Motivation and critical thinking are the keys

My comment to 'United we stand, Divided we fall's post "The future of America is "lazy": Who is to blame???":

I completely agree with you! Part of the reason why voters ages 18-29 pay so little attention is because they feel that government has little to do with them. But they are so completely wrong. Government influences gas prices, wages, taxes, and - for those college students that don’t seem to care enough to vote, despite the many voting booths on campus – tuition and financial aid, among many other things. All of these things affect our everyday lives regardless of how old you are, and without that education in government, economics, and history it would be difficult to fully appreciate the expanse of government influence.

I too remember my classes. In middle school we merely brushed upon Texas and early American history. In high school, we did exactly as you described (in regular classes anyway) – sat there, read the chapters, and completed “busy work” worksheets. There was only one teacher in the 5-6 regular classes that I took who actually motivated us with group discussion and in class activities. I remember for nearly two weeks each class became its own government, each with its own executive, judicial, and legislative branch. Each class was required to discuss policy, attempt to debate on proposed bills, and eventually pass them, unless of course the President vetoed. It was wonderfully educational – it’s moments such as those that you realize how many different opinions there are in a class of 30 people. Imagine the complications in the national government.

All in all, I truly believe that the education provided in regular classes is a joke, for the most part. Few teachers bother to provide a sound education, in order to make each student an educated member of society. Instead they tell us to read, and fill out worksheets, and take tests. Where is the critical thinking in that? Or the challenging of opinions and beliefs? Without the skill of critical thinking few students learn to apply their textbook knowledge to everyday lives, including how government affects our lives and whether they should or not, constitutionally, or equitably.

Texas is disgustingly behind in terms of public education, for many reasons. But why let one of those reasons be because of a lack of good, motivated teachers who truly care about their students’ education rather than just getting them to pass. I for one, am all for putting our tax dollars to good use. Otherwise, we should probably fight to get our money back if public education isn't going to educate students as it should. Why pay for inefficiency and mediocrity, when the money we put into public school systems could be used to put our children in private schools? There, each parent would not only have more of a say on the policies of the school, but also on the quality of the teachers.