75% of OK High School Students Can't Name First U.S. President!!
By anniepa
@anniepa (27955)
United States
September 18, 2009 5:03pm CST
Is that pathetic or what??? I'm not picking on the kids and I don't mean to single out Oklahoma; I'd bet if there have been similar surveys in other states the results would have been similar. (Note to Taskr and some of my other friends here from the right: I didn't use a liberal hate-blog this time.)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2342086/posts
Quite a few years ago my sister-in-law told me this story about her niece, who had just graduated from high school at the time with high honors and had earned a full academic scholarship to a very good university; there was a conversation about the Revolutionary and Civil Wars and this highly intelligent girl made the comment of, "Well, aren't they the same thing?". This lack of knowledge about our own nation's history is nothing new but I'm afraid it's getting worse all the time. People are so quick to liken one of our current leaders - whether it's Bush, Obama or anyone else - to Adolph Hitler without having a real clue just how evil Hitler was. So many seemingly well-informed and intelligent Americans have no idea what any of our wars were about.
If you have teenage children or grandchildren, how would they measure up against this group of OK kids? My grandkids are in seventh and eighth grade and I intend to start "quizzing" them now and then and giving them a history lesson myself if necessary! What say you?
Annie
2 people like this
14 responses
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
19 Sep 09
I really can't fathom how anyone can get to highschool without knowing these things. You'll always have stupid kids, or ones that just aren't interested in American History, but when this happens on such a massive level, someone really needs to monitor these classrooms and figure out what's going wrong.
Just to be clear, I mean the STATE needs to look into it, the federal department of education is useless and only makes things worse when they get involved.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
20 Sep 09
I must agree with Zeph on this, Taskr. I know a lot of people don't think the federal government should have anything to do with education but I think we need some kind of national standards for high school curricula since many kids go to college outside of their own states and many leave their home states following graduation. If each state were to decide for themselves what kids needed to know to get a high school diploma there would be a big difference between one state and another.
You're right that there will always be "stupid kids" and those who aren't interested in different subjects but I'm afraid it's just that American history isn't hardly even being taught these days.
Annie
@ZephyrSun (7381)
• United States
19 Sep 09
It's really easy to "fathom" and it doesn't have anything to do with the classroom teachers. It's the damn state mandated testing. The teachers have to teach to the test they have no time to teach the kids items that aren't on the test. And, it is on the federal level because "NCLB" is the cause of this.
1 person likes this
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
24 Sep 09
I think it really got worse when The" No Child Left Behind" thing happened. Now instead of learning history or science . the teaches Have to teach to the test. If isn't on the test, the kids won't learn it.because if the students fail the test, there is no money. So instead of making sure the kids, all kids learn what they need to know, they just learn how to take the test.
1 person likes this
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
27 Sep 09
I think it was No Child left Behind with the basketball player,it was greed.All the teachers just passed him through So he could be a basketball star.They needed him on the team and they really didn't care if he could read or write. In fact if he didn't get injured, he wouldn't have cared either.
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@anniepa (27955)
• United States
30 Sep 09
I agree, sarahruthbeth. I've heard that directly from teachers! I also think examples like the basketball player who was functionally illiterate is about the age-old practice of passing "star" athletes no matter what so they can play their sport. They often don't even have to study! I'm not saying that happens all the time or everywhere but it does happen and has for a long, LONG time!
Annie
1 person likes this
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
18 Sep 09
I experienced one of the reasons for this myself. The teacher seemed to be all about making sure everyone in the class understood that there is no American culture, that there was nothing disinctive about the United States of America and patriotism was inherently racist.
I guess we've all had teachers that peppered their lessons with bits and pieces of their own opinions and that is probably natural. However, what I also noticed was how the class took all this in. Being in my 40s, I guess was born too late to be taught things like this when I was in school, but it was nothing new to the other students. It was pretty much what they had been taught from elementary school on. There were some exeptions, me, homeschooled kids, private school graduates... and yes, a couple of kids from public schools who had been taught the same things, but didn't drink the kool aid.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
19 Sep 09
I graduated in 1970 and I don't recall any of my teachers trying to indoctrinate us in any way. Back then I didn't know of any home schooled kids. I don't know if there weren't any or I just didn't know of them. I'm PRETTY sure most everyone in my class would have been able to answer that question! At least, I hope so. I can't remember not knowing who George Washington was.
Annie
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
20 Sep 09
Yeah, it 70 most would. In 82 when I graduated most could also. I took this class just a few years ago though.
1 person likes this
@hotsummer (13837)
• Philippines
19 Sep 09
when i was student back in high school. i didn't know either who was our first president in my country. i don't think it does matter much. we can still be successful without knowing them . we can just learn them later when we need to.
1 person likes this
@hotsummer (13837)
• Philippines
22 Sep 09
i don't think just because a student was not able to remember who was the first president of their country, that the student was not intelligent or was not studying well. considering the work load of every student. maybe the student has focused more on other subjects and could have remember other subjects more. but i will be more appalled if the student will not be able to recall the current president. if that is the case then i think i better worry over the quality of education of those students.
maybe the school they went through put more emphasis on their biology class, chemistry class, algebra class and their other subjects that they were not given much lecture on their history. or if they were taught well no their history class, that the instructor just was not able to focus on the history of their president and focus more on other things. but i am sure if you will ask other important facts about your history they will be able to answer.
I like though that you are worried about this, cause it shows your concern over your nation.
1 person likes this
@jb78000 (15139)
•
19 Sep 09
don't know about history but the teaching of science here is getting worse and worse - now schoolchildren don't get to do experiments in chemistry which i would have said was an essential part of it. language teaching has always been awful - remember taking german at school and going away with a total vocabulary of about 6 words. the teacher was absolutely terrible. it's not really a surprise that so many brits go abroad with no knowledge of the local language whatsoever.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
22 Sep 09
I've heard that many Europeans consider us Americans to be rather arrogant because we expect everyone to know OUR language yet few of us know any of theirs. The daughter of a friend just started college and she'd taken four years of Spanish in high school yet when she went to Spanish class in college they spoke no English and she understood very little of what they were saying. She approached the professor after class and was honest with her and was told our high schools are truly pathetic when it comes to foreign languages. Apparently most students don't come and ask for help, they try to "fake it" for awhile! About two decades ago my nephew had said the same thing about his college French class after taking 3 or 4 years in high school.
Annie
@satan88 (584)
• United States Minor Outlying Islands
19 Sep 09
i think this is pretty pathetic. I'm canadian and i can name the first president of the united states. Actually who was it again? Actually i guess us canadians aren't that smart either. Who was the first prime minister of canada.
1 person likes this
@cr0ssf41r13 (866)
• Philippines
19 Sep 09
This thing isn't unique to America. Philippines, being a rich country, has a very rich history which is, by now, unimportant to the students.
I believe the fault is in the educational system and the teachers. There are instructors who skip the most important information for the sake of self-serving. For example, he doesn't like revolutions so he won't discuss those. The thing is, teachers are existing to guide the students on learning. The problem is, the students rely solely on these teachers that the teachers tend to spoonfeed the information to the kids. The kids will stop questioning, saying that they will soon learn everything in school. Actually, they won't.
I have experienced a professor revising a part of history. Hideous isn't it? He altered a few names and few instances in order to fit his liking. I then discovered in the encyclopedia that what happened was the opposite.
I don't think we cannot blame the kids, but they are young and are not too conscious about their right to information. What we need is the reorientation of the teachers. The knowledge of the kids today lie on the guidance provided by the teachers. This matter is very crucial.
1 person likes this
@cr0ssf41r13 (866)
• Philippines
19 Sep 09
Typo. I meant, "Philippines, being a poor country"
1 person likes this
@iriscot (1289)
• United States
19 Sep 09
A few years ago I was in our local library and the students there were doing research about the Civil War. I asked one of the 6th graders what he knew about World War II, he looked at me funny and then I asked if he knew who won WWII. He had no clue. I don't know what they are teaching these children about the history of our country? They have a class called "Social Studies" and I have no idea what they teach in this class, as they no longer teach American History in the grade schools. More and more of our tax dollars are thrown at the school system and it looks like the schools have been dropping the ball!
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
19 Sep 09
Apparently it's not just my region that no longer teaches history or geography. I have no idea what they actually teach in social studies either. I do remember last year for homework my grandson, in 7th grade at the time, had to list 40 different items they had in their home. They all had to be different - they could only use "TV" once no matter how many they had or "cat" (They have a bunch, like me...lol) or "table", etc. I guess they discussed it in class so some of the kids could be envious of others who had more "stuff"!
Annie
@ZephyrSun (7381)
• United States
19 Sep 09
Well with the "NCLB" act the school and that standardized testing actually does leave a lot of children "behind". I'm pretty involved in the schooling of my children and I use to work at the county school board so during this time I have heard over and over that the school doesn't really have time to teach children stuff that isn't on the test. When I first heard that "NCLB" was being passed I thought the idea of it was great but, it wasn't. Kids don't "do" the same things we did when we were in school. If it isn't on the test it really isn't taught, sad huh?
1 person likes this
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
19 Sep 09
Hey annie! Now that is really pathetic! I wonder if they
know who's picture is on the one dollar bill and why? How
sad is that? I mean I can name the presidents in the exact
order that they were seated from the very beginning and I
am ashamed of that, but at least I do know the Presidents and
the definitely the very first one! It has gotten to be so
pathetic how the teachings of children are now! I wasn't very
good in history because I wasn't able to remember dates,
but I sure as hell had to remember enough of them to get from
grade to grade or I never would have gotten out of high school
and surely never would have made it into college!
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
20 Sep 09
It sure is sad! I doubt if they know who is on the penny either! I once could name all the Presidents and Vice Presidents plus I could go through all the states and capitals and find them on a map. I'd need a "refresher" course today in my old age but at least I learned it...lol!
Annie
@mohitseth (568)
• India
19 Sep 09
hey atleast 25% of them know this.
u should be proud of 25 5 rather critising the 75%.
they r just kids they will learn slowly.
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
20 Sep 09
What's to be "proud" of? This is something they should have learned by about the 5th or 6th grade, maybe even earlier! Heck, I'm sure I knew it before then, we celebrated his birthday as a holiday and I'm sure my parents as well as my teachers probably mentioned George Washington had been our first President and was called "The Father of our Country" when I was much younger than that!
Annie
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
21 Sep 09
I wanted to add, quite proudly if I must say so myself, I took my own informal, unscientific survey at a Midget Football game yesterday and every single kid I asked knew the answer! I think I already said my grandkids are in sixth and seventh grades and THANK GOD they both knew and all of their teammates and former teammates (cheerleaders and football players) and every other kid there knew and they were all in grades four through nine. Some of them voluntarily rattled off some other facts about our history.
Annie
@sawyer123 (6)
• China
19 Sep 09
forget history means betray,when you have a drink and you should know where the water come from.
1 person likes this
@greatsasuke (472)
• United States
19 Sep 09
This situation is sad. I believe it is partly due to the downfall of the value system. What I mean is children these days place more value in the name of the new PS3 games than they do in the names of any of our past presidents. History keeps teaching lessons, but it doesn't seem that we learn from them. That is why it is important for children to know a bit of history to see what has worked in the past and what hasn't. Your idea on quizzing your grandkids is good? Maybe it can be done when everyone is together like at dinner or something like that. It probably would do some of the adults some good, as well.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
20 Sep 09
You're probably right about doing the adults some good! To be honest, I've already had conversations with my own daughter, who is very intelligent and was an excellent student, and have been surprised to learn some of the things she didn't know about our history. I think our education system has been on a steady decline for several decades and now we're reaping what we sowed.
Annie
