As I got older, most of my homeschooling classes began to rely much more on a dialectic discussion than memorizing facts and “learning” about things. Our instructor would introduce a topic and we would then discuss the issue; picking it apart for logos, pathos, and ethos.

This was a really great way to learn because I became fluent in a different sort of language. I could think critically about any issue and look at the pros and cons. I formed my own beliefs and values, rather than just accepting what others told me. Questioning the status quo was my class time.

Today in public school, students are encouraged to focus on the facts: learning and regurgitating them for tests. According to this article, Steven Weinberg, a teacher on special assignment in Oakland, California, whose  job is “helping teachers teach to the test,” says: “The trouble with teaching to the test is that the standardized tests are not by their nature able to measure meaningful learning and emphasize the trivial rather than the essential.”

This takes away time from critical thinking, which is what fuels students to become high functioning adults in society. By psychological definitions, an adult is able to think abstractly about concepts they cannot envision right in front of them immediately. However, can students really reach this point if they are never instructed on how to think critically?

First, we must ask, do we even really need to teach critical thinking? Shouldn’t this be a skill children just pick up on as they mature? Parental Science says no. Critical thinking is a skill that is best exemplified when children are forced to explain the why and how. Clearly, the evidence supports a curriculum with analytical elements. If children are never implicitly taught this, they end up lacking a skill that allows them all the thought processes of a high functioning adult.

The next question is how: How do we implement critical thinking into the average public school classroom? This is no easy feat. With thousands of classrooms across the country, and a shortage of funding, it is difficult to start an entirely new program. However, introducing critical thinking doesn’t necessarily mean funding a new program. This can be taught simply by asking children “why?”

With math and science problems, don’t just accept an answer as right or wrong. Ask the student to show their work, or demonstrate on the board how to work out that problem. When you are able to explain a concept to others, you have mastered it yourself. With literature, question what certain elements of the story mean. And perhaps most controversial, children should be able to think through current events and devise their own opinions on the issues. In order for this to happen, teachers need to present both sides of an argument, then ask the children which side they feel is “better” and more importantly, why.

When students are able to justify their beliefs, and question them in order to defend them, we will have a society filled with civically engaged citizens, rather than voters who vote for a party or people who volunteer for resume building. We will have a community of people who want to be actively engaged.

Complacency is a huge problem with America today, and it is because many people don’t know what they believe or why they believe it. If we teach the next generation of students how to think for themselves, hopefully the future of America will be in the hands of well educated people who care about the outcome and realize the consequences certain actions may bring.

I am not naive. I realize that this is a huge feat, simply because many topics are touchy and teachers are not always impartial. I certainly had to deal with that experience. However, finding different teachers with different views allows at least a mix of opinions and hopefully exposes the students to different viewpoints. We will never fully rid the world of biases, but we can make a start by hiring teachers who want to include critical thinking in a curriculum.