By Laura Hammack, guest columnist
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
When I was in the fifth grade, Mrs. Foote, my teacher, required that we memorize these words. I remember writing them over and over again so that I would pass that test. I remember repeating them over and over again so I could commit them to memory. Thankfully, because of this expectation, I still am able to recite these important words. As I have matured, their meaning and my allegiance to them has become deeply more relevant.
And while I am able to recall the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America from memory, I must humbly admit that my knowledge of this seminal document is nothing compared to the understanding our group of eighth-graders who participate in our, We the People class hold. In fact, I would put our eighth-grade students and any of our students who have participated in the We the People program against most adults who have lived the Constitution of the United States of America for the entirety of their lives.
For those who may be unfamiliar with the We the People program, a group of our eighth-grade students at Brown County Junior High School are led under the expert leadership of social studies teacher, Mr. Michael Potts, through a comprehensive curriculum, We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution.
We the People is not just a curriculum. The curriculum is a starting point for our students to be prepared to compete at a regional competition where their knowledge and understanding is tested through engagement in a simulated congressional hearing.
Students play the role of an expert who has been asked to testify at a congressional hearing. They present their knowledge and are further engaged with follow-up questions from judges to test their comprehensive understanding.
I am stunned by the sophisticated comprehension that our students who are involved in the We the People program hold for the Constitution of the United States of America. To illustrate the advanced understanding that our students hold, I thought our readers would be interested in some sample questions.
Students are tested on six units: 1) What were the Founders’ basic ideas about government? 2) What shaped the Founders’ thinking about government? 3) What happened at the Philadelphia Convention? 4) How was the Constitution used to establish our government? 5) How does the Constitution protect our basic rights? 6) What are the responsibilities of citizens?
An example of a set of questions that falls under the second unit:
“The Declaration of Independence told the world why the Americans wanted to free themselves from British rule. The Declaration stated the Founders’ beliefs about government. Using the Declaration as your source, in your own words, describe the principles of good government. Where did the Founders get these ideas? Do you think these principles are valid today? Why or why not?”
As you can see, these are questions that elicit significant depths of knowledge. The We the People team from Brown County Junior High School prepares to answer questions like this one during class, after school, and on the weekends so that they are ready for the competition. The level of dedication that these students have for this work is extraordinary. Their teacher, Mr. Potts, leads his students to excellence, which can be evidenced by the records that this team holds.
The Brown County Junior High School We the People team boasts six state championships, two national runner-up titles and two national championships. This is an extraordinary record, and they are going after their next run at a national championship this Friday when they head to the first step in the process, the regional competition.
We wish our We the People team all the best as they engage in this extraordinary process. The community of Brown County stands behind these incredible students and their teacher, Mr. Potts.
I have to believe our Founding Fathers smile down on our boys and girls as their words find continued relevance and profound significance hundreds of years after they penned the words during the Constitutional Convention.
Best wishes to our We the People team! We are so proud of you!
Laura Hammack is superintendent of Brown County schools. She can be reached at 812-988-6601 or [email protected].
