critical thinking and learning to recognize logical fallacies IS. NOT. TAUGHT. Unless one is on a debating team (see if you can find old Colbert Report episodes- he was a CHAMPION and still is)
It’s been long here. I interviewed a college applicant , her favorite teacher a friend made Kuns think, as Socrates, examine beliefs think. Have’s fired
Agree 100%. I was dumbfounded when I learned civics isn’t taught in school. This leaves parents in charge of explaining government. That could be good, if they did.
Can you please give an example of where civics isn’t taught in school? I read this claim everywhere, which is confusing when I teach in a school that teaches civics and in a state that includes civics in the social studies standards at multiple grade levels.
Sadly, even that can be warped by the powerful. I keep thinking about money. Trump's new crypto just created billions of real dollars out of nothing but hot air, and those billions are converted into a means of control. But all money is based on belief and faith - an intriguing Achille's heel.
Inadequate civics. I took a course in HS decades ago and we just covered the basic structure and processes. What we need is to integrate history into it, with heavy emphasis on how easily it is destroyed and how often it came close. But of course MAGA will want to do their own perverted version.
Religion(our church)convinced my siblings maga was the answer. I haven’t had a relationship with them since.
(10 years)…and I have 12 living brothers & sisters.
I lost my two sisters to the MAGA cult, promoted by the Evangelical church. First their wacko beliefs divided us, then they both died during the pandemic.
Wow, I too am truly sorry and how sad that the magat cretins caused this but it’s all part of the divide and conquer strategy. And it’s worked, look what’s about to happen. American Democracy DOA 11/5/24.
Truth, honesty, integrity, public service, public education, decency, bottom line, magats threw out decency to scratch their way to tomorrow, a world of lies, dishonesty, philandering pseudo leaders who prey on women and girls and rob Americans to pay the techno bro-bois and illegal South African.
In my experience, at least, American civics education is what made Donald Trump possible. Not many countries indoctrinate their children the way that the US does.
Positive take: Sites like this, that allow mass dissemination is a major force opposing a 'march to a police state'. Now if they corrupt or shut this place down... (sigh)
The more people home school or charter, the more civics is lost. Given the popularity of such in the last couple decades, it seems we’re entering an era where we get to “relearn” mistakes due to ignorance.
Of course; is well known Nige is the chosen propective uk ‘front man’ for Poot; had been since before the election 💁🏻♀️… (we haven’t forgotten all the rest though; including DomC).
Liz was sent as a squirrel.
Sad /s
Still; better than leafy veg, eh?
I don't think so. Most people don't remember most of what they learned in junior high and high school.
The media is supposed to keep the knowledge of how the government works and what's at stake fresh. It's why they have constitutional protection. The failure's more recent. It's daily.
Make all-around education cool again. Professional sports has somehow become a reflection of ‘masculine energy’. It’s become ultra nationalistic. Lauded guest ‘heroes’ are always soldiers, not educators. Should be both, at least. This is a bigger fight than people realize.
I think it’s also the belief that tyranny could never take hold in America. We didn’t pay enough attention and thought in 2016, “Well, how bad can it be?” And now we know. We underestimated people’s ability to embrace propaganda. And now we know.
Is it on a Standardized Test? Because that’s all the public schools care about….How to get the money to Pearson and Co. And Dems are completely complicit in the downfall of public education.
Standardized tests are apart of the testing that is done. Courses are still taught with appropriate exams for each, in addition to the standardized tests. I'm no fan of the emphasis on the standardized tests.
I personally witnessed the end of social studies instruction to test prep, the end of background knowledge for “closed reading” and the end of Novel reading in k-8…. For the past 25 years.
Unfortunately Obama quadrupled down on testing. And then implemented “race to the top”… poor schools fighting over resources lest they get shut down. Biden vowed to get rid of the testing but once in office supported it wholeheartedly. Pearson makes 11 Billion a year on testing.
It's more than that. People don't recognize democracy or other forms of political organization. They don't understand how laws operate or the separation of church and state. However, reading and comprehension levels need to be higher before all this. No?
in a sane world, we would have noticed the info space turning people's minds into mush, early, 2010 - 2014, and realized that we need to safeguard democracy with movements promoting media literacy and civics education
Civics was canceled in Oklahoma decades ago. Hence most people don’t know the three branches of government, how a bill is made into law, what the constitution guarantees, how an oath of office is serious and supposed to protect us. Citizens as a whole are clueless. This was the Republican plan.
While I agree, aren’t there some more foundational economic things that need to be brought back into balance - like the differential in salaries between ceo teams and their workers?
That isn’t what it is. Citizens United has negated everything you learn in Civics. I suppose if there are portion of Civics instruction dedicated to teaching and learning what is undermining democratic rule and rule of law it would help. But states would fight that. Alabama would fight that.
But a person has to understand more than basic government functions to understand how things are being undermined and how media is being used against them. That is how it is so easy to sell the lie about a Deep State. People outside of government no longer grasp how it functions.
I've been saying this for 17 years.
I teach civics to adults because our schools refuse to do it.
Civics is the study of the structure and function of government, and the rights and duties of citizens.
Free. Easy. Available to all. http://www.patomalley-consulting.com/community-matters.html
Yep. The dumbing down of the curriculum in this country is outrageous. When I was in high school we had to take four years of English. And civics. And current events. And social studies.
Do you know that this isn’t happening because you’ve talked with current teachers? All of those are required where I teach. So many people repeat what they’ve heard about education without (ahem) using critical thinking skills or doing basic research. BTW, we also teach cursive.
Republicans have attacked public education for years. Tried to defund, privatize, denigrate. An educated citizenry is necessary for democracy to thrive.
Add to this that school districts and administrators are afraid of parents. Afraid of upsetting the apple cart. Afraid of being outed for anything on social media…
IMO, The absence of civics education is the result of a long term Republican strategy to dumb down our citizenry through the gradual defunding of public schools. They do not want engaged educated voters they can’t control.
Unfortunately millions of young ppl in US CARE + KNOW more details about the Kardashians +Taylor Swift than civics. And, THAT will be the mentality they pass to their kids.
In a decade this country WB majority ignorant ppl. Probably is now. Foreigners come here for university +take brains home.
Nice thought, however, since minimal civics was taught previous to Trump descending onto US politics (and escalator) the Bible is now a priority especially in red states.
Recall Jay Leno’s sidewalk interviews. Many ppl didn’t know why July 4 was celebrated. One answer - got independence 👉China! 😧
Pete Hegseth is a creep! He says he’ll “bring the warrior culture back to the DOD,” he really means is “the good old boy culture.” Watch the 2020 movie Promising Young Woman. His mom was right—he’s “an abuser of women,”and his vision would roll back decades of progress for women in the military.”
Civics lessons in school AND - for adults - how about “journalists” who actively defend democratic principles & rail against political corruption - instead of them just shrugging & reporting on tRump & all GOP batshit rightwing rot like its inevitable & normal.
Parents teach civics to their children ultimately. Did your parents vote, talk about politics at the dinner table, take you to volunteer in your community, etc. I’m an educator, school is important, but the people who raise children have the most influence.
Civics taught at our small town school was by a high school sports coach making fun of “chin diapers” during COVID. It was a few open-minded kids vs MAGA. A nightmare.
You are right about that. I had civics in grade school and I am realizing how valuable it is to know in today's world.
At one time, Richard Dreyfus actively promoted civics for school children. Now, I suppose it is up to all of us to help pass along the civics information we learned.
I also believe citizens need to learn the meaning of respect. It is time for push back and when we allow people to start bullying people in charge of institutions and getting by with it we have chaos, and a population of entitled, dangerous people assaulting others.
While that is true, it's also true that many people voted to burn down the system because they work two jobs and can't save money and cannot see a better future.Of course there are also the selfish who just want their taxes lowered, racists, and quite a few with mixed motives.But many feel left out.
The fact that American politics is constructed in a way that 35% of the eligible voters haven't felt that they have anything worth voting for over the last 100 years maybe plays in? Over here in the developed world that looks a bit strange. Or maybe "Idiotic" is a better word for it....
👏🏾👏🏾Democratic state and local leaders have dropped the ball on education! They have allowed curriculums to alter and remove civics and social problems which use to be a mandatory course for high school graduation. Shame.
You know rule of law & Constitution will be gone
America will be fascist & oligarchs owned
Fukk of the people, by the people, for the people
You know it & allow it !
I call that dereliction of duty & treason
Fix it !
Invalidate election & install Lloyd Austin
That and the general attack by the GOP on education in the last twenty or thirty years, mostly allowed in red states. It has led to a dumbing down of our citizens!
It's why they were happy to destroy education systems. Republicans prefer Americans uneducated. If they know how the government is supposed to work, they'll understand how to control Congress better.
When/where did they stop teaching? I took civics. My kids took it in middle school and had to pass the test to move on to highschool. They haven't taken it yet, but it's also required again in highschool. Is this lack of civics just talking point or an issue in some states?
People love to blame schools. I haven’t seen anyone, even journalists, back up negative claims about education with interviews with current teachers. As a teacher, it’s maddening to constantly hear people confidently report that what we’re doing doesn’t exist.
I remember bringing xtra food to work w/other ladies, we would leave food on our outside lunch tables for the homeless that were dropped from the mental institutions when Reagan shut them down. We were appalled they were eating from our trash cans. Institutions were turned into for-profit prisons.
History is the evidence. I lived it. I read the papers. I saw the changes. Before the plague of deliberate publication of lies, we could see truth with our own eyes in real time. That’s the proof.
It started long before Reagan. It goes back to the time when FDR was in office and signed the Social Security Act into Law. The Republicans knew they couldn't fight it directly and its success threatened to sideline them for years. So they come up with a dishonest strategy to fight it.
It seems like our poorest performing school districts with low graduation rates are New York, Chicago and LA - largely blue state bastions. Followed by Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana - largely red state strongholds. To teach Civics, we have to have good Civics teachers in the public schools.
The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America by Charlotte Thomson Iserbyt. It’s also the radical right deep state’s strategy for decades since they assassinated 4 Democratic leaders in the 1960’s to dumb down and distract Americans so they don’t wake up realizing they’re nothing but indentured servants!
That’s the most pathetic thing in all of this. My new favorite term for him though is Narcissistic ObviousISM. How can his CULT not basically project what’s coming down, it’s a pattern! We all can see it, we know before it happens.
As a retired high school teacher, I have to defend my Social Studies colleagues. Civics IS being taught in our school. It is imperative that it be taught in a way that is meaningful to today's students. Not only WHAT is taught, but HOW it is taught is vital.
Yes. And MSM abdication its power via parroting his talking points, not challenging the script, nor educating the public. When I hear remorseful tRump supporters, all their reasons/explaination are tRump talking points.
Teaching civics now is like closing the barn door after the horse has long gone. It’s now up to Congress and DOJ to solve the problem. Odds of a solution? Very close to zero.
Richard Dreyfuss —yes the actor— set out to champion civics education with his The Dreyfuss Civics Initiative to prioritize civics education. He went all over the country speaking about the importance of teaching civics.
Unfortunately no one listened.
Social Studies is the general term for a group of courses, including government or civics. Government is still taught in high school and in Texas is required to graduate.
Comments
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/oath-keepers-back-youth-bobby-kinch-1235237342/
Democrats lost Congress. And did poorly at the state and local level where education policy is made. The population in blue states is shrinking.
Maybe that's just me.
How about all those “nah, I don’t like either so I’ll stay on the couch” idiots.
Idiots because they have no problem complaining what we’re stuck with😡 but couldn’t do some critical thinking before Election Day!!
Maybe stop coddling Trumper friends and family? Why forgive them in advance? This is permission.
We've given them permission all along, this whole time, since birtherism. That's why Trumpism grows.
We’re here for the relay race, to be part of a community that runs together toward the finish line of democracy. We have to take on personal responsibility for civics education.
1. Reliance on consumer accountability, where people choose among options, over civic accountability, where people help create their options; and
2. The growing complexity of everyday decisions, which exhausts people.
I've even seen tech-savvy, media literate sharing misinfo crap on FB without checking. Never mind the mass of folks without those skills.
Notice how many of Trump's cult are theists. Why? Because once you believe in one thing without evidence, you'll be open to believe anything without evidence.
They are behaving in a disturbingly un-Christ-like way and religious leadership should be correcting this. Nary a peep.
They approach civics same way they do an overflowing trash can. In their mind, trash on floor is NOT their problem. Neither is civics.
Someone chucked it into a swamp.
Repubs constantly telling us we are unsafe and threatened when we are not from “others” and “enemies”. Activating some people’s flight/fight/freeze response.
Anyone have ideas about how Dems can break through this? I think more than just civics are involved.
It’s the totalitarian playbook.
Reminds me of the song: 🎶 House built on a weak foundation will not stand oh no
I was taught civics. Okay I'm old and have not paid attention so very much to this. When did this stop? Honest question.
But was Civics specifically dropped? Or was this subject just one among many?
I appreciate the enlightenment...
Conservatism in all forms destroys.
An allergy to factual information, a lack of critical thinking, and a willingness to accept bombast as absolute certainty ("I'll end the War in Ukraine in one day") helped lead to the election of Donald Trump.
He's a con artist. And we've been conned.
Without an educated citizenry, we are well and truly screwed.
And people will be reading about how the government and the media failed the American people.
I sti do not understand how he can be allowed to take the oath of office we all know he will violate immediately. 🤦🏻♀️
Our obscene wealth gap and the passing of Citizen’s United tracks with an unsatisfactory public opinion of U.S. Gov.
This ended our democracy.
Also, human nature-
(1) we prefer simple yes/no answers
(2) we are easy prey to tribalism & hate & we crave belonging to a group
(3) we are lazy
The reality is populists don't care about any of Trump's defects. They apply civics to Democrats just fine, the hypocrisy is a feature.
Just Plain Education…
did I see civics as part of the curriculum. Whereas, I learned everything I needed to know about the three branches of government and the checks and balances in my 7th grade civics class.
He was prophetic
https://www.educatingforamericandemocracy.org/
It’s a wholesale and fundamental devaluing of our entire public education system.
(10 years)…and I have 12 living brothers & sisters.
And we need a new way to counter this:
https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lg33gfeo3k2s
Americans have transitioned from “ask what you can do for your country” to what’s in it for me. We’ve lost our moral compass.
There was nothing organic about it whatsoever.
Ps. I do hope US folk don’t think am on any kind of high horse? The opposite!
Heck, we had Bojo, who endowed Lord Siberia, against all legal and security advice, so… 😒😖
I get it 👊🏻🫶🏻🙏🏻🫂✌🏻
Of course; is well known Nige is the chosen propective uk ‘front man’ for Poot; had been since before the election 💁🏻♀️… (we haven’t forgotten all the rest though; including DomC).
Liz was sent as a squirrel.
Sad /s
Still; better than leafy veg, eh?
When I was in High School, back in the Bronze Age, the history classes were so boring to my teenage mind that they almost put me into a coma.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4358hILcYgM
The media is supposed to keep the knowledge of how the government works and what's at stake fresh. It's why they have constitutional protection. The failure's more recent. It's daily.
I teach civics to adults because our schools refuse to do it.
Civics is the study of the structure and function of government, and the rights and duties of citizens.
Free. Easy. Available to all.
http://www.patomalley-consulting.com/community-matters.html
@politicsgirl.bsky.social @amysiskind.bsky.social
@uw-fl-lelone.bsky.social
https://youtu.be/Dwo7T0E0Ehg?si=FM8_SZWmg3K1bmW-
Today, I believe civics education should be mandatory at the high school level and should include a class each year.
In a decade this country WB majority ignorant ppl. Probably is now. Foreigners come here for university +take brains home.
Recall Jay Leno’s sidewalk interviews. Many ppl didn’t know why July 4 was celebrated. One answer - got independence 👉China! 😧
At one time, Richard Dreyfus actively promoted civics for school children. Now, I suppose it is up to all of us to help pass along the civics information we learned.
You know rule of law & Constitution will be gone
America will be fascist & oligarchs owned
Fukk of the people, by the people, for the people
You know it & allow it !
I call that dereliction of duty & treason
Fix it !
Invalidate election & install Lloyd Austin
Except Christofascist home schooling.
Totally unsurprising.
Unfortunately no one listened.