What will become of The Bluegrass in ten years? Questions like these depend solely on teens and students, throughout Kentucky. If we don’t recognize this and change something, the consequences could be detrimental.
When I went to the Capitol and Metro Hall this weekend and talked with people on the senior staff and even the Governor himself I was surprised at what was important to each of these officials and how much of it I didn't know. They started using acronyms and it was like they were speaking in tongues. I mean I know it isn't a huge deal since I'm only a freshman, but it's like I want to know what's happening within our government from now on. Students need to be watchdogs as well as reporters and voters.
We as a city, state, nation, and world should look to John Locke’s concept of tabula rasa: individuals are born without built-in mental content and that their knowledge comes from experience and perception. Because the current scheme is one of conformity and obedience and it is inadequate. One needs to be exposed to these things at a young age so that later on one isn’t shell-shocked when exposed to ideals that differ from the mandatory form.
This is why learning about social interactions (past and present is so important.) Yes, sure, maybe some senior in high school could spout of some facts about the American Revolution, but what about it’s relevance? The Revolution in America, as anything and everything does, shapes us as a nation and that configuration affects our world as we know it. That’s not to say that knowing what happened and when isn’t important, those things still need to be taught, but with much more of an emphasis on how what happened and when ties into you as an individual. A person is so much more likely to learn when a class is focused on their timeframe and their life.
So the connection is important, but so is the learning and discussion of current topics. Do you know how many high school students read the newspaper? Like two. Not that in this day and age you even need to. You can get all of your information elsewhere, via the Internet. But, where students learn to get this information and their comprehension is very important. We need current event classes or a specific allotted time for an alternative. There are really sketchy unreliable sources even within our city, but students trust them regardless. Students need to be educated about how to decipher a non subjective source, and how to respond to it in an enlightened and beneficial way.
Plus, we need to have students questioning our government based upon Locke’s and Jesuit theories. Teens should undergo exposure to the world around them, learn from experience, gain perspective, and strive for excellence, all fueled by education based upon what is relevant to them. I bet you a million dollars ¾ of Kentucky teens don’t know about LIFT. I bet you a trillion dollars that most Louisvillian high school students couldn’t name the Lieutenant governor or tell me who Jack Conway is. Information like that is vital knowledge. Things like our politicians and their decisions affect all Kentuckians, students included. Students need to be trained, especially seeing as they will be the ones that are voting in the next elections, an outcome that will have power over the entirety of the Commonwealth. We have to educate our students if they are expected to be the future, as was the thought of our 35th president, John F. Kennedy. We need to guarantee ourselves a well-rounded, knowledgeable, comprehensive, promising, future.
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