Education Creating Democratic Citizens in American Society,

Education Creating Democratic Citizens In American society, individuals are taught that their thoughts and opinions are valued. From this idea, democracy is born. Each individual has the right to have an opinion of any subject and to present his or her idea in a public arena. To determine the best-suited idea for a group, a vote is conducted to determine the most agreed upon conclusion. Since the majority of participants choose the conclusion, it is the one that will take precedence and is considered the fairest conclusion for the group.

The United States of America is built upon democracy. As a citizen of the nation, it is mandatory for each individual to understand his or her role within such a society. Each person has a variety of responsibilities to adhere to as a member of our democratic society. These responsibilities include respecting others, understanding the democratic system, questioning others' viewpoints in order to gain more knowledge, participating in public ballots, and teaching others the ways of democracy.

As a future educator of American society, it is necessary to promote a democratic environment in which children can, and feel comfortable, challenging others. Children who grow up in a democratically stimulated environment are more likely to become adults who favor such a system, challenge that which is not understood, stimulate others to be the best people that they can be, and possess the ability to critically analyze their environment.

The Educators of Democratic Citizenship Educators need to possess certain dispositions in order to successfully contribute to fostering responsible democratic citizens. Children are like sponges; they soak up everything that is presented to them. When they are continuously confronted with an idea or action, it becomes even more innate. The key to preserving the idea within them is consistency. Educators need to, first of all, believe in the concept of democracy and the responsibilities of citizens. One cannot truly teach a concept that he or she is not convicted about.

In addition, they need to possess courage and strength. Students will respect teachers who act strong, convinced, and adamant in the classroom. Compassion for others needs also to be an integral trait of an educator, and it must be demonstrated to promote a concern for the welfare of the community, the nation, and the world. In order to raise children who value democratic citizenship, it is necessary to teach them the values of our society.

In addition to conveying the politics of democracy, educators need to be demonstrative and consistent about all the responsibilities within, including fostering a democratic classroom, taking an active interest in the community, and finding time to volunteer for a cause. How to Bring Democratic Citizenship into the Classroom The third grade was a lesson. One of the teachers, Mrs. Smith, was the poster child for how not to stimulate democratic citizenship. She was constantly in a bad mood and never listened to the children's questions or comments.

Rather, she chose to become upset with those who were brave enough to question anything. Children who are in such an environment lose their courage to speak up for themselves for fear of punishment or retaliation, which could follow them into adulthood. Mrs. Smith would have been more effective of an educator had she given the students respect and considered their thoughts and opinions as essential by creating a forum within the classroom where open discussions were welcomed and fervently debated.

One of the responsibilities of American citizens is to give back to the community in some way. However, as a child of this democracy, this concept is not widely taught. This responsibility is not clearly defined to individuals when young. As a result, the community becomes less and less of a concern. Teachers should promote community action and volunteer work. They could create a volunteer group that works regularly with the community or even just schedule volunteer days.

The focus is to get the students involved so they may see and feel that they are making a difference. In addition, an educator may, to combat this trend, set aside 30 minutes a week to present an issue of concern in the related subject matter. For example, a social studies teacher may choose to follow and create a project based on a local election with the class, or a French teacher may introduce the students to non-European French speaking countries and their particular issues.

Conflicts Nothing comes easy in life or work. Molding future democratic citizens requires dedication and personal conviction. The abilities to ensure that all opinions are heard and respect the majority opinion.