Going Public: Lit&Hist Amer Edu Module One Part I Blog

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16YZjBoESiY

How does the United States say unified? Through democracy. How do we promote democracy? Through voting and choosing our rulers as we please. How do we do this? By reading and writing. This idea is promoted by Thomas Jefferson through the text. America tried to unify its people with the implementation of the “Common School” system. This system allowed poor children to attend due to it being free of charge. It also lured private school students due to the school being free of charge. The main idea with public education unifying the country is that it provides a common foundation of knowledge. From learning your A, B, C’s to Pre Calculus, we all are exposed to the same, basic curriculum that sets us up for our future. 

The main reason for the unification of the country from the schooling system is due to the common curriculum. Public education across the U.S puts into place a common, standardized curriculum that each individual school uses. This ensures that our kids will learn the same courses and we can feel confident they are taught the basic foundational skills that are needed to transform them into a competent, independent human being. What is more important than being taught how to become a successful person for the future? Learning where you come from and the history of this country. While it may be the most boring, most dreaded course we took, learning the history of the U.S. is another huge reason for how the schooling system unified our country. To be a citizen of the U.S., you must understand what it means to be a citizen of the U.S. 

I think another way public education unifies us is by bringing strangers together and watching them leave as family. The kids I graduated middle school and high school with I still talk to every day and hang out with every weekend. Do not cry because it is over, smile because it happened. That is the motto I took away from leaving middle school and high school. I formed such a bond with my classmates that I did not even think of them as classmates, just friends/borderline family. It is also a great way to experience diversity. You will become friends with many different people from various cultures/backgrounds. Being familiar with different cultures in your younger days while at school can set you up for success in the future. 

The first thing that comes to my mind when it comes to public education dividing the United States is the outrageous popular trend of teaching our kids that it is okay to learn about multiple genders. This is a topic that should be offered as an elective in college, not in elementary schools. The last thing we need is 8 year olds going home after school and their parents asking what they learned today at school and their response is them learning about the hundreds of different genders there are. I just do not think this is okay to teach our kids at such a young, delicate age. But also poor economic areas can struggle with providing resources needed for our kids, these kids could fall behind the 8 ball due to something that is out of their control. Our textbook talked about segregation and that was one of the main themes of our textbook. Black people being unable to receive the same education as white people did years ago still affects our country unfortunately today. 

Public education has shaped and defined the lives of the American people by giving the people an education, a great opportunity for socialization, and a career development path. I would not be where I am today without the education I was lucky enough to receive when I was a kid. School is where lifelong friendships were started, where our love for our career was started before we even knew it, where we learned about history that shaped our country into the country it is today. America is the greatest country in the world, without our schools this would not be possible. Always thank your teachers every chance you can.