Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post began her recent (Sunday, March 25, 2018) Right Turn blog with this:
“By the hundreds of thousands, they came. They gave
impassioned and articulate speeches. The shared their experiences in Chicago,
South Los Angeles and Florida. They gave one TV interview after another,
displaying remarkable poise and heart-breaking sincerity. Adults decades older
watched with awe. These are teenagers. How
did these kids learn to do this?”
The March for Life was impressive as teenagers took to the
streets and made speeches. Many adults
were amazed although some sought to undermine their accomplishment by accusing
these kids of being manipulated.
Ha! When more students are being
shot at, it inspires them to speak up, like it did for the students at Marjory
Stoneman Douglas High School.
But how could these students be so prepared and
articulate. The Washington Monthly
nailed it. They were taught Civics in middle
school.
A program promoted by former Democratic Senator Bob
Graham and former Republican Congressman Lou Frey through their joint Florida
Center for Citizenship led to Florida passing the Sandra Day O’Connor Civic
Education Act, named after the former Supreme Court Justice. Students began to learn Civics and debate. Now when it counted, they were prepared.
The fact that the Stoneman Douglas students inspired so many
others from across the country and the world speaks volumes about the one
missing need in our schools; the teaching of Civics. I had Civics courses in my
elementary and high school days in the 1960s.
I firmly believe good citizenship requires a good education and
especially in learning more about how our government works. We need schools to do more to educate
students on citizenship.
