18JUN24 – Journal #2: Helping The Next Generation:

Fast forward a few decades, and now I’m on the other side of the desk, trying to figure out how to make these essential freedoms come alive for the next generation. The challenge? Competing with the constant barrage of distractions from smartphones and social media. Kids today have their heads buried in screens, scrolling through TikToks, swiping through Instagram, and playing games. How do we break through all that noise and make the Bill of Rights not just palatable, but actually fun?

I remember when I first started to really understand the Bill of Rights. It wasn’t in school, but through stories my grandmother Eva Schwarz told my Mother. She fled Nazi Germany, a place where these rights we take for granted were brutally stripped away. Her stories were vivid and full of emotion, painting pictures of what life was like without freedom of speech, without the right to a fair trial. Those stories stuck with me because they were real, and they mattered.

So, how can we make kids today feel the same way about the Bill of Rights? Start with stories. Kids love stories. Imagine you’re a kid again, and instead of reading about the First Amendment in a dry textbook, you’re hearing about it through a comic book adventure. There’s a superhero named Free Speech Fred, who uses his powers to defend people’s rights to say what they think, even if it’s unpopular. In one issue, Fred has to save a group of students who are being punished for protesting the cafeteria’s terrible food. Sounds more interesting already, right?

Incorporating modern technology can also be a game changer. Imagine an augmented reality app where kids can point their phones at a dollar bill, and it comes to life with interactive stories about the Bill of Rights. Each amendment could have its own mini-game. For example, for the Fourth Amendment, kids could play a game where they have to protect a house from being searched without a warrant by sneaky agents. They learn the importance of privacy and due process while having fun.

Another method is to turn learning into an interactive experience. When I was a kid, hands-on activities always grabbed my attention. Why not create a mock trial in the classroom? Kids could take on roles of defense attorneys, prosecutors, judges, and jurors. They could argue cases based on real Supreme Court decisions. It’s a way to see the Bill of Rights in action, to understand how these amendments protect us in everyday life.

Let’s not forget about leveraging creativity. Art, music, and drama are powerful tools to make learning stick. I remember learning a song about the amendments that helped me memorize them. To this day, I can still hum that tune. Imagine kids today writing their own rap songs about the Bill of Rights or putting on a play where they dramatize the struggle for these rights throughout history. They could even make YouTube videos or TikToks to share what they’ve learned in their own words, with their own style.

One of the most powerful ways I learned about the importance of the Bill of Rights was through debates. I loved arguing, and debates were a way to channel that energy into something productive. Kids today can do the same. Set up debates on current issues that tie back to the Bill of Rights. Should schools be allowed to search students’ lockers? Should social media companies censor speech? These debates make the Bill of Rights relevant to their lives right now, showing that these aren’t just old words on a page, but living principles that affect us every day.

One summer, my family visited Washington, D.C., and seeing the original documents at the National Archives was a revelation. There’s something about seeing those faded pieces of parchment that makes history tangible. Organize field trips, either real or virtual, to places where kids can see these documents and learn about the people who fought for these rights. Museums, historical sites, and interactive exhibits can make the past come alive in ways a textbook never can.

But it’s not just about making it fun. It’s about making it matter. Kids need to understand that the freedoms protected by the Bill of Rights are essential to who we are as a country. They need to feel the weight of those rights, the way I did when my grandmother talked about her life under a regime that trampled on them. They need to see how these rights protect them and their friends, how they give them a voice, and how they safeguard their future.

We live in a republic where these rights are not just given, but must be understood, cherished, and defended. If we can connect the Bill of Rights to the world kids live in today, if we can show them how these old words still hold power and relevance, we can spark their interest and ignite a passion for protecting these freedoms. It’s a challenge, but it’s one worth taking on. After all, the next generation is counting on us to pass down not just knowledge, but the belief in the importance of these essential freedoms.