Teaching Students to Think Critically

It's been a challenge for me to blog recently; everything I attempted to write ended up in the trash. I was becoming too negative, and as my husband reminds me, my writing should be more hopeful and related to education. At the same time, my husband and I have had many discussions and agree that our schools have done a poor job to help students understand the complex history of our country.   Teaching American history and civics education does not appear to be a priority at most schools. This then leads to apathy or ignorance which are evident in what we see every day on the news or on social media. Our country's future as a respected world leader is at stake. 

When I wrote "How Do We Teach History to Today's Kids?" I admitted that I never delved deeply into history. I learned from textbooks and  tests that measured my recall of facts. I don't remember ever engaging in discussions where we encouraged to ask questions, study two sides of an issue, and delve deeper to take a position. We just accepted what we read in our textbooks: names, dates, and events.

Recently, I read a reflection by Josh Reppun,  host of the "What School Could Be" podcast. It was titled, "My Most Intense Learning Experience" and Josh shared, " I completely lost track of time, of space, of the wider world and anything in it. Why? Because Edmund S. Morgan took me deep, deep into the heart and soul of America and spared me no niceties or positive outcomes." For Josh, it was a book that opened his eyes to what had happened in our country and the realization "that our American democracy, our system of economics, our culture and our society was built on the backs of slaves who were first brought to America in the early 1600s". For me, it was the mini-series "Roots" which showed me a shockingly frank depiction of slavery that I was unaware of and ignorant about.  In fact, in all of my years as a student, I never learned about our country's cruel mistreatment of Native Americans, or Chinese laborers, or Japanese-American citizens. The overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy was never part of our curriculum either. History was whitewashed throughout my educational journey,. Today's students deserve better.

So what's the problem? Why aren't schools engaging students in civil discourse, defined as "deliberating about matters of public concern with others in a way that seeks to expand knowledge and promote understanding." Civil discourse isn't about debate or "winning" an argument. It's about listening to other viewpoints, about accepting that we can agree to disagree, and being respectful in our conversations. Our individual experiences influence our opinions, and hearing from someone with different experiences may help us to see an isue more clearly. As a lifelong educator, I believe our schools need to change. Social studies is often overlooked or taught separately, especially in elementary schools which focus on reading, math, and science, the subjects that are tested and can influence the public's perception of individual schools and school systems. 

But education can make small changes. Instead of learning history through textbooks alone, there are ways to integrate language arts and social studies standards in our curriculum through project-based learning, Socratic dialogue, and classroom discussions. For example, we can integrate literature by reading fiction about specific events or periods to discover insights and provide new perspectives about how history impacted ordinary people's lives. This can lead our students to ask questions that go deeper into that event or time in history. Additionally, there are resources and sites like New American History with a plethora of resources, including primary sources, on almost any social studies topic for any grade level. Because today is Thanksgiving, I checked out some of their articles E-and resources, and there's so much there to digest and ponder.

Next year, 2026, is the 250th birthday of the United States of America. Our country has been admired around the world for its ideas that people have rights and that government exists to serve the people. Our country is a representative democracy with leaders who are elected, not inherited. We are bound by the Rule of Law which means that no one is above the law and that we have rights. We pride ourselves on opportunities, that if one works hard, they can achieve the American Dream. But right now, our country's future as a respected world leader is shaky. 

Our young people will be the ones to change that perception. I am optimistic that with support and guidance, they will make a difference in our country and in the world. Let's give them our support.