American History

It was late Saturday evening, Lisa Donath, a teen drug counselor was on her way home from work. She was not feeling well that time and thought it could be due to the blood she donated the other day. While at the station, Lisa fainted and fell right on the trail racks near a couple. Without any delay, the man named Ismael Feneque, a pattern maker, jumped in to rescue her, 20 seconds before the next train arrived. Within such a short time, Ismael was able to rescue Lisa and climb up to save himself. When asked, Ismael said he did not bear any second thoughts about saving Lisa, even if it could have caused his own life. In our everyday life, we encounter many struggles and negative experiences. We hear about rape, murder, robbery, and many different kinds of crime that make us feel pessimistic about people and the world. However, stories of heroism like what Ismael did inspire us to believe that there is still hope in the future, if we only teach our children the right values and virtues they should bear. In view of this, the family, school, and community should contribute to emphasizing good values and virtues among children. In this paper, we discuss the values and virtues that every American youth should imbibe despite coming from different cultural backgrounds.

The structure of American classes nowadays is usually made up of children from different multicultural origins. Hence, multiculturalism presents the challenge to every teacher who intends to teach about American culture and values. Despite coming from different backgrounds, children should possess values and virtues typical of every American youth in order to ensure individual adoptability and sound social structure.

The challenge involves a number of considerations. Among which is the belief in moral relativism that tend to lead the youth to lose moral conviction. Sommers (in Surname of Editor, year) identifies todays youths inability to judge situations with strong moral conviction. Most of them are morally misled, and cannot decide whether something is good or bad. When asked the same question, one interviewee explained that it depends on the person to decide whether what she does is good or bad. This inability to identify good from evil is alarming for there is a better probability that they will do what is wrong more than what is right. For Sommers, this kind of thinking is no better than the philosophy of a sociopath (390). A morally deranged person does things on impulse and not by purpose. In Aristotles (in Surname of Editor, year) Nichomachean Ethics, he emphasizes that our desires should be directed towards a good goal or else it will be empty and in vain (366). He believes that a person who knows right from wrong can likewise identify between physical and higher pleasures. Like Sommers, he supports the idea that there are standards of goodness. People are endowed with the capability to determine what is right and what is wrong based on the outcome of a certain act. Thus, a good deed results in a good outcome, one that is beneficial to those who are concerned.

To develop the ability to distinguish right from wrong, Sommers suggests a great relearning where students will be taught of general rules that would help reform their thoughts towards doing what is good. A great relearning is necessary in order to unlearn and correct wrong notions and behaviors developed in the past. To do this, students should hear a lot of stories and examples of good deeds such as those of Ismael Feneques heroism. Everyday, one of them will be assigned to report an act of heroism they encountered from the news or read from the Internet. This will help them realize that courage or heroism is one of the values that Americans should have. The heroism of American people, especially those who fought in the wars, should be strongly emphasized to similarly motivate students to learn and value freedom.

Krauthammer (in Surname of Editor, year) renders a commentary on recurrent crimes, among which is rape. According to him, the incidence of rape has multiplied over the years from the 1960s. In response to this, teachers should emphasize the importance of respect for life and rights. Mainly, children should learn how to give respect to others, especially to human beings. By exercising respect, people can live harmoniously, Respect for the law, property, and freedom of speech are just some values they need to relearn. In teaching respect, the teacher should allow students to share about their own culture. At the start of every lesson, one student will share practices, traditions, food, etc. which are exclusive to ones culture. This way, students will be exposed to cultural differences, thus promoting respect and acceptance of other peoples individuality.

Another value that students need to develop is honesty. For Aristotle, the wise speak only the truth. In Sommers (in Surname of Editor, year), the author confronts the crucial reality that many of our youth today do not bear the truth. Sad to know, some are doubtful of important historical facts such as the Holocaust and the WWII, where many lives were fought and lost in vain. This sad reality about the youth challenges us again to submit students to a kind of relearning. Teaching history, memorizing facts, and reading about important events in history are certainly not enough to show our youth the truth about the past. What they need is evidence. Therefore, to teach truth students should be made to watch videos and documentaries. These resources should include documentaries on the past including our ancestors, and the present situation of our people and even those who are experiencing hunger or oppression such as those in Somalia or in Tibet. These documentaries would help them realize the truth. After viewing, students should be asked to write reflections based on what they have seen, and these reactions should be processed through discussion in class.

In addition, lessons for teaching honesty and truth should include practical applications. Sommers (Ibid.) emphasize that teaching honesty includes teaching students the importance of decency. In the academic setting, honesty may be exercised by not plagiarizing. Plagiarizing somebodys work demonstrates the loss of honesty and respect for other peoples right. It also results in the loss of human dignity. The students should understand that these values are interconnected, thus neglecting one results in neglect of another.

Related to honesty and respect is the value of patience. The modern trends that we live with nowadays teach us to do things in an instant. Instant coffee, instant meals, and instant income are just some things we enjoy because we escape the need to wait. This results in our inability to wait for the right time before something comes to fruition, or before something is perfectly ripened. It also results in the loss of patience. Many youngsters nowadays have forgotten the value of patience. Thus, they resort to copying or plagiarizing other peoples work, they resort to liposuction instead of exercising, or they try to secure jobs that can make them earn instant cash. In response to the need to redevelop patience, teachers should design activities that require students to do a comprehensive and hands-on project such as conducting research, interviews, or preparing videos and other activities that they would enjoy doing and at the same time allow them to spend time working together as groups. Cooperative learning would teach them the value of patience and hard work.

Heroism, ability to determine right from wrong, respect, honesty and patience are only some American values and virtues that we need to develop among students in order to reform society. Although these values are universal, we accept the fact that there are critics and skeptics who will oppose to teaching them in the classroom. For instance, some may think that heroism cannot apply to most students. However, it should be stressed that values such as heroism can be demonstrated in simple ways. For instance, a simple help to carry a classmates books is an act of heroism. Checking ones own paper can be an exercise of honesty and judging right from wrong. Also, a simple drawing exercise using natural pigments can promote patience among young students. Every teacher should consider that the little things they do and the values they develop in the classroom can do wonders eventually when students set foot in the big world.