Q and A with Dr. Paul Fick

Q: I read an editorial in The Orange County Register last Sunday about how local students are not learning even the basics about our culture. I thought the article was an exaggeration until I asked my daughter some of the questions in the article. She didn't have a clue what many of the answers were! Melissa is a senior in high school with almost a 4.0 grade point average. How is it possible for her to get such good grades and not know information that I just assumed even an average student would learn?

A: Judging from the number of emails I received in response to Professor Richard Nehrbass' commentary (“America as it aint,” The Orange County Register, December 19) you are not alone in your shock and concern. For those who missed the commentary, Professor Nehrbass gave his students at Cal State Dominguez Hills a general knowledge quiz.

Students demonstrated an alarming dearth of knowledge about American and world history, basic math, current events, and the humanities. Most of his students could not identify the United States' opponents in the “Korean” or “Vietnam” wars. Only two percent of the students knew what the Magna Charta was. Half of those quizzed thought that Gerald Ford was the inventor of the automobile. One student humbly admitted that she was “embarrassed” about her Black Hole of knowledge.

Professor Nehrbass is quick to point out that he does not place blame upon the students, many of whom he considers to be “quite brilliant.” Instead, he believes it is “past time for our nation's schoolteachers to take responsibility for what goes on in their classrooms.” It is the professor's contention that the embarrassment expressed by his student is more aptly felt by a failed system that allows teachers to dole out exceptional grades for mediocre performance.

Whether or not the professor is correct in his assignment of responsibility, it seems unmistakable that parents should be experiencing a similar twinge of embarrassment. Steve's question reveals that all too often, parents are lulled into contentment with our teens' good grades and solid SAT scores without inquiring about the quality and depth of their knowledge. An “A” in English does not guarantee that your son or daughter can write a coherent essay or for that matter a standard business letter. With college admission requirements increasingly stringent, it is a bit too easy to barter away our teens' knowledge for grades.

Certainly, many of our teens are exceptional, dedicated students who will accomplish great things. Their fertile minds deserve nurturing and their hard work should be praised. But, other teens have obtained only superficial success. This is every bit as much parental failure as student or system failure.
If you have failed to prepare your teen educationally, overcome the embarrassment and get to work. There still is time.
 posted by Jane