High Schoolers Don't Know History...Surprise!

Copperhead Chronicle ^ | May 2002 | Al Benson, Jr.

[robowombat]

While all may not agree with Mr. Benson's worldview his comments on the consequences of the dismal level of historical knowledge among secondary school students is on the mark. Also it should be noted that the standard of the US Dept of (Mis)Education on historical knowledge that a high school senior should be familiar with is below the level of the old Random house Landmark Books which I remember reading in 5th grade and upwards many many moons ago. So most high school seniors are in effect ignorant of basic historical knowledge. If you doubt it ask your niece or nephew when the Civil War ended and to name three things of importance Thomas Jefferson accomplished, or any similar simple question.

[xrp]

Government schools are too busy teaching about homosexuality, tolerance, diversity and what T-shirts and flags are and are not proper for school grounds to worry about teaching students about math, English, science, history, etc...

[Kaslin]

I said it the other day, but I don't know who said it originally

[weikel]

My highschool had a good system, levels. The kids who didn't want to learn something could take the level 2 or 3 class. The exceptional people could take level 1. I dislike government schools but my highschool was pretty good IMHO.

[Kaslin]

High Schoolers Don't Know History...Surprise!

This is a surprise?

[Polybius]

Didn't someone one time say something about an ignorance of history causes it to repeat itself?

Along a similar line, this is what my namesake, Polybius (200-118 B.C.), wrote in regards to his Universal History:

I have recorded these events in the hope that the reader may profit from them, for there are two ways by which all men may reform themselves, either by learning from their own errors or from those of others; the former makes a more striking demonstration, the latter a less painful one.

[The Chid]

Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it

George Santayana

[KC Burke]

If you doubt it ask your niece or nephew when the Civil War ended and to name three things of importance Thomas Jefferson accomplished, or any similar simple question.

I remember when my younger son got in a major American History class in high school I asked him how worthy the course was turning out to be. His reply was, "Well Dad, after sitting at the dinner table with you all my life, this class is, just basically, review."

LOL, I was tickeled.

[ladyjane]

Oh good, another thread blaming the government, the schools and the teachers. Why doesn't anybody ever mention the lazy students? The truancy rate is off the charts, they turn on before class and then tune out, and they refuse to take standardized tests because they're unfair. I couldn't imagine spending a day in a classroom as a teacher.

[Texas_Jarhead]

"I realize that the first emotional response to these test results will come from parents who've had their heads in the sand for years. They will now moan about the test scores. Many of them will be Christians and/or conservatives to whom ignorance has been bliss."

What is this horse@#$%?

[luvbach1]

It's easy to explain. When educators leave out accomplishments of white people, especially white men, you're bound to have huge gaps in students' knowledge of American history. It's more than that, of course, but I'll bet more students know about the children allegedly sired by Jefferson with a black woman (Sally Hemmings), and that Lincoln didn't really want to free the slaves (a distortion in its over-simplification), than important events in our history. American history is a victim of PC and historical revisionism which, like so many of our societal ills, can be laid at the liberals' feet.

[elephantlips]

I agree with you. I cannot speak to the 19th century Christians and what they did or did not do, however, Christians have been leading the way to home schooling, vouchers and separation of state and education. Where has this writer been?

[Texas_Jarhead]

I could understand if this was a conservative publication and the author was chastising conservatives who don't pay attention. But if its just regular old pub then it seems abit out of line.

[mushroom]

If they don't teach it, how can the kids learn it?

[2nd_Amendment_Defender]

Education is the responsibility of parents, not the public schools. If the children don't know about American History than it is the parents fault.

[caisson71]

I think we can all agree that there is enough blame to go around. So, what the hell are we doing about it? Are we writing, talking to our legislatures, school principals, teachers, working with our own kids at home, teaching them history, etc. or are we just compalining?????

[TheBigB]

"On the test: 57% of seniors could not perform even at the basic level"

So what? That's still less than half!

Stoopid kids. :)P

[homeschool mama]

**Christians have been leading the way to home schooling, vouchers and separation of state and education. Where has this writer been? **

Obviously the author has his head in the sand.