Social Studies – more important than Math and Science!

If I had a magic wand that would allow me to prioritize the courses taught in our schools, I would make Social Studies the second most important content area in every school's curriculum throughout the United States. I would place it right behind Reading (number 1), but definitely ahead of Math (number 3) and Science (number 4).

Most of this nation's problems are due to the fact that many of us are flat-out ignorant: The quagmire that we're in is due, in large measure, to the fact that a large number of us are socially and politically uninformed. And this makes it easy for those among us, who do not have our best interest in their minds, to manipulate us, and in many cases, to get us to vote against our own best interest!

Reading would be number one because our ability to recall, comprehend, apply, analyze, synthesize (create, compose, design, internalize), and evaluate are extremely important in a world in which a vast amount of our communication appears as printed words. Most of us would agree that excellent knowledge and skills in Reading are vital in our personal and social lives.

Next in the order, however, would be Social Studies. I would put it second because I am convinced that if the people of the United States had a better understanding of the subject areas covered in Social Studies, many of the social and economic problems that we are having today wouldn’t exist. These subject areas include – The Constitution, The Bill of Rights, The Declaration of Independence, American History, budgets, citizenship responsibility, the role of government, bias in interest groups and mass media, bureaucracy, capitalism, civil rights, deficits, federalism, liberalism, Medicare, Medicaid, labor unions, pluralism, immigration (past and present), (PACs) political action committees . . .

I believe if more of us had better understanding of these subject areas, we would be making better and more informed decisions. Political ads during election would have far less influences. Political talk radio from the extreme right and left would have smaller, audiences, and debates at all levels of government would be more honest, less patrician, and far more substantive. I believe that more honest, fair, and pragmatic women and men would be elected; and they would make the type of decisions that are in the best interest of all of us!.

Man! If I only had a magic wand!