4th of July

Happy 4th of July everyone! This is a day to remember as well as to celebrate. We celebrate all that was and is good about our nation. We remember all that happened to get us to this point in our history. We watch the fireworks, we go to BBQ's, but do we actually teach, before they study it in school, the history of what happened on the original 4th of July, in 1776? As Americans, many adults don't really study or haven't really studied our collective history. I find that appalling. I think that as citizens, we should know at least the high points of our collective history. Family history, that is important too, and hopefully many of us know at least some of that too! When my sisters and my brother went to school, they had a class that was called civics. They had a class that was called history. They weren't lumped into one as social studies. I took a class in 10th grade called consumer economics. That was social studies. It sisn't deal with the history of our country, or the laws of the land. It taught us how to buy a car, how to shop and how to balance a checkbook. All very useful things, but I wasn't required to take anything else in the social studies area. Sorry to my c. e. teacher, Mr. Tom Maxwell. I enjoyed the class, loved him, and jumped through hoops to get into that class, because he was teaching it. Maybe it wasn't 10th grade, maybe 11th or 12th, but I digress. I had the choice to ignore my history, to take a different class and be more progressive. To learn about my history, I had to choose classes in high school, and again in college. What we are taught in elementary school, is an overview of facts and memorization. History doesn't mean anything if you don't understand and process the events and times and actions of those involved.
So bring back the classes that teach us about our great nation. Teach us to live and breathe our history, teach us to enjoy where we live and to get it, get it that folks actually died for this place, sacrificed their necks and the necks of their families to make a nation.
Fly your flag, not because it is a fashionable thing to do, or because it looks great on the house. Fly your flag correctly, and respect the whole history that went into making it. FLy it because it represents what we all are: AMERICANS. It represents what went before you, and what will come after you.
OK, there, I have stepped off of my soapbox. Everyone, no matter how you celebrate, enjoy your celebration, be safe and be full of fun! Happy 4th of July!