If our teachers can't identify world leaders, do you think they know what Memorial Day commemorates?
This is an interesting story about education...or lack therof. And it's not about the lack of knowledge from the students, it's the teachers who might need to be schooled in history.
From some of the commentors:
I tutor high school students in Boston. The week of president's weekend I decided to have my group of five read The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. None of them heard of Paul Revere, Longfellow or of North Church, which is mere miles from their school and despite the fact that the Boston Marathon traces the ride of Revere. What bothered me though is that none of them knew the War of Independence and only one knew that the U.S. was originally a British colony.
Basically, if it isn't on an MCAS state test, there is no need to learn it. Which is why the ace college student/future teacher can't recognize Churchill- it isn't on the teacher licensing test.
and
This is rich testimony to refute the myth that centralized/federalized standards improve outcomes. We "lean forward," building a nation of super credentialized, super cretinized young citizens.
Welcome to the world of school standardized testing requirements. If it's not on the test, chances are the teachers don't have time to talk about Churchill's importance in WWII. It may be more important than ever for parents to take the responsibility for educating their children, either by supplementing public educuation material, homeschooling or private schooling. Apparently the main players in WWII are not important enough to teach to recent education major graduates, so it is probably safe to assume your child is not being taught this information either.
