The Lack of Social Studies in Education

The essential element of any country is its citizens. In our country we have social studies in the educational curriculum but it is not being pushed as hard as the other disciplines specifically Math and Science. In the last 20 years there has been a race with other nations in Math and Science with our youth as it relates to test scores. Now I agree that we have to have great thinkers in Math and Science however basic knowledge and advance concepts in Social Studies promote better citizenship as well as active participation in the political process. If more citizens knew how this government worked there are a lot of things that would not have been allowed to happen such as Super Pacs. The so called Voter Id laws are unconstitutional but yet there is not enough public outcry about it. Of course people care but they do not know. Ignorance really is bliss but yet dangerous. The Political process of how to pass a Bill is something that the average American is aloof about. Long gone are the days of School House Rock, a Saturday Morning cartoon that showed the process of how a Bill is passed. It is not emphasized enough in school curricula. In some states it is not even tested like its Math and Science counterparts. The average American student does not know the name of the Vice President let alone who replaces the Vice President if something was to happen to the President and Vice President. This lack of knowledge of processes and information has caused an ignorance that has allowed political parties and candidates to run deceptive campaigns as it relates to the issues. It has also allowed unconstitutional implementation of laws such as the aforementioned Voter ID Laws. Candidates accusing the President of not passing Bills is slanderous because they know he needs the congress to pass the Bill. If more people knew this it would not work nor would it be used by these candidates. Parents have to be aware of this and push for better curriculum standards as it relates to Social Studies. I say start with the  parents because they are the tax payers and their kids are the investment. Citizens also have to make it their personal responsibility to become knowledgeable of how our country works as well as how to actively participate in it. The idea is Power to the People but the people have to be knowledgeable, well informed and active.

Poverty and Education

There has been an increase in child poverty in the United States and its affecting education. Whenever this topic is brought up some people like to point to the few examples of people who were blessed enough to make it. That is not the point. We know that people can succeed coming out of poverty but the sad fact remains that there are many who can't due to poverty and everything that comes along with it. Poverty is a real variable in the formula of attaining success through education. As an educator who has taught all over the United States in poverty stricken neighborhoods, I have witnessed some extreme poverty situations that put the kids at a serious disadvantage. When kids have to worry about where they are going to sleep at night and what they are going to eat after school, this can cause an inability to concentrate on the lesson of the day. I know of situations where a student and their siblings had to go and wait in a park after school for their parent to come and get them after she was finished at her domestic job. They did not have a house to go to. So of course this affects them doing their homework in a conducive environment.There are students whose only meals come when they are at school. You can use the day of the week to determine how a student in poverty would react. If its a Friday most kids are happy for the weekend but you will see some that are sad because they are not guaranteed to eat on Saturday and Sunday like they would have at school during the week. If its a Monday they are the ones happy to be back in some structure, warmth, and guaranteed meals.These are just a couple of examples from a myriad of thousands cases of poverty affecting education.
No candidate has addressed this correlation in their speeches and debates. These are the real issues affecting American Citizens all across America. According to the U.S. Census there are 1 in 4 children living in poverty. That is over 15 million people! This is an outrage and there should be public outcry. President Obama is the only one who addressed it by saying that we have to fight poverty from the bottom up starting with education and providing jobs for the parents of these kids. This question should have been explored in every Republican Debate but fails to surface. If this issue is not addressed it can destroy the future of our country. If children are the future how can we ignore the problems for our children in the present?