How has the Public School system in USA changed since 1950 ?
Were the teachings better in those days ? Did they teach more values and or morals at the time ? Was it better or worse ?
History - 3 Answers
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1 :
A couple of weeks ago, I confronted my daughter's teacher regarding her reading. My daughter is in 4th grade and although she is only nine years old, she doesn't know anything about "The Pledge of Allegiance" or "The National Anthem" or "the first Pilgrims of this country". I believe, they are not teaching values. We know, education starts at home but there are some subjects, that the school system should provide - period. I taught her more about American History, than she will ever know at school. I'm Italian as you know, but for me, living in America, implies to learn not only well the language, but foremost , it's History. Teachers nowadays, are too confined with what they have to teach. Suddenly, Patriotism became a big "taboo" from the moment the word God, is in the anthem or the pledge. Stupid, and ridiculous !!!! How about the phrase "in God we trust " in the dollar bills? Are they going to change that too ? I am sure, teacher in 1950, had more power to "educate" and instill anything, that has to do with "morals and values" !
2 :
The basics were taught better as they were enforced with better parent/teacher communication and had the belief, spare the rod, spoil the child. Values andmorals were much better then
3 :
Teaching in the 1950s was not unionized as it is today. School administrators had far more control and input over what was taught and what would be tolerated. In 1957, then President Eisenhower pushed forth a policy of desegregation of both the military and the public schools. For the latter, he was forced to call out the National Guard. He also instituted the phrase "...under God..." in the Pledge of Allegiance." Ike was a Republican. When Kennedy came to office, he managed to load up the supreme court with like minded thinking liberals. Prayer in schools was suddenly ruled "unconstitutional." I think we began to stray at this particular point in time. Kennedy was a Democrat. It's not so much about politics and party lines as it is about mindsets and perspectives. There had pretty much always been an underlying subversive element in the education system, but it had until this time, remained largely in the inner city. Like a cancer it began to spread, even to the most rural of schools. Presented initially as offering opportunity to teach alternative subjects, the core subjects began to take a back seat. We don't teach (in our elementary and middle schools) history. Instead we teach "social studies." It just sort of spirals down the drain from there. I think it's of interest that the current Pres. Bush pushed forth a policy of "No Child Left Behind." Teachers were suddenly to be graded on their job performance and the students were the barometer. Teachers who did well would receive a monetary bonus as a reward. Those who failed, could find themselves looking for new employment. The teachers union screamed bloody murder and the media went to work painting a very negative picture of the new policy. Fed up with the whole union thing, I now limit my instruction of history to 4th and 5th grade Cub Scouts. I spend a month teaching about the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Articles of Confederation and touch on the prelude to the American Revolution. It's a challenge teaching what is now considered college level material to those who are so young and keeping it interesting. In today's society, no one seems willing to step up and say "This is wrong." The few that do, get quickly shouted down. Of "Christian" "Values," they teach that these are bad, too restrictive. People have this false perception that being "Christian" means you are either a door mat: never willing to stand up and defend what is right, or that you are over bearing and intolerant. That being the case, how then does one explain Jack Kennedy's being Roman Catholic? There is an old saying, "If you stand for everything, then you stand for nothing." That's where we are today. We stand for nothing and we teach nothing. It does after all, "Take a village..."
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