Not too long ago, I watched a video that left me feeling extremely concerned about our country. This video was filmed at Texas Tech, and was done to see what students know about our American history. Sadly, the results were not good. Most of the students that were asked failed to answer the most basic history questions. Questions such as, "Who won the Civil War?" and "Who did we gain our independence from?" went right over their heads. Yet, when asked "What show is Snooki on?" pretty much every student knew the answer.
My mind is completely blown by the ignorance in this video. These are basic questions that I was taught in elementary school! If they didn't learn it there, they were surely taught in their U.S. history course in high school. I just do not see how you can make it to college and not be able to answer these questions. These are people who are old enough to vote. If they are not well informed on the basics of our history, then how can we expect them to be well informed when it comes to choosing a president?
Our nation is in trouble. I wish I could say that there are only a few students who have this deep lack of knowledge, but the hundreds of other videos just like this one say otherwise. Luckily for me, I grew up in a family that did not take education lightly. I was there to learn and to do good work. My parents wanted me to be a well-informed individual, who would be able to stand on her own. I was fortunate enough to not only get an education, but to grow up with a dad who continued to teach me outside of the classroom. Through trips to museums, going to air shows, watching documentaries, and casual conversations, my dad was able to enhance my learning experience immensely.
All parents should be doing this with their children. They do not need to teach in the same way that my father did, but some form of education outside of the classroom is needed. The education system is good, but they can only do so much. Honestly, the majority of my knowledge did not come from the classroom, but rather what I did outside of it. This is also why homework needs to be taken seriously. An hour in class is not going to give your kid a true understanding on any subject. They have to put in that work for themselves, and you need to be actively encouraging them to do so.
Do not let our country crumble because of ignorance and a lack of interest in education. In the video, the students listed off their majors. Some of these majors seemed quite ambitious, and from first hearing them, one would assume that these students were intelligent. If these students are to become our future nurses, psychologists, and scientists, then we really need to take this problem seriously.
