Civics starts at home

As the election results in Virginia and elsewhere demonstrate, many parents are upset with how American history and civics are being taught in schools. And it’s hard to blame them.

The good news is that discussions are taking place in school districts nationwide over what we should teach our children. The bad news is that those debates may not resolved anytime soon.

In the meantime, while those debates are working themselves out, parents can take an active role in ensuring their children receive the education they want them to have.

• Monuments and national historic sites. Nothing brings home the beauty and force of the idea of “a nation conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” than seeing it inscribed in giant letters inside the Lincoln Memorial. While the nation’s capital has the lion’s share of museums, monuments and memorials, every state in the country has its own sites, where children can experience history firsthand.

• Family history. Every American is a part of the American story; it’s just that we don’t all make it into the history books. But we can write our own histories. Helping children discover their family history can be a great way to make up for what the history books don’t contain, as well as to bring our country’s broader history alive.

• Online resources. A growing number of websites are providing free high-quality resources on American history.

The past couple of years have generated a lot of discussion around our history, sparked by protests, debates over statues, and initiatives such as the 1619 Project. Two of the key lessons from this tumultuous period is that civics is more than merely the mechanics of government, and history cannot be cut to make room for STEM.

If we want to keep our republic on its legs, we would do well for parents to bring civics and history into the home. The good news is that it has never been easier.