So...

I read an election related article yesterday that stated that mock elections in High Schools across the country showed that a very large majority of students voted for obama.  All I could think was "go figure".  It only reinforced in my mind that the public schools in America today don't teach students how to think.  They teach them what to think.  I believe that is the reason why our students fare so poorly against students from other "First World" countries.  Our students have gone from the top 3 in math and science to something like 23rd and 25th.  I think we have all seen the numbers.  

Anyway...

It reminded me of a time a few years back when my middle son was in middle school.  Must have been 1992.  Clinton vs Bush I.  He came home from school one afternoon spouting off about Clinton like the man was some sort of God.  They had held mock elections and "everyone" voted for Clinton.  I asked if he had "voted" for Clinton.  The answer was a resounding "yes"!  I got my unhappy ass into my car and went up to the middle school to talk to the principal to see if the numbers that Eric had given me were true.  Had "everyone" truly voted for Clinton?  I thought that if this were true, something wasn't right.  Couldn't happen naturally.  I had known this principal for a number of years as she had been my oldest son's TAG and English teacher some years before.  It wasn't a happy reunion.  She confirmed for me that the numbers that Eric had shared with me were indeed true.  Nearly 90% of the 7th and 8th grade students had voted for Clinton in the mock election.  I asked her how could that possibly be?  She looked at me as if I were an idiot.  What do you mean "how can that be", she asked me?  I asked again, how can 90% of the students possibly vote for the same candidate if they aren't being "taught" to vote for said candidate?   I never received an answer...

My middle son survived and has gone on to become a "right" thinking young man.  On his own.  No one has to tell him how to vote.  He thinks for himself.  A miracle, in my mind, given the public school system we have today.

My oldest son and my 6 year old grand-daughter came down for supper on Tuesday night and we sat down to watch election returns for a few minutes before we ate.  I was sitting in my chair and the missus was sitting on the couch.  Little Miss came into the living room and sat down on the other end of the couch.  She seemed to be in a serious mood.  She said "Gramma, Papa, did you vote today?"

I sort of rolled my eyes, knowing what was coming.  Carl saw me and said "Listen to her".  I smiled and figured OK, I'll go along.   Gramma and I both said to her that yes, we had voted today.  She said "who did you vote for?"  The missus told her that she had voted for Romney.  Little Miss' eyes lit up and she said "so did I!"  She was obviously pretty proud of herself for "voting" the same way that her Gramma had voted.

I was surprised.

I live in a town that is home to one of Iowa's 3 State Universities and also home to the manufacturer of those big green farm tractors that you see out in the fields.  Liberal college professors and unions.  You can guess how the locals vote here, eh?  (My oldest son and I both went to the University here and neither of us turned out Liberal.  How weird is that?  They failed!  :)  It was interesting, though, attending a school where you didn't think like the rest of them :) )

I don't know what it means.  The kids around here voted with the same large majorities for obama as those in the rest of the country.  That seems a bit suspect to me.  My grand-daughter didn't vote with the crowd.  And she was proud of herself, both for voting and for voting the same as Gramma.  And she actually went to the polls with her mother..

I like the fact that the schools are teaching our children some civic responsibility.   I dislike that they are apparently teaching them who to vote for.

Stay safe.