How did I learn about civility? about what democracy means? about our freedoms and our responsibilities as citizens? I learned at home, but most importantly I learned at school through the modeling of the teachers, the lessons presented in story and song, and the practices that became a part of what we did and what was expected of us. I hope that in my school I continued those same ideals that I learned and that I practice today. To say add another class is or another requirement is not the answer. The answer lies in these teachings being imbedded in all subjects and taught naturally within them.

HOW CAN WE HAVE AN EDUCATED ELECTORATE WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE OF CIVICS AND HISTORY?

MOST OF THE STUDENTS THAT I ENCOUNTER KNOW VERY LITTLE OR NOTHING AT ALL ABOUT THE POLITICAL PROCESS AND THE DEMOCRACY THAT THIS COUNTRY IS BASED UPON. NOR ARE THEY AWARE OF THE HISTORY THAT LED TO THE CONSTITUTION, THE FOUNDING FATHERS INFLUENCE AND THE NEED TO BE INFORMED WHEN THEY VOTE.

Absolutely! If we cannot teach students how to be functioning members of society, we only have ourselves to blame when they become adults and do not participate in community life. Service has to be experienced before its effect is understood. It's the whole "pay it forward" idea. Kids get into that and respect it.

The only hope for our nation to survive into the future is to grow better citizens. We cannot hope to grow better citizens if we do not TEACH them to govern themselves. A knowledge of civics, of history, of how this government is supposed to work, of how it can work is crucial. Skimping on this because of budget cuts or because the subject matter is 'touchy' is a huge disservice to this and all future generations. As a nation of immigrants, with such varied culture and heritage, it is an American imperative to teach our youngsters how to be Americans. Ignoring this will cause OUR heritage to become dilute and eventually to vanish. We are not all Americans by virtue of WHERE we live--but HOW we live. That 'how' needs to be taught.

Schools at all levels, by institutionalizing segments of our environment into disciplines that students are then held individually accountable for have lost sight of what it means to be a whole person within a common society. Alas, it is not the student who is at fault for doing what we are holding him or her accountable for; it is the educational system that has lost sight of its holisitc civic mission.

There are too many variables involved. I live and teach in a district where attendance is sporadic, parental involvement is there but lacking for those that are in the most need. Often at home, school and school work is a low priority. Yet I always do my best to teach ALL students.

Having recently traveled to a few countries where not only is civics emphasized more than here, but where voting is mandatory, I was humbled. The people we visited with were not only knowledgeable about their own and world politics, but often passionately invoved in debate and action. In a country where more people voted for the latest "American Idol" than in recent elections, we have a real, pervasive, and damaging problem. We as a nation are degenerating into a place of "because I can" and "it feels good" instead of "I should do this because it's the right thing."

Have you tried to register anyone to vote lately? It will make you very sad to discover how little people know about the function of our country, states, and cities, and the peculiar reasons they give for not participating in democracy. They have not been taught to think that they can actually make a difference.

Congress for Dummies by David Silverberg is a great summer project for kids. Read the book, select an issue, and prepare to lobby. This is a wonderful and practical way to learn
how things work in a hands-on fashion, and far more interesting that any of the texts used in the classroom.

My students are desperate to understand the ideals on which this country was founded. They are desperate because they don't like being cynical about the intentions and actions of our leaders. These are kids whose first political realities involved Clinton and Lewinsky - for many of these kids, this set the foundation for their entire understanding of our political process. They crave conversations on "civic virtue" and "common good" because they understand something is wrong and they don't want to feel hopeless. I don't place full blame on schools for our kids not understanding basic civic ideas, but we need to compensate for a political system that under the critical eyes of teenagers is fundamentally broken. If we as teachers don't deal with this reality and adjust our teaching into a meaningful dialogue about these failures and what we need to do in order to fix them - our kids will see both our educational and political systems as meaningless.

When was the last time we taught Civics? I am 47, a veteran teacher of Spanish, and cannot remember the last time we taught this. I believe the infrastructure of the deterioration of behavior and/or values in moral and ethical thought regarding citizenship starts at home, the trunk of the educational tree, so to speak. With so many disconnected and disfunctional families, teachers and administrators are having increasingly more difficult issues with which to grapple in terms of student behavior at school, let alone in the communities in which many of us live.

I am the "detention teacher" at my high school. This has been an eye opening experience. I view it as an opportunity to try to make a difference in these young people who are in one form of trouble or other. I greet them with a smile, treat them with respect, and try to help them as best I can. My smile may be the only one they ever get in a day. Still, I am simply astonished by the vulgarities hurled at me on a daily basis.

We are almost at mid-year in our school calendar. I want to feel like a professional educator when I come to and leave school at the end of each day, expecting educational excellence and behavior from myself and my students. Most days I leave beleagured, worn out, beat down. I don't look forward to the next day. And yes, as hard as it is to admit, I am looking to leave the classroom. I must preserve my health and well being. Sadly, that 5% of students who really want to learn will not be getting the benefit of my experitise and experience in the coming years.

Respect is, and always has been my #1 credo and rule in my classroom. Sadly, the fruits of my labor and love are going elsewhere as soon as I can secure another job. I love education. I hate to leave it, and do so with guilt. But I cannot do this any longer. I sure hope there are those out there who can.

Michelle Tamburini,
El Dorado High School,
El Dorado, KS