By Stephanie Gross
Staff Writer
If you ask a high school student if they know the name of the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court or the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the answers might be shocking, if not disappointing.
Many students will simply not know or will provide amazingly amusing responses.
Even though it is not typical for the average high school student to be fully informed about global affairs and politics, the level of knowledge about those matters seems to be alarmingly low.
It appears high school students do not possess basic political knowledge they should have been taught back in the fifth grade.
Throughout my years of history class, I have seen the same thing over and over again. A large number of students do not seem to grasp the concepts being taught in class, such as learning parts of the Constitution. It is quite shocking that most students in American History class are unable to recognize at least half of the Amendments to the United States Constitution.
Students should not be expected to memorize and know all 27 of the Amendments off of the top of their heads, but they should at least be familiar with the Bill of Rights, considering they live in this country. By high school age, students will soon be voting and it is imperative they have a basic understanding of our democracy.
What is going to become of this country if some students do not have any knowledge of American governmental officials or how their terms in office could possibly affect our nation in the future?
The answer to that question might be frightening, but I sure hope not.
A huge problem that is contributing to the lack of knowledge within our society is reality television. Instead of people being aware to what is actually going on in the world, they are focusing on pointless and scripted shows, such as “The Real Housewives of Orange County” or “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” that have no meaning other than to entertain. These days celebrities are becoming more outrageous to gain public attention, doing anything to get media attention and getting paid millions of dollars.
Granted, I am a huge fan of the “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” but these are not the shows that our generation needs to growing up watching on a regular bases. Yes they are highly entertaining but they have no value, they do not teach anything.
If students would take the time to watch the news with their parents once or twice a week, they would be more informed regarding current events.Instead of tweeting pointless things and constantly refreshing their Twitter and Instagram feeds, students should take at least a minimal amount of time to read a news article on the Internet, whether is be about what is going on in Syria or President Obama’s latest speech.
If our generation of students does not get it together and learn the basics about politics and our government, the country could become a very different place in five to ten years. We need to pay attention in school and educate ourselves because we don’t need more low information voters.
Students need to listen more in class and get interested in what is going on around them, especially in the political world.
Sure history and politics are not the most interesting thing to discuss, but they do impact our lives in many ways, so the more students are informed about what is happening around them, the more secure our futures will be.
