Public Schools and Supreme Court Cases
Throughout my time in k-12, I enjoyed history class. I remember learning about history in parts, separated depending on what time it happened. Even as some things were repeated after learning it in a past year, it was great, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Though as I look back on my time there, they never really went into detail about Supreme Court Cases. I even believe that it has affected my comprehension of more recent court cases.
In the previous summer, I remember the day that the conclusion of Roe vs. Wade was decided upon. My sister told me what had happened and what it means. I had barely any knowledge of what was going on before that. All I knew was that it's a controversial case that was currently in the public-eye. I didn't understand the complete weight of the decision until after it was decided. I felt like I should have heard about the case in the past, especially since the original verdict of the case was made in the 1970s. I should have known more about what was going on, but I didn't. My education about the court was minimal. I could have done more research on court cases in my own time, but how would I know where to start considering that all I've learned about court cases in school extends to only the minimum.
In school, I have learned about what is involved in the court. I've learned the positions and roles of the court, such as the plaintiff and defendant, the judge, the witness, etc. But specific cases, I recall going in depth about only a single one. I remember going into some details about Brown vs. Board. (And that was in English class!)
Public schools should add impactful cases to their curriculum. Even if it is not done for history class, they should at least allow students to learn about the cases as an elective, no matter how controversial the classroom may become. Students should at least be given the opportunity to expand their knowledge upon the topics.
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