Fine, Boortz, you may be thinking. We get the point. But if you think our government schools are doing such a bad job of teaching, why don’t you tell us what you would teach?
Say no more.
I know, I’ve already got government school teachers busy trying to learn the answers to the Neal Boortz Citizenship Test I offered earlier. But I’m eager to do more, so I’ve compiled a few things I think our children should learn before they escape to college or to their exciting careers in lawn maintenance.
Now, I’m not going to deal with the obvious here, items like basic math and reading. Instead, let’s focus on a few ideas I suspect are being ignored, but which could certainly enhance anyone’s educational experience.
- We are not a democracy. Never were. Weren’t supposed to be. And we shouldn’t be. Explore the Federalist Papers with the children and explain to them why our Founding Fathers abhorred the idea of democracy. Ask them why the word “democracy” never appeared in a presidential state of the union address until Woodrow Wilson, and today you’ll hear the word no less than twenty times. Discuss the phenomenon of the lynch mob with the class and ask them to explain how such a mob might conduct itself differently under a system of pure majority rule as opposed to a system of the rule of law.
- Tell the students that Exxon Mobil earned about $38 billion in profits in 2006. Then, to see if they’re paying attention, ask one student what Exxon Mobil’s profit margin was for 2006. If he says “$38 billion,” you’ll know that your students don’t understand the difference between a profit and a profit margin. This means they will be easy prey for political demagoguery. Teach them the difference.
- I know it’s not that big an issue, but there is a big difference between a newspaper column and an editorial. The column is an expression of the opinions of the writer. The editorial is a statement of the official position of the newspaper. I don’t know why it bothers me that people don’t understand this difference, but it surely does. So teach them.
- Explain to the students that the people who formed this country wanted most of the governing to be done as close to home as possible. Explain why a letter to a local politician will have far more effect than a letter sent to a congressman or senator in Washington. (Hint: Because Washington politicians are so isolated from interaction with the people they govern that they feel bulletproof—and complacency ensues.)
- Teach the difference between “subjective” and “objective” writing and why a news reporter should practice one and not the other.
- Teach them that it’s absurd to believe that when the Bill of Rights was added to our Constitution, it was decided that nine of the amendments should protect basic rights the people already held, while one amendment, the second, should grant rights to government.
- Point out to them that the government of Uganda has official representation in Washington, D.C., but the government of Utah does not.
- Explain the differences among the concepts of prejudice, bigotry, and racism. Explain to the students that there are racial problems in this country that need to be addressed, and that the first thing you must do when trying to address a problem is to make sure you have accurately identified just what that problem is.
- Explain to the students that the part of the human brain that assesses risk is not fully formed until roughly the age of twenty-five. This means they’ll probably be biologically incapable of evaluating the dangers of whatever dicey behavior they may be planning for this weekend.
- Teach them that our Constitution sought to severely limit the powers of the federal government, and that these limitations are today being largely ignored. This is what happens when you consider the Constitution to be a “living document.”
- Teach them that teenagers are inherently cruel and that this will make their teenage years the toughest period of their lives. Tell them also that the word “popular” will cease to have any real meaning to them once they leave high school for college or work.
- If there are any aspiring jocks in the class, teach them that the chances of them ever making a living as a professional athlete are far less than one out of a thousand, no matter how hard they apply themselves. But if they make the decision and dedicate themselves to the cause of becoming a successful businessman, doctor, or lawyer, it is nearly certain they will succeed.
- Teach them that there are three keys to avoiding poverty: Stay in school, don’t get pregnant, and take any job you can get and work hard at it until you can move to a better one. It’s just that simple.
- Teach them that government has one unique power that we, as mere citizens, do not have: the power to use deadly force to accomplish its goals. Teach them that this should make them suspicious of government at all times.
- Teach them the miracle of compound interest. Teach them that if they were to take that money they’re using to buy lottery tickets and invest it in a good mutual fund instead, they would be certain winners, instead of certain losers.
- Teach them the difference between a credit card and a charge card. Explain to them that credit card debt will make their lives absolutely and completely miserable, and that this is one huge mistake they can decide to avoid today!
- Explain to them that they’re going to be absolutely amazed at how much their parents learn over the next five years.
- And above all, teach them that despite the problems that exist both here and abroad, there is not now, nor has there ever been, any country that has done so much to foster the spirit of human freedom and to offer every person a chance, if he chooses, to use his talents and willingness to work hard to achieve great things.