Educating The Next Generation

Tomorrow is Memorial Day.  It is the day we honor all those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom and for the cause of freedom around the world.  It might be good to remember that there were people who did not want us to get involved in World War II, but when we got involved after Pearl Harbor, the country united behind our military.  It might also be good to remember that after Japan attacked us, we attacked Germany.  Sometimes war is not a logical thing.

Yesterday the Weekly Standard posted an article about a recent study conducted by Stanford education professor William Damon, in which students were asked what American citizenship means to them.  The responses were not encouraging.

The article listed some of the responses:

"We just had that the other day in history. I forget what it was."

"I mean, being American is not really special.... I don't find being an American citizen very important."

"I don't know, I figure it really shouldn't mean anything."

"I don't want to belong to any country. It just feels like you are obligated to this country. I don't like the whole thing of citizen.... I don't like that whole thing. It's like, citizen, no citizen; it doesn't make sense to me. It's like to be a good citizen.... I don't know, I don't want to be a citizen ... it's stupid to me."

Wow.  Professor Damon points out in the article:

""Sure it's important to say we're part of the world community," said Damon. "But in literal fact, students are not learning to become citizens of the world." They become American citizens. Or at least we hope--the idea of assimilation, a melting pot, is also becoming a notion of the past. As for teachers who talk about the American Dream being dead, Damon says that is the worst thing they can say--"they are killing these children's hopes and aspirations, detaching them from country." He also pointed out that in Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, King says his dream "is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.""

America is not, nor will it ever be, perfect.  However, we are free.  Women drive; they participate in government.  Our income is determined by the things we do--not by the government.  We live where we want to live and travel where we want to travel.  We are free to worship the god of our choice at the place of our choice.  There are a lot of countries in the world that do not fit that description.  We need to teach our children to be grateful for their freedom and for the opportunities that they have.  Many men and women paid a high price for those freedoms.