Listen up: ‘If a country keeps you stupid, it keeps you controlled’

If there’s one lesson Mickie Siek wants her students to learn, it’s this: “If a country keeps you stupid, it keeps you controlled.”

Students in Siek’s eighth-grade history class at North Richland Hills Middle School are diving deep into the Constitution this spring, lessons that are sparking spirited discussions.

Siek and Elizabeth Cumbie, a social studies teacher at Watauga Middle School, both attended a George Washington Teacher Institute at Mount Vernon, Va., over spring break.

They brought back what they learned to their classrooms.

“In my opinion, the most important thing is that you need to know your rights,” Siek said. “If you don’t know your government system and your rights, then you can be controlled.”

The point was not lost on Siek’s students, especially during this presidential election season.

Their comments during a discussion and a writing exercise reflected an understanding of why it’s important to keep the government in check and limit its power.

“The Constitution gives us the right to be free in our country,” said Brianna Fagan. “It keeps the federal government from becoming too powerful, so we can’t become a dictatorship. It gives the people a voice and a say in our government and what it can and can’t do.”

Seth Cook agreed.

“It set the foundation for our government and gave every citizen the rights we need to protect ourselves from a tyrant government, if need be,” Cook said.

Emily Thornton said lawlessness would reign without the Constitution.

“Without the Constitution the world today would basically be The Purge,” said Thornton, referring to the 2013 movie that depicts a world of anarchy and violence. “Without it, our personal rights would be taken away.”

Juliana Thompson also saw how tyranny would rise if the Constitution failed to exist.

“The Constitution today allows us to have a voice in our government and allows citizens to have more say than citizens in other countries,” she said. “Without today’s Constitution, the government could have the ability to have complete control over the American people.”

Embracing the First Amendment

Under the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for social studies, students are taught that “a constitutional republic is a representative form of government whose representatives derive their authority from the consent of the governed, serve for an established tenure, and are sworn to uphold the Constitution,” according to the Texas Education Agency.

Several students said freedom of speech and other rights under the First Amendment are important to them.

“The Bill of Rights’ First Amendment gives us the freedom of speech, protest, religion, assembly and press,” said Karmalita Fults. “Without this amendment, we wouldn’t be able to have a voice without fear of being punished. … We really wouldn’t have any basic rights. We, the people of the United States, don’t realize how important the Constitution is to ensuring we are treated fairly.”

Hope McEndree said the First Amendment allows her to talk about her beliefs.

“Personally, the First Amendment affects me, because of two of the rights: The right of religion and freedom of speech,” she said. “That allows me to share what I believe in, and it allows me to share that without having to be very cautious of what I say.”

Morgan Layfield also appreciates the ability to voice her opinion.

“The First Amendment gives me the right to speak my mind,” Layfield said. “The Second Amendment gives me the right to protect myself with a gun. The Constitution also gives men and women equal rights as a whole.”

‘It’s like we’re living it again’

Women’s rights was another important theme for the students.

“In the Constitution, it states that both men and women are created equal,” said Wiley Cox.

“That statement is very important to me because I am a girl, and sometimes it feels like men get more of a say in Congress and everyday life. In the 1800s, women worked hard to get certain freedoms and in the 21st Century, it’s like we’re living it again.”

Today, it is highly debated whether the Constitution is still relevant and if it should be changed as society changes.

“Although it has worked for years and years, times change,” said Claire Milligan. “Sometimes there needs to be a change to the Constitution, so we amend it. So far, there are 27 amendments, but the first 10 are possibly the most important. The Bill of Rights, they’re called.”

Other comments from the students were humorous, yet true.

For example, freedom of speech does not mean a student can wear a “profane” T-shirt to school. A student explaining the role of the judicial branch of government said, “Arguments can be settled, people can earn rights, and innocent people can go to jail, all in one court.”

More lessons and discussions are sure to follow. Siek and Cumbie both plan to incorporate more information into their classes during the coming school year.

Mount Vernon was ‘history heaven’

Both teachers said they were in “history heaven” during the trip to Mount Vernon. They had the chance to tour Washington’s mansion, stroll through the grounds and gardens, and participate in a ceremony at Washington’s tomb.

Cumbie and Siek were selected for the conference through a competitive process that required writing an essay about why they wanted to attend.

During the trip, Cumbie took an interest in a replica of George Washington’s personal copy of the Constitution.

“I’ve always talked to the kids about how George Washington was very deliberate and methodical,” Cumbie said. “In his copy, he wrote president or presidential power so he could remind himself and make sure he did his job as it relates to the Constitution. From that primary source, I can now back up with kids that he knew the world was watching him.”

Based on that knowledge, Cumbie has already designed a lesson plan for next year called “George Washington’s Post-it notes.”

The teacher institute included an intensive study of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights with experts, George Washington scholars, and talks with Mount Vernon’s historians, curators, and educators.

“They work with the documents and they all share our passion,” Siek said. “They have the founding documents and we actually went to where these things were done. When the experts are there, it just makes it seem so much more real. We wanted to bring that passion back to the kids.”

This story was originally published April 22, 2016 at 5:20 PM with the headline "Listen up: ‘If a country keeps you stupid, it keeps you controlled’."