America's Students Failing to Learn the Lessons of History
"To now know what happened before you were born is to be forever a child"-
Cicero (Roman senator).
So it is with our current system, keep everyone
in the dark as long as possible, never answer the dreaded question of "why" when
someone asks. I never learned WWII, the civil war, korean war, vietnam, the
crusades, inquisition, or any of the other events in history that everyone
should know. I learned it alone with books from libraries, book stores and
history professors.
Because of a lot of this, I could apply lessons from the
past to situations now. The purpose of education in the US is provide stable
mediocrity and not excellence since everyone is special. Go back to letting
schools stratify, let those who are brilliant expand that knowledge. Start
charters, allow professionals of companies to teach in schools, stop the
revisionist history from either side and teach children that success is by
contribution to society, not making yourself feel good.
"Great ambition
and conquest without contribution is without significance."
Read the article WALL STREET JOURNAL/Students Stumble Again on the Basics of History
The most interesting facts about history education were left unsaid in this
article – indeed there is not much evidence that the author or the people
interviewed are even aware of them.
Adults have been worried about kids
not knowing history for a long time. The press, Congress and any number of
groups have periodically wrung their hands about poor showing on tests for at
least three quarters of a century. An April 5, 1943 headline in The New York
Times for example read “Senators Deplore Student Ignorance of Nation’s History…
Conditions Revealed by History Survey Shocks Capital….” Fast forward to 2000
skipping over, by my count, some seventy intervening studies that claimed to
expose student failure and one arrives at the often cited 2001 Losing America’s
Memory report. David McCullough the noted biographer/historian summarized its
conclusions saying “anyone who doubts that we are raising a generation of young
Americans who are historically illiterate needs only read this truly alarming
report.”
Seems the real lesson here may be either that it just does not
matter that kids do not know the facts – or alternatively American educators
can’t figure out how to teach the subject.
I argue that it is a little
of both. The failure of youngsters not withstanding, one sees a country that has
a healthy interest in history. Figures suggest that the number of history
museums and historic sites have increased by hundreds of percents over the last
fifty years; the National Register of Historic Places begun in 1966 is variously
estimated to contain more than a million individual buildings (listed and
eligible); on the average every county in the state I live in (Ohio) has 11
public history museums; national or regional celebrations of some historic event
are always underway; at least three television channels are devoted to history
programming; and retro advertising strategies abound. Simply, the country has
not lost its interest in history – in fact a case might be made that we are
drowning in it.
But back to this study, the real question one must ask
is why, given society’s broad interest in the subject, have generations of
educators failed so spectacularly to impart it to their students – and why has
that failure apparently had so little impact on public interest in history?
Read the article WALL STREET JOURNAL/Students Stumble Again on the Basics of History
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The kids are'nt getting it because their teachers don't know it.
We have
almost 2 generations of folks that believe the world started the day they were
born and nothing else is important.
The true incompetence lies with the Colleges
and Universities training our teachers.
There, the "philosophy of education" far
outweighs actual subject matter.
Read the article WALL STREET JOURNAL/Students Stumble Again on the Basics of History
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Babies and Sun: New Study Looks at Long-term Effects of Over-Exposure
Basically, the audience they are trying to connect with, are those individuals
who will take their 3 month old to a 4 or 5 hour football game (the picture
above). Or those parents who take their little's to the beach and remain on the
beach for several hours.
Bottom line being the babies need the sun but there are
so many people out there who are not keeping after their kids, mainly because
they can't keep after themselves. I don't know about the rest of you, but I
generally don't use sun screen on myself. So when I go out, I'm not in the frame
of mind to apply sun screen on anybody.
And, I know that with out my wife my
kids would be little pieces of toast when we go out on a hot day. So set a
person in your family to be the logical one to say "Hey this may not be the best
idea, 98 degrees at a festival." Having little one is a time when parents must
sacrifice what they want for what is in the best interest of the kids. Pax
Christi.
Read the article NPR/A baby's skin is no match for the sun
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Production of Vitamin D is good;
Getting outdoors is good;
Sunburn (even mild) is bad; and
Exposure to chemicals is bad.
Now apply some judgement and common sense!
Read the article CBC NEWS/Sun's effect on babies not well understood: researchers
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Well, it's just common sense not to over-expose your baby or toddler to direct sun. But really, this article has (or at least I read it this way) a kind of alarmist tone. I really wonder how I survived as a kid (I played outside all the time w/o sunscreen, used lead weights for fishing, even handled mercury in *gasp* school science class with my bare hands). Not that I wouldn't take more precautions knowing what I know now for my kids--but a sentence like "infants need to be protected even from incidental sun exposure" seems a little alarmist. I guess we can all stay home and play with our PlayStations. But wait--that leads to obesity, and home furnishings off-gas VOC, and . . . I miss the simpler life. )-:
Read the article CNN/Sun exposure in babies could mean cancer later
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This is not a case of "oh be afraid of anything", this is a case where we actually know how to greatly reduce the risk of skin cancer. The UV radiation has enough photons to disrupt atoms which, in this case, causes damage to DNA.
The article states that, "A baby's skin has lower levels of the skin protecting pigment melanin and a thinner outer layer, which allows UV rays to more easily reach the melanin-producing cells known as melanocytes."
Basic math, UV rays+low levels of melanin+thinner skin= greater DNA damage which can create skin cancer.
Melanoma rates are rising and have been rising along with the damage being done to the UV protecting ozone layer
Read the article CNN/Sun exposure in babies could mean cancer later
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Humans have actually existed for about 100,000 years, without sunscreen...but they also didn't live as long as we do today. Now that we're trying to expand our life expectancy and push it higher and higher, it pays to start paying attention to what might otherwise seem like a non-issue. Yes, sun is good for us - but they're saying that babies are potentially more sensitive to the harmful radiation that comes with sunshine, and it could cause problems for them down the road. Not when they're like 20 years old, but eventually. Even though these people are working for a sunscreen company, I'm inclined to err on the side of caution and just not take my baby out into the sun without a hat or other cover over them, as suggested. I wouldn't put sunscreen on my baby, but I would certainly keep them in the shade.
Read the article CNN/Sun exposure in babies could mean cancer later
CDC Turns the Spotlight on Measles
CDC REPORT
WHY WHY WHY do we always have this same damned conversation? Anti-vaccinators BAD, vaccinators GOOD.
Vaccination is obviously very important. Obviously, there is a percentage of the population (and growing larger every day) who will not do it.
The question is why won't they do it, and what can be done that they will do it? If this question is not addressed in a meaningful manner the people who won't vaccinate will become legion (if they are not already).
And everybody knows, "you/your child/somebody else's child could die" argument is obviously not working. And saying "jail them" makes you sound like a dick. Nobody likes being told what to do, most of all by a nameless, faceless authority let alone a blog commenter.
There is a tidal wave of distrust toward western medicine and big pharma, and quite frankly they brought it on themselves.
Read the article BOINGBOING/This is what happens when we don't vaccinate
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Even the article excerpt here points out that 11% of the cases were in vaccinated people (well, it points out that 89% were in unvaccinated people, but still). As pointed out earlier in this very thread, no vaccine is 100% effective, and the measles vaccine in particular is around 90% effective.
So, let's distinguish between unvaccinated people, and people who are vulnerable to the disease.
People who are vulnerable consist of close to 100% of unvaccinated people, plus about 10% of vaccinated people.
So, by not vaccinating, a person basically decides to give themselves a 90% chance of contracting measles from, and of passing it along to, not only other unvaccinated people, but also 10% of those who are vaccinated.
I've seen the figure that gives a 90% chance of a non-immune person contracting measles from an infectious person with whom they live. That doesn't mean the chance of contracting it from shorter contact is zero, and you can't just discount all those other contacts - it would be somewhat less for someone you work or attend school with all day, less again from someone whose table you wait on or who waits on your table in a restaurant, less again from someone you sit near on a bus once, some very small but still non-zero chance from someone who had out a library book before you did...
Read the article BOINGBOING/This is what happens when we don't vaccinate
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Some people, like myself, do not immunize their children for religious reasons. And this is a decision my spouse and I did not come to lightly. I thoroughly researched the vaccines, even through the manufacturer's own websites. I researched the ingredients, possible side effects, and sought information from all channels - including the department of health as well as anti-immunization organizations. I gathered all credible information, and then went to scripture and prayer. For us there was clear reason not to immunize or children, but I understand not all will come to this decision.
I just ask one thing of those choosing TO immunize, please don't assume that I'm either ignorant or stupid to make this decision. We are also not brainwashed, we are the only family that's made this choice at our church and both of us were raised receiving all our immunizations on schedule. We understand the risks, and if those of you who immunize are sure that immunizations work so well - then why are you worried that my child will infect yours? Just something to think about, that's all.
Oh and before we get all worked up, 118 cases is only 0.00003% of people in the US. And 5,000 cases in Europe is only 0.0006% of the population there. Just some perspective...
Read the articleHUFFINGTON POST/U.S. Measles Outbreak Sees Cases At 15-Year High: What Should You Do?
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From John Helperin's, Associated Press article – Apr 21--"To prevent measles
outbreaks, officials need to vaccinate about 90 percent of the population. But
vaccination rates across Europe have been patchy in recent years and have never
fully recovered from a discredited 1998 British study linking the vaccine for
measles, mumps and rubella to autism. Parents abandoned the vaccine in droves
and vaccination rates for parts of the U.K. dropped to about 50
percent."
Measles is coming to the US. Children who were never
vaccinated, and adults who have not had boosters are vulnerable. Last fall in CA
there were historically high rates of whooping cough. At least ten newborns died
from this entirely preventable disease. The babies who died were too young to be
vaccinated, but if the older children and adults around them had been
vaccinated, they would not have been exposed.
Read the article NPR/U.S. measles cases hit 15-year high
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It's true that most children who get measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) are sick
for a few days, then recover and are fine. Those of us who were born before 1956
don't have to get the shots because we had the three diseases as kids. In fact,
when my mom heard that kids in the neighborhood had one of them, she'd send us
over to play so we'd catch it and get it over with! The trouble is, a small
percentage of people get complications and even die. My own kids get every
immunization recommended by our pediatrician.
Read the article NPR/U.S. measles cases hit 15-year high
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Did you know that the Civil War was started because Abraham Lincoln was too focused on creating jobs and improving the economy of the US? Apparently the war was fought between the "French of France" and the "Americans of the US." At least that is what one student in freshman history wrote and that's after my wife spent nearly a month covering the Civil War in the class she teaches at a college, here in the US.
The students come to these classes relatively ignorant of US history and completely ignorant of world history. Add that to the fact that they write at a middle school level and have problems stringing together a complete sentence or coherent thought.
Folks the Chinese and Indians are zooming right past us and we have nobody to blame but ourselves. They emphasize excellence in the classroom, while we emphasize diversity and feeling good about ourselves. Thats all well and good except we now have a generation of idiots who feel good about themselves.
We are in serious trouble
Read the article WALL STREET JOURNAL/Students Stumble Again on the Basics of History
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This is one case in which I blame the teachers.
Until I got to college, I hated History. My Boston school teachers exhibited no passion for History. They just related the facts and we had to memorize dates.
In college I took just one History class, but the Professor awakened my interest in the subject. I started buying fiction books that were based in Historical settings.
After I got married, my wife bought me some Civil War photo books. Then we started visiting Civil War battlefields.
Now, my History collection encompasses two large book cases. We've been to colonial Williamsburg, Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, several homes of Presidents, and more.
For us, History is alive.
If only school teachers could bring it alive for kids.
History is not just about "dead white people" (or dead other people).
Read the article BOSTON GLOBE/Students' grasp of history lags
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I scored a 100 percent. However, I am a history teacher. I teach 8th graders in South Texas and my students score in the 90 percentile. I am concerned for future of this country just as others are today.
Since coming into teaching, I have watched as funding for history programs to encourage good citizenship, knowledge of the country, and an appreciation for our form of government have withered away to nothing. Instead increases in math and science funding abound. Congress just this Spring session eliminated funding for education in citizenship for students.
This program entailed studying the documents that founded this country, students roles within the society, and their responsibilities. What's even worse is that no one party is to blame. A nation that does not educate its citizenry on where it came from can never clearly focus on where it wants to go. We saw this with the fall of the Roman Empire.
Read the article ABC NEWS/Are You Smarter Than a 12th Grader?
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I am a middle school history and geography teacher. When I went to school to teach history, I originally planned to teach high school.
Although I have attempted to teach high school for two years, my efforts have been thwarted by the fact that most high school history positions are reserved for people who coach football, basketball, baseball, etc. The fact that schools are reserving these jobs for coaches should have alerted someone to the fact that history was not a priority in schools a long time ago.
Also, English and mathematics are the only subjects that count for AYP (the measurement component of No Child Left Behind), so very little emphasis is put on history (and science) in elementary and middle school. In elementary school, students spend the entire day on reading and math, and a mere 30 minutes a day is spent on history and science every other week.
History teachers are not surprised by this report, as we have long known that history is not a priority in this nation (especially under NCLB). Hopefully, this recent publicity will change that.
Read the article ABC NEWS/Are You Smarter Than a 12th Grader?