Parker: Teaching democracy in schools

Parker argues that it is extremely important to teach democracy in public schools, and that this eliminates idiocy, a very dangerous attitude that occurs when citizens only care about their own needs, and are not interested in the wellbeing of their society. American public schools are the perfect place to teach democracy because they have a multicultural environment, and because young minds are still being formed. It is the job of education to make sure that America’s youth become democratic people, and active participants in their communities and their country’s future.
In Teaching Against Idiocy, Parker says “The wheel doesn’t need to be reinvented; it is at hand and only needs to be rolled more intentionally, explicitly, and directly toward citizenship.” (2005, p. 3) Schools have been teaching democracy to American children and young adults, but this aspect of education has to be clear and directly targeted. He thinks that teachers and administrators need specific goals, and he suggests three keys: to increase the interaction among students; to encourage public talk; and to teach and use deliberation in their classrooms. Schools’ administrators and teachers must create activities where students can meet and talk to others from different races, religions, socioeconomic backgrounds, and so on. By being in contact with people who do no share the same values and ideas conflicts usually arise; so it is essential that students are encouraged to open up, and talk about it. Furthermore, teachers have to teach students how to deliberate; students have to listen to others’ ideas and arguments, weight the evidence provided, and decide what the best solution to the issue is. Educators need to teach democracy, and develop a sense of cooperation in their students; students need to think about what is best for society, and not just what they need or want.
In conclusion, Parker argues that education has been an important part of forming American society by teaching democracy to the new generations. It still needs to be improved, and there are specific things teachers and administrators can do. If they promote integration, encourage discussion about important issues, and teach techniques of deliberation to their students, Americans will be active participants in their communities and countries’ future. This is essential to fight idiocy which harms society because individuals will only look after their personal interest, and forget that we all depend on one another.