For More First Amendment Study News - Go to www.jideas.org/news.php |
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| Visit this site for tips on how to teach the First Amendment in your classroom. http://www.teachfirstamendment.org/ |
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| ASNE - Scholastic journalism site for teen journalists, teachers, guidance counselors, and the editors of professional newspapers. Where to go to start a newspaper. www.highschooljournalism.org |
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| SPLC - Provides legal advice and information and low-cost educational materials for student journalists on various legal topics. www.splc.org |
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| RTNDF - The High School Electronic Journalism Project seeks to identify, inspire, train and challenge the next generation of diverse electronic journalists and First Amendment advocates. http://www.rtndf.org/ |
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| Channel One Network is the pre-eminent news and public affairs content provider to teens. Channel One's mission is to spark debate and discussion among teens, and also discussion between young people and their parents and educators, on the important issues affecting young people in America. http://www.channelone.com |
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| '07 survey shows Americans' views mixed on basic freedoms: nearly two-thirds say founders intended ‘Christian nation’; support rises for limits on campaign contributions. http://www.fac.org |
| Future of the First Amendment | |||||||||||||||
| Home > Report 9-17-07 Mary Beth Tinker - Let's focus on our civic health | |||||||||||||||
| Let's focus on our civic health | |||||||||||||||
By Mary Beth Tinker Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time at the student health clinic where I work looking at tonsils, swollen lymph nodes, broken ankles, and every kind of rash imaginable. My job is to help students be strong and healthy, and I enjoy it. Young people inspire me with humor, honesty and creative energy. I also think about the civic health of our young citizens. Appreciation for the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are just as important for students’ health as any vaccine or nutritious diet. And, you know what they say: like strong muscles, if you don’t use them you lose them! In 1965, when I was 13, I had a chance to learn about the Bill of Rights first-hand. If you’re someone who looks around at the world today and thinks, “There must be a better way,” then you know how I felt. |
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Like students today, my friends, siblings and I were upset about the war. But back then, it was the Vietnam War, not the Iraq War. When we decided to wear black armbands to school to express ourselves, some people got upset, saying that students didn’t have that right. But, in 1969, the Supreme Court ruled in our favor, saying that public school students (and teachers) do have First Amendment rights. Now, it’s more important than ever for students to express themselves, and I’ve met students all across the country who are doing just that. The good news is that they’ve found the same thing I have over the years: speaking up for yourself not only makes you healthier and happier, but it also makes life a lot more interesting! So, cheers! Here’s to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and to your health. Happy Constitution Day! (In 1965, Mary Beth, her brother John, and a close friend decided to wear black armbands to their respective schools in protest of the Vietnam War. Their silent protests led to the landmark Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines. The case, a major precedent, affirmed the First Amendment rights of students in U.S. public schools. Mary Beth is currently a pediatric nurse in Missouri. ) |
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