We the People and American Civics

My Views Are My Own

By Lisa Schonhoff, Ed.S.

5/6/2025

One topic that came up on a fairly regular basis during my campaign was a concern regarding the lack of American civics in our education.  Many constituents have initiated conversations around the fact that we are graduating kids who have a severe lack of understanding when it comes to the U.S. Constitution and the basic principles our country was founded on.

I have always been passionate about teaching the ‘hardest to teach’ kids.  Because of this, I have spent the past 25 years learning how to teach kids who have languages other than English spoken in their homes (English Learners, ELs) to read, speak, listen, and write in English.  Many of my students were newcomers to our country and did not speak any English at all.  Those were my favorite students to teach because I loved to watch them progress as English speakers, readers, and writers.  I also loved getting to know the stories of my students and their families.

I recently taught a class to teachers getting their master’s degree on culturally relevant teaching.  To me, this means how to teach students who come from different backgrounds.  I had my college students research various countries where students flee from to attain a better life here in the United States of America. The assignment was to write about the politics, culture, and religion that impacted those countries and discuss what they came to America for.

As our country becomes more and more divided, I think one thing that most can agree on is that we live in the best country in the world.  If you have forgotten just how wonderful it is here, please challenge yourself to read about other countries that have it far worse.  Following are a couple books that I highly recommend.  Are there books you would add to this list?

Red China Blues: My Long March from Mao to Now written by Jan Wong, a “starry-eyed Maoist in 1972 at the height of the Cultural Revolution...Red China Blues is Wong's startling--and ironic--memoir of her rocky six-year romance with Maoism (which crumbled as she became aware of the harsh realities of Chinese communism); her dramatic firsthand account of the devastating Tiananmen Square uprising; and her engaging portrait of the individuals and events she covered as a correspondent in China during the tumultuous era of capitalist reform under Deng Xiaoping.” 

In Order to Live, written by Yeonmi Park, shines a light not just into the darkest corners of life in North Korea, describing the deprivation and deception she endured and which millions of North Korean people continue to endure to this day, but also onto her own most painful and difficult memories.”

One of the most important responsibilities of our public school system is to ensure that every student has the foundational knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and the inherent principles that our great nation was founded on. I believe Ronald Reagan sums up this point when he states: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.” 

The Nebraska Department of Education has begun the revision of their Social Studies standards.  You can learn more about the revision process here.  You are welcome to email the NDE (nde.socialstudiesstandardsinput@nebraska.gov) if you would like to provide input.