Our public schools should teach children union activism and union organization, starting..

[Union Yes]

in 1st grade. Progressively teach them more about union history and activism each grade until the 12th grade.

I wonder how many 12th graders can accurately describe the following phrase..

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.

I know DU has plenty of union teachers who would likely agree with this.

Who better to teach union activism than a union teacher?

[NoNothing]

1. No

Schools should not "teach activism." They should teach knowledge and let the students decide how they want to act.

[Union Yes]

10. Teaching kids how to organize a union is knowledge that will help them for a lifetime. nt

[no_hypocrisy]

2. When I taught kindergarten at the daycare center, I taught the kids "Union Maid" and

"Solidarity Forever!" and Woody Guthrie songs.

:headbang:

[Union Yes]

6. Your students are lucky kids indeed.

Solidarity!

:patriot:

[no_hypocrisy]

18. I live near the American Labor Museum. They have programs for children.

http://labormuseum.net/

[JackintheGreen]

17. I also taught "Union Maid"

and "Bells of Rhymney" and "Die Gedanken sind frei."

After 9/11 I started teaching "King Henry," and my fifth grade girls LOVED "Equinoxial."

[bluestateguy]

3. It's fine to teach kids about the history of unions in the US

but "teaching activism" opens up a can of worms you don't want. Trust me. Next thing you know somebody will say that we should teach "Christian activism" in the public schools.

[vadawg]

4. activism, hell no. Knowledge yes.

[The Northerner]

11. Exactly

[leftofcool]

5. 1st grade too young. Start about middle school teaching union history only

[Jennicut]

7. You teach about the history of something. I loved history and paid attention in those classes.

When I was 17, most of the kids had no clue about a whole range of things. But you cannot teach anyone to be something. You can teach about something.

[Brickbat]

8. Agree totally. Wisconsin just passed a law on this very thing.

Right on Wisconsin!

[Union Yes]

13. That's awesome. Congratz to the state of Wisconsin. Thanks for posting.

That's a great law. I hope other states start following Wi's lead.

Solidarity!

:hi:

[county worker]

9. When I was in school (catholic school) way back in the 60's we did learn about unions.

Many of us were children of union members. It was part of the teaching of American history back then. Is it not taught as history any more?

[OHdem10]

12. It will never happen in "Right to Work States"(West and South)/

If they learn anything --Unions are bad. Socialist.

[Bozita]

15. and Texas draws up the list of "acceptable" textbooks for our local school districts to buy

Not much labor history in the "acceptable" textbooks.

[vadawg]

16. just two sidesof the same coin, why not just teach kids stuff and let them make their own minds up

rather than trying to make them activists for any cause...

[donco6]

14. Add it to the list.

We'll get to it right after we figure out how to teach:

Religion without advocating one religion over another
Religion without mentioning any religion but Christianity
Civility
Civics (which we already teach, but no one believes it)
Home Ec (yes, the old sewing, cooking, cleaning thing)
Personal Finance
"Wonder" (seriously, read it here last month)
Sex Ed without mentioning body parts, sexuality or condoms
Drivers Ed
Not Drinking, Smoking, Overeating
Exclusive Evolutionism
Exclusive Creationism


And the list goes on. And keep test scores up on all the other stuff - like reading, math and science.