Something isn't right

I live in the best country in all the world. I am truly proud to be an American. But some thing about this country isn't right. As most of my readers realize, I am studying to be a teacher, a history teacher. Perhaps that is why I got so frustrated this morning. Although I live in the best country in the world, our public schools are not educating our American children well enough in the area of the history of our great country, the USA. The history teachers should be so proud to tell their students that they have the awesome privilege of living in the greatest country in the world. A country that was founded upon the Bible, God's holy Word. Yet, the public school teachers are seriously lacking. Yet, I should not place all blame upon the teachers, for it is primarily the duty of the parents to educate their children...

In my 3rd-4th grade Sunday school class today, one of the teachers simply asked the children what holiday we were celebrating today. They all knew the obvious answer: The Fourth of July! He then proceeded to ask the children what exactly we are celebrating. Hands shot up across the classroom. However, I was filled with dismay when one by one the children exclaimed that we were celebrating fireworks. I stood there thinking... Fireworks??? Why would we celebrate fireworks? Do these kids think we celebrate presents on Christmas, or perhaps eggs on Easter? I stood there speechless. The other teacher went on to explain that we are celebrating our nation's independence. He then asked the children if they knew who America became independent from. The children looked at him dumbfounded, you mean America wasn't always independent? However what struck me the most occurred next. The pianist then began to play our country's beautiful national anthem. The song that once brought tears to people's eyes. That song that was once sung so proudly by children of all ages. Not one of the children knew what the pianist was playing. I thought, if the pianist was playing a song of Michael Jackson's, or some other famous singer, I guarantee you every child would have rose from their seat and proudly sung everyone of the words. But not our national anthem, they have never even heard of it.

I am proud to live in the best country in the world, yet I am so sad to see the children of America grow up not knowing that they live in the greatest country of all.