Do you think other people around the country are getting
a quality civics education? -No. -Why not? I think that education
in general, that we are too focused on reading and math and
teaching to the test, so that kids do not get what they
really need which is an understanding of where they
live and why we have the laws and rules that we have. And kids
don't get that. -I would have to disagree. They are not getting
the quality of civics or social study education that
they need. -Why not? - Due to people's personal views on
it and them kind of being opinionated and that following
into the children that they're teaching. - I think it needs to be improved.
- Improved? - Improved. - I think they are.
I mean, I think they're getting a good basic
understanding of our civics. - Why do you think it needs to be
improved? - Just talking to other high school
kids and talking to some of, you know, just talking to
people in general. We just don't have the facts, I don't think.
- I don't think so. - Why not? - I think it's mainly
curriculum. I think a lot of teachers like really wanna try
to give students like a good education but I think like the
standardized like teach to the test kinda thing ... To be
topical about it, there's a whole controversy about like
quote-unquote critical race theory or
whatever , and it's like how touchy people are about like
teaching the actual like history of the United States and the
way, why the government functions the way it does.
And when you see sort of crappy stuff, why that is.
-And how would you describe the quality of your civics
education growing up? Like how were those classes? - Excellent.
I am able to follow the impeachment trials, the Supreme
Court hearings, and all that kind of stuff. And
understand what's going on. - Boring. The quality would
probably be the teachers put us mostly to sleep. But I
am actually someone that actually kinda enjoys history
but I wish it was taught better and more understanding to the
young developing mind. - I had a coach that that taught us
civics. - Me too. - And we all liked him and it was pretty easy.
- Pretty easy? Yeah. -I think like pretty decent like I mostly
remember the teachers themselves, who were both of
those from my like middle school social studies and my
high school, the government economics, were pretty
outspoken people. So like I don't remember the curriculum a
whole lot but I remember the stuff they imparted to us.
If I was an alien and I came down to Earth and asked you to describe
how our state and national government work, how much
detail, how effectively do you think you can do that? - Semi-decently?
I could give you a good down. -So you could
give us a lot of detail? - Yes. - Not too much, and I am an educator
and my degree is not in history or anything.
- Probably not at all. - I would not feel confident. - Basics.
And last question: how well do you think you know the
First Amendment? - Not very well - Me neither. - I appreciate the honesty!
First Amendment, decently. You know, the right to
free speech, free association -- Wait, not ... I wanna say free
association but something like that. You're allowed to gather
and like express your political opinions with people. You're
allowed to talk your political opinions in public and it also
covers freedom of religion and I think the separation of
church and state. - Freedom of speech, I know that one well.
I personally use it all the time.