Are you ever SHOCKED by how butt-ignorant *SOME* young people are?

[SheilaT]

32. People have been complaining about the ignorance

of the younger generation absolutely forever. When I was 17 or so, there was an incredible lot I did not know, really could not know, had not had time in my life to learn.

I am not terribly surprised that a young girl did not know the word Sermon. BFD.

As to not knowing who Lyndon Johnson was, keep in mind that in high school history has ALWAYS been badly taught, and at least since the first quarter of the twentieth century, recent history (within the past twenty-five to fifty years) is almost not taught at all. It's an honest problem of a young country. My mother was in high school in the 1930's. I was in high school thirty years later. My two sons, after the turn of this century. That mans seventy more years of U.S. history since their grandmother was in high school. How do we accommodate that and do justice to the full arc of American history?

I'm one who has always been interested in history and paid attention to it. I also, in the 1980's, started reading old Life magazines, starting with the first issue. I'm sure you all know off the top of your head when that was.

















You had to look it up, or scroll down, didn't you?

Well the first issue was in November, 1936. I had the amazing good fortune to be attending a university that had bound issues, starting with the first one back in 1936. I was able to read them sequentially. It took a surprisingly long time, because there were often articles of genuine substance. In addition, the ads were absolutely amazing. I can go on and on, and sometimes do. But my essential point here is that not only am I personally interested in history, but because of my Life magazine project, it's as if I remember the events of the late 1930's and into the 1940's. I was able to read through the first quarter (Jan, Feb, Mar) of 1945, and it's obvious that the war in Europe is nearly over, but equally obvious that the war in Japan -- we're clearly going to have to invade the Home Islands and at a great cost of life to both sides -- will last at a minimum another year.

I keep on wondering how it all turned out.

I also have the advantage over the 17 and 18 year olds of sheer time on this planet. I was born in 1948, and so I remember all sorts of things. On the other hand, I'm totally hopeless about popular music since about 1985 To a young person (to my own sons) I'm hopelessly ignorant.

The other thing to keep in mind is that, despite No Child Left Behind, high school graduation standards are pretty low, since our goal in this country is to graduate as many students as possible. It's my opinion that the goal is both laudable and reachable, but we go about it the wrong way. But that's another discussion entirely.