What would George Washington think of our current government?

This blog post is part of a series of posts written by my middle level/secondary social studies education students at Wichita State University. This post was written by Ross Bruggeman (@RossBruggeman1 on Twitter).

    

In our current Social Studies classes George Washington is revered as a legendary figure who, as the father of our country, is unequaled in United States history. In the current textbook used in my U.S. History I classrooms (Holt’s American Anthem) the heading above Washington’s presidency reads, “A Born LEADER” in a bold, blue font. Undoubtedly, Washington played a key role in the founding of our country and had tremendous values that guided him through his public life. However, his aforementioned role as a legend often leads us to remember him only for his past instead of relating his ideas to the present. Our textbook mentions how Washington set up his cabinet, worked with Alexander Hamilton on a financial model, squashed the Whiskey Rebellion, and gave up office with a famous farewell address. Specifically, Washington’s Farewell Address has a short excerpt that warns against political parties. Following a short lecture from textbook information, and in order for my students to gain perspective on the address, I began my lesson with the question: How would Washington view the state of the U.S. government today? Many of my students thought Washington would be satisfied with the added rights of citizens and the power the U.S. now wields in the world.

Next, in order for my students to gain a better understanding of what exactly Washington’s address was about I have my students view a short video clip about the Farewell Address (video here). This video gives a quick overview of the accomplishments of Washington’s Farewell Address, including the advice Washington offered to posterity. To reiterate this information and promote a discussion I also provided more excerpts of the address and talk with my class about them.

Washington’s Farewell Address Extolls the benefits of the federal government. "The unity of government...is a main pillar in the edifice of your real independence...of your tranquility at home, your peace abroad; of your safety; of your prosperity; of that very liberty which you so highly prize." Warns against the party system. "It serves to distract the Public Councils, and enfeeble the Public Administration....agitates the Community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one....against another....it opens the door to foreign influence and corruption...thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another." Stresses the importance of religion and morality. "Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in Courts of Justice?" On stable public credit. "...cherish public credit. One method of preserving it is to use it as sparingly as possible...avoiding likewise the accumulation of debt....it is essential that you...bear in mind, that towards the payments of debts there must be Revenue, that to have Revenue there must be taxes; that no taxes can be devised, which are not...inconvenient and unpleasant..." Warns against permanent foreign alliances. "It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world..." On an over-powerful military establishment. "...avoid the necessity of those overgrown military establishments, which, under any form of government, are inauspicious to liberty, and which are to be regarded as particularly hostile to Republican Liberty."

We discussed all of these excerpts and my students delved deeper into the topics by asking great questions. When talking about Washington’s advice to avoid permanent, entangling alliances many students scoffed at our current international relationships. When talking about the need to avoid a party system as addressed by Washington, my students were quick to condemn the current state of our legislature where things rarely get done. But the students were really in an uproar when we discussed public credit in Washington’s view. I showed the students a website with the national debt clock included (http://www.usdebtclock.org/) and explained exactly how much each citizen in the United States owes to the government.

   
During this lesson, we discussed briefly how our world differs from the world that George Washington lived in. We discussed how our current alliances help to deter some military actions and provide better security for ourselves and our trading partners. However, given more time, I would discuss this aspect of Washington’s Farewell Address in more depth. For example, we would be able to delve deeper into why some economists believe that keeping a national debt is necessary or why many citizens do join political parties when Washington felt so strongly that these would lead to less discussion between citizens.

But, the best discussion came after a particular student asked a great question, “What can we do?” It was a simple and to the point but it was the type of questions that I hope will be asked often in my classroom. We discussed more about national debt and what our politicians are doing to fix current problems. Although this is hard to do without showing personal biases, I was able to stay above the current political fray and explain the different sides’ viewpoints.

   
After discussing this all with my students, I asked the students to write a quick one paragraph summary of what we learned during this lesson. I ended the class feeling good about how my lesson reached the students and forced them to ask the deep questions. However, to my surprise, the students came back the following day still asking questions about our current budget and how much we add to the deficit each year. It was exciting to see the students really take an interest in such an issue.

My lesson was simple in design but I felt it accomplished a main goal of my lessons: that students ask deep questions about how they can influence their country. 

Life After the Red Pill: One Educator’s Journey into the Rabbit Hole of Social Media

Life After the Red Pill: One Educator’s Journey into the Rabbit Hole of Social Media

We all have to make choices. As teachers we must constantly make them. How will we spend our time in and out of class? What resources should we use with our students, and where should we go to get them? How will we foster effective learning? Social Studies educators, like me, often wonder, how will my lessons foster responsible citizenship among my students?

I recently chose to investigate the possibilities and challenges of utilizing social media to improve my social studies teaching. I define social media as any service where content is user generated and shared with fellow users of that medium. I was already using several social media services (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Instagram) in my personal life, but I did not utilize them professionally. While I didn’t understand it at the time, I’ve found this choice, albeit a quite a bit less dramatic and violent, like the one Neo faced in The Matrix (1999):

Like Neo, I had no idea of the ramifications my choice to select the red pill of social media. When I began to use it I discovered a world that I did not know existed, but, fortunately, it was not the painful reality of Neo’s “real world.” Over the last couple weeks I have uncovered a wealth of resources, ideas, and colleagues. Yet it has not been without challenges. I will provide a brief summary of my some of my experiences using social media for school. I hope these experiences might provide some insights for others embarking upon a similar journey (or maybe even remind social media veterans what it is like for neophytes).

While I made the choice to investigate social media, I have not been alone. For the past week I asked my senior social studies methods students to accompany me. I began a week before our first class by immersing myself in a variety of social media services by using them 5-10 hours a day. I created a Facebook page, a new Twitter account, an Edmodo account, and sought out people and organizations on these forums. I checked out books from the library and searched databases for academic articles on the topic. The academic materials provided some interesting perspectives, but they didn’t show me what to do. Just like Morpheus explained to Neo, “no one can be told what [it] is. You have to see it for yourself.” Only by using social media can one really understand the possibilities it might afford teachers and students.  

I initially used my linked Twitter and Facebook pages to collect and share resources with others. I searched organizations with which I was already familiar (e.g., the History Channel, the Gilder Lehrman Institute). I retweeted interesting links, or posted YouTube videos or websites that I had previously used in my own classes. I made use of Scoop.it to find new and interesting articles.

I found many good resources, but I also felt overwhelmed. I was inundated with a mass of information, and keeping up with everything on just scoop.it and Twitter seemed like too much. I enjoyed much of what I was finding, but I found myself without enough time in the day to keep up with all my professional responsibilities along with this new cyber world. Not only was I overwhelmed, but I also wondered, what is really different about social media then just searching the internet? I was also nervous about how my students would feel accompanying me on this journey (see next blog post). The social studies methods course is designed to help students think about theoretical and practical aspects of teaching social studies, and I was dedicating the first few weeks of our course to exploring these tools so we could practice using them all semester. I certainly did not want to waste their time, and there’s always anxiety when you try something new and different with your students, especially something that is banned in many schools (LINK ARTICLE). Like Neo, I was initially unsure of my role in this new world.

The turning point came when I discovered that the real power of social media was not in simply collecting resources and ideas, but in connecting with others whom are on the same journey. I have met a community of social studies educators passionate about teaching, and using social media tools to improve their craft. All of a sudden, I not only found resources, but support, insightful recommendations, answers to questions, and invitations to opportunities to continue the conversation. I didn’t just search for resources, I began receiving and providing them to people as we had conversations about wise practices. My online use went from a largely one way gathering of resources to the development of transactional relationships and the discovery of an online community.

After 10 days of social media use I found myself participating in a Twitter social studies chat (#sschat) where educators from across the country were sharing resources and ideas. Four days later social media leaders in the social studies – Shawn McCusker (@ShawnMcCusker) of Illinois and Melissa Seideman (@mseideman) of New York – were imparting ideas and answering questions with my class via Google Hangout videoconferencing. They showed my class and I specific ways we could successfully use social media and technology to become better teachers. As they answered my students’ questions I was amazed how social media made this all possible.

I still have an incredible amount to learn, but after only two weeks I can’t help but feel like Neo at the end of the Matrix – after he finally believed and understood how the Matrix works. He realized that the rules of the old system didn’t apply to anymore. He saw that a new world of possibilities existed. I am excited and unquestionably satisfied with my choice to journey into the rabbit hole of social media. I recommend that you make the same choice.  

Recommendations:

- Participate in social studies chats on Twitter using “#sschat” every Monday for one hour beginning at 7 Eastern/6 Central; Follow moderators: @ShawnMcCusker, @Ron_Peck, @Becky_Ellis_

- Although I’ve had some problems, I’ve found Edmodo to be an interesting way to set up a class. It has a Facebook interface, but provides a closed, and presumable safer, environment for classes.

- I have found Google Drive (formerly Google Documents) and Google Hangout invaluable resources to connect with students and colleagues.

Dan Krutka, Ph.D. is middle level/secondary social studies chair at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. He taught high school social studies for six years previous to beginning in his current position in 2011. He can be followed/contacted at www.facebook.com/WSUSocialStudies, on Twitter @dankrutka, at dankrutka.blogspot.com, or by e-mail at dankrutka@gmail.com.