Former civics teacher here. As a public service here's a Top Ten list of things politicians, elected officials--as well as students and their teachers--often get wrong about the Constitution and U.S. government. 🧵👇 1️⃣ “Hate speech isn’t protected.”

During the 2024 campaign MN Gov. Tim Walz said: “There’s no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech.”

❌ Wrong. The First Amendment has no “hate speech” exception.

A brief thread on the knowledge you need to have retrieved from your memory in order to type the sentence, “Memorization is not learning” 1/9

https://twitter.com/ProfFeynman/status/1959967021614903425

1. Alphabet and Letter Recognition: Knowledge of the 26 letters of the English alphabet (A-Z), including their uppercase and lowercase forms. Recognizing the shapes of letters (e.g., 'M' as uppercase, 'e' as lowercase) and their corresponding sounds, which aids recal during typing. 2/9

A brief thread on knowledge, vocabulary growth, and the "Matthew Effect."

The vast majority of words you know and use were acquired by exposure not direct study. Consider how a child might encounter, learn, and ultimately add the word “endure” to her vocabulary. 1/11 "The first settlers of Jamestown endured Powhatan attacks, starvation, and ineffective leadership."

2/11

A few thoughts on my visit to Michaela, which started at 7am and ended 13 hours later at the pub with a half dozen staffers. First: believe the hype. The culture and environment are first-rate, the students are sharp and attentive, and the lessons rich and engaging. 1/ Headmistress @misssnuffy left me free to wander anywhere I wanted, pop in to any classroom, anytime. Wouldn’t even suggest classrooms where I might see the best of the Michaela. “They’re all excellent,” she said. That’s confidence. 2/