Are Young People Getting the Education They Need to Engage in Political Life? [BillMoyers.com]

Samantha Sangenito 4/17/174:00 AM

In this letter to the editor, a reader from California, Kathleen Streeter, questions whether or not young people are learning the skills they need through our public education system to become informed and engaged voters. To answer her, we reached out to Alex Robins, a social science high school teacher in San Rafael, California to get his perspective.

To the Editor,

I am a 75-year-old retired banker. I have always tried to be informed and have never failed to vote in an election, local or national. When I went to school there was something called the “Constitution test” that we had to pass in the eighth grade or you didn’t advance. I learned about our history and how our democracy was formed and how precious it is. It was made very clear to me that being informed and voting is critical to the survival of our our way of life and our country.

[For more go to http://billmoyers.com/story/yo...gage-political-life/]

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Cheryl MontezMember

I'm glad this article quoted a high school teacher. I think an interest in politics starts in high school, but far too often teachers are hesitant to engage in discussing politics with students. They don't need to exert their personal viewpoints but rather encouraging students to think for themselves on the topic and what they believe in. Great article.

4/20/1710:51 AM

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