Friends, now and again I make cracks, as do many people, about the state of the education system. But never have I seen greater proof of its suffering than I did yesterday. See, yesterday, Chicago schools had the day off for Presidents' Day, but the gym where I teach gymnastics was wide open. This means the kids will bring the crazy, for being cooped up all day tends to shut down their ability to hear, to listen, to remember, to work as a team, to be still, to be quiet... But we all make the best of it.
Yesterday, coach M, coach A, and I started setting up for tumble trak. Coach M always draws two big chalk shapes on the trak so that the girls know where their feet are supposed to land. The first shape he made was a triangle. I joked with him that I thought he was going to make it into a piece of cherry pie for George Washington. He made the second shape a cherry. We chuckled. And then it happened.
The girls began their calls of, "Why is it shaped like a cherry today?"
So I got to chatting with the little boogers as they stepped up to take their turns. I started with a group of them: "Who knows why they were off school today?"
Silence.
I try again: "It's Presidents' Day! Now, who knows which Presidents we celebrate on Presidents' Day?"
Silence. But by this time, the line was moving quickly; all the girls hadn't heard my question. So, I began to ask the girls separately as they stepped up to take their turns. Of our class of over 10 girls, finally, finally, two girls spoke up. I asked them together, and one said, "George Washington!" the other, "Abraham Lincoln!" They each said they actually knew about both. I asked how they knew. One said there were pictures of the two men hanging in her classroom. She goes to private Catholic school.
Then it got worse.
I asked our two little smarties if they knew the story of George Washington and the cherry tree.
Blank stares.
I asked and asked, and not a one knew what I was talking about. Coach M and I marveled at this development and wondered if we should stop class early to give a history lesson these kids obviously so desperately needed. But alas, we went through class, and I left the girls with the parting words that serve as the title of this entry.
Now, I need someone to explain to me HOW all this is possible. The girls in this class range in age from 4-8. I can understand if a 3-4 year old wouldn't know. I would understand if the older kids may have forgotten, their heads full of a deeper understanding of the presidents. But these elementary school girls had no basic understanding of the holiday. They should at least be able to name the day and the two superbly famous men we celebrate. And what of the fun little cherry tree story we all had the benefit of growing up with? I suppose it is possible that that tale of Washington has lost its popularity as one of those elementary age facts (George Washington. First president. Could not tell a lie). I just can't imagine that...
Look, my mother is awesome. Every holiday growing up was met with a themed dinner, a costume, or a tradition to go along with it. But when there wasn't time, at the minimum, I knew the story of the day and could recognize why I was home from school (or at school for that matter). Whether it is parents, teachers, or the great monarch of Chicago schools, I would like to know who is skipping over this important step and letting these kids think it's just another day off.
This next generation already has enough issues without 4/5 children not being able to even guess a president we might want to honor. I sure hope this was just a fluke or a bad sampling. Otherwise, I bump education up a spot on my "issues plaguing our youth" list.
Now go eat some cherry pie to preserve a great symbol of a great holiday that celebrates a great man.
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