D.C. public schools to drop civics.

[Grizzly Willy]

See, this is why our education is a fucking joke. Instead of holding students to a standard of excellence, we lower the bar so it's easier to pass. I see it happening here in Kenosha with our idiotic school district. If you want to have a competitive and productive society, you need to have intelligent citizens. Churning out people who know less and less with each passing class is a recipe for failure.

[Maneo]

Wow this can be nothing but a bad thing in my opinion.

Granted I graduated in 1994 but High School Civics was required to graduate. Personally I even took it a step further and took Government class, that went into the governments of other countries. Although the second class was very interesting, I remember very little of it cause it doesn't affect me in my day to day life.

I remember a decent amount of my Civics class however. My wife recently took a Intro to Civics class, and I was able to answer many of the questions w/out reading to book.

I keep reading how people are saying how the U.S. school system is shit. I have to disagree.

The problem isn't our school system, if you have the desire to learn you will. Simply you can lead a horse to water but you can not make him drink. It is a problem with our culture not the school system.

[v2prwsmb45yhuq3wj23vpjk]

Best way to claim that the US is catching up is to make it easier for kids!

[Grizzly Willy]

Best way to claim that the US is catching up is to make it easier for kids!

Let's curve the tests more! A's for everybody!

[obdigore]

Let's curve the tests more! A's for everybody!

It isn't about winning or losing. It is about showing up!

[Lysah]

Most people these days don't seem to understand civics anyway. Just look at the hoopla about "King Obama" and his executive orders.

No, you don't seem to understand. FDR tried to be king, Obama is trying to be Jesus.

[Olianda]

Honestly? Seems like a mighty bad idea. Granted there's a helluva lotta things that DO need to get cut from our schools, but a class like that is amazingly helpful. It always amuses me to see things like Tonight Show segments about people who have NO idea about the Government.

[looorg]

Seems like a horribly stupid idea, replaceing how the system/government work with singing and dancing (or gym, whatever that entails these days).

[Powerogue]

No government classes required at all?

And we're going to have these people vote?!

Most people these days don't seem to understand civics anyway. Just look at the hoopla about "King Obama" and his executive orders.

that's no excuse not to try. Reform the classes, don't remove them, that'll only make the issue worse!

[Thes]

What exactly is a government class?

[Adam Jensen]

This is what we need; more people who don't understand how our government works.

---------- Post added 2013-01-24 at 06:13 AM ----------

What exactly is a government class?

Civics teaches students how elections and voting works and how the President, the Judiciary and Congress interact with each other and other basic info on how government runs.

Which is highly needed in this country, given the vast number of people who seem to think that the President makes laws.

[Deleted]

You forgot Emperor Obama. I had a very big discussion about that comment long time ago during the election. It was very *conspiricy theory like* and claiming Obama was turning into Emperor. I find it quite amusing indeed.

This explains the Death Star petition! Emperor Obama, leader of the Empire, building a Death Star! Darth Vader... was black(on the outside)! It all makes sense now!

Luke, where are you?

[Sorrior]

You forgot Emperor Obama. I had a very big discussion about that comment long time ago during the election. It was very *conspiricy theory like* and claiming Obama was turning into Emperor. I find it quite amusing indeed.

SERIOUSLY! Damn man. I mean power wise Bushy at his height was closest to that but still...damn man just damn.

As for me kinda sad to see the bar keeps getting made lower and lower.

[Grummgug]

In a few decades, they will have the technology to upload knowledge directly into some computer-brain interface that you can access like your memory. You'll be able to master math, languages, physics, etc. in microseconds. At that point, schools become obsolete.

[Codyak]

Having lived right next to and often commuting to DC, I'd be surprised if half those kids even knew we had a congress. Also, not 15 miles from DC is one of the best public high schools in the country...

[Hiricine]

The US civics classes are extremely important. Maybe we'd see a bigger focus on constitutionality and understanding why an unrestrained executive branch is the worst threat to freedom, not to mention the entire world at this point.

On that note, they're cutting civics to focus on arts and gym. These kids need more math and science anyways, or maybe even auto classes so they can have some skills to prepare them for the real world. Even great athletes have trouble finding someone to pay them.

[muto]

lol wut? Not sure if serious? When I took it we learned how the whole state and federal government worked, from state laws to constitutional amendments, what power each branch has etc etc etc. Pretty sure if more people were actually more informed on how the political system and the economy actually works rather than listening to someone else who is voicing their very skewed opinion we would be in a much better state right now.

We would be in a better situation if we didn't spend trillions of dollars on our military and pointless wars, and if we had stricter gun laws or outright banned ammunition or limited the sell of it. The money we spend on our military and wars should be used to help educate the younger Americans at higher education; education beyond high school. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out.

[Rukentuts]

No, you don't seem to understand. FDR tried to be king, Obama is trying to be Jesus.

But Westboro is calling him "an anti-Christ"! Who do I believe?!? D:

[Spectral]

See, this is why our education is a fucking joke.

Disagree. If our education is a fucking joke (and I don't think it is), it's almost entirely because of terrible home culture. In places that aren't complete and utter disaster areas, our education system competes pretty well with other countries. In our inner cities, the problem isn't the schools, it's the broken families.

---------- Post added 2013-01-24 at 09:19 AM ----------

We would be in a better situation if we didn't spend trillions of dollars on our military and pointless wars, and if we had stricter gun laws or outright banned ammunition or limited the sell of it. The money we spend on our military and wars should be used to help educate the younger Americans at higher education; education beyond high school. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out.

We spend more on education than almost every country in the world. A lack of education spending isn't the issue.

[Rukentuts]

Disagree. If our education is a fucking joke (and I don't think it is), it's almost entirely because of terrible home culture. In places that aren't complete and utter disaster areas, our education system competes pretty well with other countries. In our inner cities, the problem isn't the schools, it's the broken families.

Exactly this. I learned a lot in public high school. One literally had to not even try in order to fail. That's why the only students in my class that didn't graduate were the ones that dropped out.