Leading the Good Life
In his inaugural address, President Obama expressed his hope that all Americans take a renewed interest and pride in their country, that they become responsible citizens with a focus on the common good.
All new presidents express this same hope in one form or another when they are about to take office. Any one who remembers John F. Kennedy will never forget his famous inaugural appeal: “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”
A challenge for us all is how to get young people truly interested in civic life. As adults and parents, of course, we can set good examples by voting, obeying the laws, donating our time and/or money to worthy causes, taking an interest in all levels of government, and so on. (I personally need to take more interest in local government.) We can also get our children involved in appropriate community projects such as clean-up activities and food drives.
We can, in addition, make sure that our children appreciate their family’s involvement in the American Experience: Which family members have served in the armed forces, and where and when did they serve? Which members have served their community or country in other ways? Which ones have gone through the citizenship process, and what was that like? What sacrifices have some individuals made to help the next generation? You get the idea.
What can our schools do? My guess is that they are already doing a lot, since there is plenty of information about civics available to social studies and history teachers. The challenge, of course, is get students to tune in and care. Perhaps it would help if our schools conducted their business, as much as possible, in a democratic way: creating rules of conduct, establishing platforms for expressing opinions and resolving conflicts, voting, volunteering, serving on committees, and so on. Again, I’m sure this is already happening in some schools.
We should also take every opportunity to get students out into the community so they can see civic life in action. Guest speakers from civic organizations, local government, and businesses should be invited into classrooms as well. And teachers should always take advantage of those teachable moments when they can meaningfully connect with public life.
Writing this blog reminded me of something that one of my sons experienced during his second year in school. We had just visited our local humane society to adopt a family cat. When my son saw all of the dogs and cats in need of homes, he wanted to do something about it. So, all on his own, he made a few posters that he wanted to post in the classroom. His teacher said that the class didn’t have time for anything like that. Now, that’s what I call a lost teachable moment. What could have been more interesting and relevant than to talk about the humane society? Young children love animals.
In an October 15, 2008, online article, “Civic Responsibility, Authenticity and Guilt,” Sabrina Jamil addresses the state of her civic involvement (or lack of it), prior to the presidential election. In the past month or so, she had been overwhelmed by pleas that she be sure to vote, that this election was the most important one since 1932. She got the message, but she also wondered if those who were so “fervent about electing a president” were also fervent about civic life after the presidential elections. She didn’t think so, nor, necessarily, do I.
If this is going to be a “new era of responsibility” as President Obama hopes, we adults must practice good citizenship today, tomorrow, and for years to come—and we must get our young people to appreciate its importance as well.
—Dave
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