“And the Oscar Goes To…” Teaching Civics in today’s hyperpartisan atmosphere is a dangerous occupation. The issues that make up the dialogue of American politics seem to have separated the American electorate to a higher degree today than in years past. Americans were always able to agree on their common heritage as the greatest democracy […]
Donald Trump
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Using Current Events in Teaching the Executive Branch
As an eighth-grade civics teacher, I am about to start my unit of study on the Executive Branch. To be honest, I’m a little scared. Strike that. I am very scared. “Why are you scared, George?” you may ask. “If you stick to the facts, you’ll have nothing to worry about,” In normal times, I’d […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education
Understanding the Proposed Education Budget for 2018
In the Spring of 2017, shortly after taking office, Donald Trump proposed an updated budget that could potentially cut education spending by about 13%. With Secretary of Education appointee, Betsy DeVos, along with statements about the Common Core and the budget proposal, many educators and districts are left wondering how these proposed changes will affect […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Barbie Doll Teachers: Is That What We Want?
Should teachers be politically androgynous? Barbie Dolls, besides lacking correct anatomy and proportions, perpetually smile-at everything. Their vapid expressions often connote brainlessness or at least ignorance. In essence, Barbie Dolls are passive, happy toys. For some Americans, the ideal image of a teacher is similar to that of a Barbie Doll: pleasant, non-confrontational, amusing, and […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Donald Trump Isn’t the Problem…The U.S. Education System Is
When You Can’t Repeat the President’s Words… Last week The Washington Post reported that Donald Trump had an issue with immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador, and African countries coming to the United States. You probably heard about his choice of language, so I won’t repeat it here. As usual, there was outrage and condemnation from […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Civics Teacher Conundrum: Teaching Trump
By George Cassutto Donald J. Trump was elected president of the United States in 2016 and inaugurated on January 20, 2017. He holds the highest office in the land, and for most scholars, he is the “leader of the free world” as long as the United States holds the status of the last remaining superpower. […]
Posted inLegal, The State of Education
Sexual Violence on College Campuses and Title IX Rollbacks
On September 22nd, Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, announced new and temporary guidelines regarding how schools should be handling sexual violence on college campuses. The changes are concerned directly with how individuals are found guilty of sexual misconduct. While DeVos stated that “We can’t go back to the days when allegations were swept under the […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
A Talk To Teachers: This School Year, Let’s “Go for Broke”
“We are in a revolutionary situation, no matter how unpopular that word has become in this country. The society in which we live is desperately menaced, not by Khrushchev, but from within. So any citizen of this country who figures himself as responsible-and particularly those of you who deal with the minds and hearts of […]