1. “The Civic
Responsibility of
Teaching”
By Rachel Borowski
HNRS 177: Biotechnology & Art

2. CONTEXT
Ideas from RSA Animate “Changing Education Paradigms” (Week 1)
 Our education system was designed and
conceived for a different age (The
Enlightenment & The Industrial Revolution)
 Right now is the most stimulating period EVER
 But we are boring kids with systems of
increasing standardization, specialization, and
separation in schools

3. The ADHD Epidemic
 9% of children (ages 5-17) in the U.S. have been diagnosed
with ADHD
 There are no blood tests or other neurological markers for
ADHD – in fact most children are merely diagnosed based
on “behaviors [that] are normal variants in childhood
temperament … which manifest in ADHD-like symptoms.”
 Instead of training their children to behave better, or
searching for other learning, emotional, or medical problems,
parents (and teachers) often request ADHD medicine to help
them control their children
 Is this the big problem?

4. The Problem
 We are anesthetizing over three million children with
Adderall and Ritalin to get them through school every
day

5. Possible Solutions?
 Instead of “deadening” children to
the world, let’s wake them up!
 Let’s provide a system of education
with a standard curriculum as well
as a variety of options to help
students explore new areas that
interest them and get them excited
about learning
 Let’s provide more funding for art in
schools – after all, students perform
best when they are engaged, and
all of their senses are fully “alive”!

6. My Solution
 Traditional state-mandated curricula (reading, writing,
math, science, history, etc.) in public elementary,
middle, and high schools four days a week
 The fifth day (I propose every Wednesday) will be a
designated “Expanded Education Day”
 This consists of the following …

7. Teaching: A New Civic Duty
 All Americans will have the
option to choose between “Jury
Duty” and “Expanded
Education” when they are
summoned
 Those who choose “Expanded
Education” will be assigned to
a school where they can teach
on any subject for the day
 Presenters will be asked to
bring in visual aids, tell
personal anecdotes, and find
other ways to engage students

8. Benefits of this System:
 Opportunity for adults to actively engage
and educate the youth of our nation
 Opportunity for students to explore new
careers, hobbies, etc.
 Weekly “rest day” for teachers to recharge
and work on new lesson plans
 New opportunities for the personal,
professional, and civic growth of students
 New systems of learning geared towards
the skills and interests of each individual
student

9. Conclusion
 In conclusion, I propose a day of “Expanded Education” in all
public schools once a week. This will be organized as an
alternative to the civic responsibility of jury duty. It will be a
great opportunity for average Americans to engage students
with real-world knowledge (on a wide variety of topics) and
offer a more personalized education to every child. This will
allow for the personal, professional, and civic development of
students. And it will also allow teachers a day to recharge and
prepare better lesson plans for their classrooms.
 Although this is not a complete “cure” for the pitfalls of our
current education system, I believe it is an innovative and
intriguing step in the right direction. That direction is one of
active engagement and interest-oriented curricula in schools.

10. Bibliography
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U
 http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/954543/a
dhd-overdiagnosed-and-overmedicated
 http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/adhd-
misdiagnoses-identified-study/story?id=11418898
 http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/clip/thinki
ngcapwhoa.html
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jury_duty