Revive Civics Classes

Do you remember taking a Civics class in school? That would be the class in which you learned how the US government is organized and your role as a citizen in our representative democracy.

A crisis in our representative democracy

In recent conversations with a few friends, we lamented how kids these days miss out on learning the basics of our government and how US citizens can participate in the process of governing.

What prompted our reminiscing? The sickening, outrageous, and horrific insurrection at the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. last week on January 6th, not by foreign intruders but by some of our own citizens who had been radicalized.

We cannot and should not let it pass. Period. Perpetrators must be brought to justice. That includes the instigator-in-chief, the current President of the United States who lost, yes lost, the election in November to Joe Biden. Biden is the President Elect. That’s a fact. Period.

Well said in the Sentinel

I was surprised to see in my local paper this morning, The Orlando Sentinel, that the Editorial laid it all out so well, far better than I can. You can read “For the Nation’s Future, Remove Trump Now” here.

Why does a Civics class matter?

Back to Civics class. Knowledge is power. Understanding our government can perhaps (certainly not always) avoid chaos like we witnessed last week. To have a functioning representative democracy, we need citizens to understand what that is, how it works, and who does what to protect the country from becoming a totalitarian state.

At this moment for me what stands out from my Civics class is learning about the three branches of the US Federal Government: The Executive (President), the Legislative (the House of Representatives and the Senate) and the Judicial (the Supreme Court and other federal courts). They exist to keep a “balance of power” which would (should!) prevent our country from being ruled by a dictator.

This sums it all up pretty well. Source: here.

“The Constitution of the United States divides the federal government into three branches to make sure no individual or group will have too much power:

• • • Legislative—Makes laws (Congress, comprised of the House of Representatives and Senate)
    • Executive—Carries out laws (president, vice president, Cabinet, most federal agencies)
    • Judicial—Evaluates laws (Supreme Court and other courts)

Each branch of government can change acts of the other branches:

• • • The president can veto legislation created by Congress and nominates heads of federal agencies.
    • Congress confirms or rejects the president’s nominees and can remove the president from office in exceptional circumstances.
    • The Justices of the Supreme Court, who can overturn unconstitutional laws, are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

This ability of each branch to respond to the actions of the other branches is called the system of checks and balances.”

Problems in Democracy 1968

In high school, I remember sitting in a class called “Problems of Democracy” (POD) and discussing current events. It was the late 1960s, and we had a lot of major problems to talk about: the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, and the shocking assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. For me, the pervading grief escalated when that year my mother died.

In POD class, I learned some listening skills and a few critical thinking skills to help me discuss emotionally charged topics. In other words, I learned the value of being civil. Lucky for me, my parents had already laid the groundwork for that, but Civics class guided me to apply common sense and respect for others during political discussions. Gee, maybe it would be a good idea to bring back Civics classes to schools around the country.

What happened to Civics classes?

So why are kids in our schools today missing out on learning about the US government?

Consider this is from The Economist, July 7, 2017

Civics has been in decline in schools for decades, says Peter Levine of the Centre for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University. It has been pushed aside by a focus on preparing workers for the marketplace with “core” subjects, especially science, technology, engineering and maths.

But the idea that it was the responsibility of schools to teach students about politics and democracy flourished well into the second half of the 20th century. It was based on the belief, as promulgated by Horace Mann, who fought for universal education in the 19th century, that education is “our own political safety”. Across the country, pupils took classes like “Problems of Democracy,” a popular post-war civics course in which they were expected to read the newspaper and debate issues in the classroom. But by the 1980s, it had been phased out.

That’s about it for today. I don’t usually write about politics, but this moment is too important for me to remain silent. One role of writers in a democracy is to say something of value. This post is my attempt at participating in that.

Take care and stay safe. The pandemic rages on and we have a lot of healing to do.

Your writer on the wing,

Charlene

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