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Civics education is alive and well in Colorado

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Wednesday, April 18, 2012 9:05 PM

Editor:



I congratulate Tim Hunter on his attempt to run for county commissioner. Tim and the other candidates exemplify the ideals laid down in the founding documents of this country.

What I find very disturbing in Tim’s recent letter to the Journal is his cheap shot at public education. Tim says, “I was not surprised that many people don’t understand the caucus/assembly process, because unfortunately, civics is barely taught in school anymore.” What a pile of doo-doo!

I have three points. As a retired Colorado history/civics teacher I can attest that the teaching of civics is alive and well in Colorado. Tim should check the state standards for social studies and find out what the requirements are.

Secondly, the teaching of civics does not include the specific nominating practices of every political group in the country. Talk about individual responsibility Tim, you should be pointing the finger at the Republican Party. They are, after all, a private organization, and should be responsible for educating their own members. Political parties are not even mentioned in the Constitution.

My final point is that if Tim decries the state of civics education, what has he done in the past several years of serving on the Mancos school board to change that? In his capacity of school board member, what has he done through CASB to enact the type of curriculum that he advocates?

Enough of taking pot-shots at education. It is bad enough when the uninformed public does it but shame on someone who should either know better or should have used his position to do something about it.



Jim Skvorc

Dolores

Via email

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