Education Matters:

Last week was Constitution Week, and as always, the discussions generated by that document in my classes are solid gold. There are certain amendments that are guaranteed to spark student interest, and I thought I’d share some of this year’s questions and observations from my students (and a few from their teacher as well).

I’ll sign off with a little quiz that I just gave to a bunch of 17-year-olds. See how you do.

First Amendment: I asked whether a husband should be charged in the homicide of his wife, who consented to his “beating the devil out of her,” which was prescribed by their religion in cases of “demonic possession?” Should a neo-Nazi or a Klansman be allowed to shout their slogans in public, and by the same token, should a Turk be protected in his public denial of the Armenian Genocide?

This led us to ponder the nature of our freedoms, specifically the limitations that go along with them. Does the 1st Amendment protect only popular, acceptable speech, or does it also allow for repugnant, even hateful expressions?

Second Amendment: Did conferring the right to bear arms make more sense in 1790 than it does in 2009? If, in the not-too-distant future, we could perfect stun-gun technology where it could more accurately deliver a jolt of electricity to an intruder to our homes, or even to the hunted deer in the forest, might it possibly lead to a ban on the personal possession of lethal weapons? (The consensus was that gun owners would never give up their killing arsenals.)

Fourth Amendment (guards against unreasonable search and seizure): Every year this one never fails to bring out questions involving police conduct and, in the minds of a certain segment of 17-year-olds, police misconduct.

Most of the stories go something like his: “We were just driving/walking along, not doing anything wrong and the cop pulled us over/hassled us.”

“I’m telling you Mr. Kimber, we weren’t doing anything wrong.” Depending on the class, this can bring on a wave of “It’s hell to be a teenager” angst.

“So you believe that the police have it in for you?” I ask, remembering all too well how I once believed it to be true. Some, but certainly not all, nod their heads, “Yes, yes it’s true.”

“Didn’t you get hassled when you were a teenager back in the ’60s?” I am asked.