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I didn't say I did a report. It was 40 plus years ago. No one had to tell my daughter that what Trump said was wrong and offensive. I'm not sure why that is such a controversial idea.
Things is schools over the last 10 years +/- are WAY different than 40 years ago if you've not noticed. Heck, even in H.S. nowadays they don't teach the basic government/civics/world history classes like they did back when you and I were in school.
There's lots of H.S. kids that can't tell you how our government works or know much of any history before the second Iraq war and that's sad.
Even sadder still is when College kids can't identify recent/current government elected officials, tell you how congress works or even know the names of current leaders of the major countries we deal with.
So yeah, I really trust what the majority of middle schoolers know about the world, maybe if it was all laid out on twitter,snapchat,fakebook or instagram they'd know?
My middle school child ('MSC') spends waaaayyyyy more time reading about politics and world affairs than I do, largely because said child has more free time than I do. And I'm frequently pleasantly surprised by how much research, careful thought, and application of logic has gone into MSC's arguments, even when they are in opposition to my own views.
I don't doubt that there are plenty of middle schoolers who simply parrot what they've heard, because there are plenty of adults who simply parrot a set of political beliefs without having put any real effort into reasoning them out. But it isn't fair or right to assume that a person hasn't put that effort in just because they are young.
I didn't say all now did I? Of COURSE there will be some kids who are interested in finding out what's going on but they are NOT the majority.
I also said that it'd be interesting to sit that group down and quiz/talk to them to see exactly what information that they're basing their opinions on.
Things is schools over the last 10 years +/- are WAY different than 40 years ago if you've not noticed. Heck, even in H.S. nowadays they don't teach the basic government/civics/world history classes like they did back when you and I were in school.
Again...NO ONE HAS TO TEACH A YOUNG LADY that what Trump said was offensive and wrong.
Quote:
There's lots of H.S. kids that can't tell you how our government works or know much of any history before the second Iraq war and that's sad.
Even sadder still is when College kids can't identify recent/current government elected officials, tell you how congress works or even know the names of current leaders of the major countries we deal with.
Make up your mind. How do these kids know what Ryan represents if they aren't being taught?
Quote:
So yeah, I really trust what the majority of middle schoolers know about the world, maybe if it was all laid out on twitter,snapchat,fakebook or instagram they'd know?
Things is schools over the last 10 years +/- are WAY different than 40 years ago if you've not noticed. Heck, even in H.S. nowadays they don't teach the basic government/civics/world history classes like they did back when you and I were in school.
There's lots of H.S. kids that can't tell you how our government works or know much of any history before the second Iraq war and that's sad.
Even sadder still is when College kids can't identify recent/current government elected officials, tell you how congress works or even know the names of current leaders of the major countries we deal with.
So yeah, I really trust what the majority of middle schoolers know about the world, maybe if it was all laid out on twitter,snapchat,fakebook or instagram they'd know?
I actually find that my middle school child is getting every bit as good of an education in civics as I did at that age, and a significantly better education in world history and global current events than I did. Our world history courses focused largely on European history, and current events (unsurprisingly, given my age) focused on the Soviet Union. Current middle schoolers cover not only European history, but also African, Middle Eastern, and East Asian history and current events. They learn about Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism and the role those religions/philosophies play in various countries/cultures. By 8th grade, they're covering American History including the Constitution and US government. All in all, they certainly have a much wider frame of reference than I did at that age!
I didn't say all now did I? Of COURSE there will be some kids who are interested in finding out what's going on but they are NOT the majority.
I also said that it'd be interesting to sit that group down and quiz/talk to them to see exactly what information that they're basing their opinions on.
No, you didn't say 'all'. However, the assumption being made on this thread is that the children who opted out of the photo with Paul Ryan were uninformed. Without knowing more about those specific children, I think that is an unfair assumption to make. And I think you'd be pleasantly surprised if you talked to middle schoolers about their views and knowledge on world affairs.
As long as they really were respectful about bowing out of the photo op - and let's be honest, that is what it was for Ryan - I don't see an issue with it.
Standing for one's principles while showing respect is a good thing to learn from a parent, wouldn't you agree?
So how exactly was "respect" shown? Respect would have been to gracefully have the picture taken with Ryan. He's not a serial killer, for pete's sake. He's a politician whose ideology the parents disagree with.
Why are they too young to have their own opinions?
Kids are a lot smarter and capable than we give them credit for. We have a rule in our house. If you disagree with something we say, you may politely and intelligently discuss why you disagree. If you make a valid, well reasoned argument, we may change our minds. Why do we do this? Because we don't believe that children are inherently unintelligent, stupid or subservient to adults. When you treat children with the respect you afford others, you may be pleasantly surprised.
I understand all of that.
But as partisan as I am, and I'm an extremely hardcore partisan, I'd shake Paul Ryan's hand and take a photo with him even though I've got no use for the man politically. It's a right and fair acknowledgement of the man's position within our government. He's accomplished something noteworthy...for better or worse. He hasn't killed anyone! He's just on the wrong side politically.
If I treated him with discourtesy, then I'd have to treat EVERYBODY that agrees with him the same way! Do you really wanna live in a world where we treat people that way based on their politics?
Come on. There's no excuse for this type of behavior.
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