Published: October 12, 2009 03:23 pm      

RANDOM THOUGHTS: Is anybody listening?

Of all the songs in that great historical musical “1776” there is one I always remember. It asked the poignant question, "Is Anybody Listening?" For years many have asked that question when discussing our educational system. Tennessee’s Sen. Lamar Alexander has been persistent in trying to tell citizens something needs to be done. David McCullough, historian and author of the book “1776,” was a star witness at a hearing convened by Alexander and Ted Kennedy in 2005. Columnist David Broder wrote a column about the hearing where the subject was U.S. History: Our Worst Subject? They found fewer students have a basic understanding of American history than have a basic understanding of any other subject tested — including math, science and reading. Is anybody listening?

The results of American history testing given in 2001 found 57 percent of 12th-graders scored below basic. They did not know the meaning of the Monroe Doctrine, knew little about the Great Depression and did not know the Soviet Union was an ally during WWII. In closing remarks McCullough said, “Amnesia of society is just as detrimental as amnesia for an individual. We are running a terrible risk. Our very freedom depends on education, and we are failing our children in not providing that education.” Is anybody listening?

C-span devoted all last week to their documentary on the Supreme Court. Justice Anthony Kennedy said, “Every generation has to learn and understand the Constitution.” Recently retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor is using her time to educate groups on the importance of understanding what the framers had in mind when they set up the courts and what the role of the Supreme Court was and continues to be. Is anybody listening?

In 1996 Thelma Parsons, who retired after teaching in Tennessee and Florida for 44 years, was interviewed. She was a descendent of John Ford, Sr. who led his family to Grassy Cove in 1801 to claim his Revolutionary War land grant. Thelma died at age 94 but her thoughts on education live on.

In that interview she was asked her opinion of education over her years of teaching. She said she lived through the best of times and the worst of times during the Depression years. The best were the years when the students came to learn, did not question authority and parents supported the teachers. “I believe the breakdown of discipline, the removal of moral teaching, lack of parental guidance in the home, weakening of patriotism and teachers not allowed to use strict discipline caused the changes in education today,” she said. Is anybody listening?

“Education made America great; neglect of education can reverse the process.” Those words appeared in a Paul Krugman column this month. He received the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2008. Other points he made on the decline of American education included the fact that where we used to take the lead in educating our young we have gradually fallen behind other advanced countries. Today more young Americans are less likely to stay in school and take jobs because of financial pressures. We have a college graduation rate slightly below the average across all advanced economies. He wrote that the present economic crisis has placed huge additional stress on our creaking educational system but that’s no reason to stop teaching our children. He warned education is on the chopping block. Is anybody listening?