My junior high daughter has learned most of what she knows about history from Billy Joel. She will randomly ask, "Why were the Russians in Afghanistan?" or "What is Red China?" I love these questions because I majored in history in college. Before I respond to her though, I always ask," Are you learning about that in school?" She usually replies, "No, we're learning about why Sarah Palin should never be elected to office. I was just wondering because I heard it on "We Didn't Start the Fire..."

At first, this was just funny to me, but last night, I was upset. This amazingly smart girl, the one who gets perfect scores on her end of level exams, knows next to nothing about history. Or she didn't before I started lecturing. She was astonished to find that the genocide in Rwanda, where one million people were slaughtered in 100 days, happened in 1994, a mere 16 years ago. She can fathom atrocities from long ago, but not today! She also thought the Berlin wall was a "theoretical wall," probably confusing it with the Iron Curtain, but still. We had to break out Youtube to watch footage of the actual, concrete wall, being hammered out of existence. Also, for strictly education purposes, we had to watch Karma Chamaelon and Girls Just Want to Have Fun.

But I was back to banging my head on the table when this very bright girl of mine could not find Siberia on a map. Now, I know that not everyone is a devotee of history, but when did it become the step-child of education?

Rob, the in-house teacher, answered that question, glad to contribute without having to be stuck at the table with the atlas, or me. History is not tested at the state level. End of level tests include math, science, and language arts, so that is where the most instruction time is spent. Federal funding is on the line if a child is below grade level in math, but there is no consequence if they know nothing about history. No immediate consequence, that is. Students with no understanding of past world wars can hardly be expected to prevent a future one.

Now this dismay might cause some to jump in and become a teacher to save the world, eradicating ignorance one child at a time! Unfortunately I was born without much patience, which totally disqualifies me. It really does take a special set of skills to cope with the demands of 30 kids all day everyday. I don't have those skills, so I am complaining here. I just wish history was valued enough to be a serious part of the curriculum; until then, at least we have Billy Joel.