James E. Miller writes:
The rise of hyperindividualism after World War II infected school curriculums in the form of a philosophy called “teach the child, not the subject.” The mass immigration that followed the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965 put further stress on our sense of solidarity, deemphasizing national pride. The antinationalist mind-set of teachers combined with classrooms full of diverse cultural backgrounds led to an ethos Hirsch describes as “respect the home ethnicity of the child; don’t impose an Anglo culture that is alien to his or her background and personality.”
Does Emanuel’s plan address this key failing in public schools? No, but it does push back on American myopia while recognizing that the average 18-year-old, 21st-century American is not the same adult his parents or grandparents were last century. Students need more prodding to get their act together. You need only talk with a millennial for five minutes to see how nonplussed they are about the future.
