A common refrain today is, “We need to teach civics in our schools.” I can’t argue that point. Do we teach civics? Where and how?
I have strong feelings about this topic, but I needed to get some facts. So, I went to two trusted sources. Professor Mark Evans of Piedmont University is also vice chair of the Athens-Clarke County School District, and Chris Akridge is a government and civics teacher and baseball coach at Habersham Central High School.
When you enter the classrooms of these men, you better be prepared to think and to be challenged. Their classrooms are not for passive learning. You will become an active and engaged learner — I guarantee you that.
A course in civics is required for every student to graduate from high school in Georgia. In addition, civics lessons are embedded in the curriculum at both the elementary and middle school levels.
While a formal course in civics is required, it is notable that the amount of civics instruction has been reduced since when we were children. The natural question is, “Why?”
It’s a matter of emphasis. Neither the length of the school day or the school year have increased since we were kids. What has increased? The demand for literacy, math and science education, of course. These skills are clearly core to a quality education. I would argue that civics is as well.
According to Evans, civics education must not be taught in isolation or simply as a stand-alone course. It must be embedded within a robust social studies curriculum where students learn not only of the nation’s history, but the history it inherited. The founding documents of our nascent nation must be studied in context as they were created very purposefully in reaction to their context with a vision to move forward.
Akridge enjoys a good degree of latitude in making high school government and civics lessons come alive. He begins by investigating our founding documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, and our nation’s form of democracy relative to European democratic governments.
Much focus is given to the notions of limited government and the rule of law as they were first established and then through the lens of our contemporary politics. Politicians are asking citizens to give them power to lead. Akridge helps the students make these abstract concepts concrete and relatable to the students’ lives.
One way they do this is by learning how the judicial system works. The students actually play the parts in a jury trial each semester. The abstract elements become real, concrete. In the end, Akridge teaches the students not what to think, but how to think on their own as informed and active citizens.
In particular, Akridge noted, “I spend a good portion of time having students debate the nature of humanity and the role that self-interest plays in our system of government — for those who are in power and want to maintain it, for those who want to gain power, and for the citizens who want to maintain or increase their power and freedoms.”
This is very deliberate, as Akridge explained, “I stress that this demonstrates the need for separation of powers, checks and balances, accountability, and transparency. This helps students think outside the ideological boxes that they’re accustomed to.”
Evans echoes many of these sentiments. He has seen an erosion of public discourse and of civics education over the past 20 years. He calls for the necessity to revisit the notions of John Adams and the virtues of the republic.
According to Evans, too much of our pedagogical focus is on the national level of politics, which determines our broad democratic principles. More time is needed focusing on the local level where the principles are concrete and relatable to our youths’ lived experiences. Lessons are hands-on and messy — just like democracy itself.
He mentioned a civics teacher in Athens who takes his students to school board meetings, city commission meetings and then takes the students to register to vote. In these ways, civics comes to life, and students partake in making our community and nation a more perfect union. Civics education is not static, it is dynamic and vibrant. Democracy is active and engaging, just as its citizens must be.
Civics education must not focus on preparing the students to take a test. Civics education must prepare our students to be active and engaged citizens. This curricular focus demands time and practice. Students need to practice democracy and the requisite freedoms of democracy.
Perry Rettig is a Piedmont University professor of education. Rettig is in his 41st year as an educator, which has included stints as a public schoolteacher and principal.
