29 Mar U.S. Students Are “Stupid” And It’s The Fault of The Education System – Not The Kids!!!
Kids can learn – if somebody bothers to teach them. Why do children know facts about everyday life – but not about history? Because they live in the everyday world. That’s why they know current details, like the names of rock stars, movie stars or even the name of the head of Microsoft. But unless they are taught history, or even math and English, they will not learn it on their own. Current education curriculum is based on the premise that kids will teach themselves. But the proven fact is they won’t. That’s why we think they are stupid.
Consider the results of a recent survey by the National Constitution Center:
- * Only 41% of today’s students know the three branches of government. But 59% know the names of the Three Stooges.
* 74% can name the city where cartoon character Bart Simpson lives (Springfield). But only 12% know where Abraham Lincoln lived (Springfield, IL).
* 74% know that Al Gore is Vice President (see, they can learn civics, if they find it relevant). But 90% know that Leonardo DiCaprio starred in Titanic.
* Less than 2% recognize James Madison as the father of the U.S. Constitution. But 58% know Bill Gates is the father of Microsoft.
* 95% can name actor Will Smith as the star of the program, Fresh Prince of Bel Air. But only 2% can name the chief justice of the United States (William Rehnquist).
* 25% know of at least one of the constitutional rights protected by the Fifth Amendment. 64% know what the “Club” protects.
* 81% know that the rock group Hansen is made up of three brothers. 21% know how many members are in the U.S. Senate.
* 75% know what city has the zip code 90210. But only 25% know in what city the Constitution was written.
These results make it quite clear that no one is teaching history to the teenagers of today. They obtain information from the sources that are providing it. Television, not the teachers is doing the job.
That would be ok if America’s future was to be a sitcom. People who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat stupid mistakes… And now a word from our sponsor.
