For most, September 17 was just another day at school. Many students went through their normal schedules, possibly hearing a bit about the Constitution, depending on the teacher they had. September 17 is Constitution Day, set aside to recognize when the United States adopted the Constitution.

The law requires schools to teach about the Constitution on Constitution Day, if the school is getting federal funding. So why does it seem that so few teachers mention it?

Perhaps it’s because most teachers forget about it, or maybe it’s because they simply don’t have the time. Either way, teachers are forgetting that they are supposed to be educating students about the Constitution on Constitution Day.

Math teacher Mrs. Kathleen Patterson said, “I teach mathematics and it did not come up. No one asked me about it and it’s not a part of what I teach.” However, Mrs. Patterson didn’t know that, by law, she technically should be talking about the Constitution. “I think that someone needs to remind teachers on that day that we need to mention the Constitution, otherwise, I will not remember.”

AP Government teacher Mrs. Colleen Crowe discusses the Constitution year-round in her curriculum and believes that Constitution Day is an important learning opportunity for students.

“I think that all social studies teachers should acknowledge Constitution Day. I don’t think the students need to hear about Constitution Day in their PE and Science classes, per se. But, in social studies, they need to hear it and reinforce how important it is to know the Constitution,” she said.

But what do the students think about this?

“I think teachers should make a greater effort to teach about the Constitution because you might as well learn it now because it’s gonna be important when you’re older,” freshman Grace Gaumer said.

So, maybe there should be a change at Rocklin High. About 198 students out of 244 surveyed said that they hadn’t learned anything on Constitution Day and 157 said that they didn’t care if the school acknowledged Constitution Day.

Grace’s idea of putting more attention on Constitution Day makes a very good point. Our political system depends on the Constitution. Some of the students here are at an age where they will be able to vote, or will be able to vote soon. Knowing the details of the Constitution is important for these students.

Voters, before elections, should be informed about the Constitution because it would help them understand how this country is run and what could improve the country, allowing them to figure out which presidential candidate they would like to vote for. If voters are informed, they won’t just follow the crowds and vote for someone they don’t have an opinion on. This country allows us to vote and have an opinion in politics, so we should all take advantage of this.

So, should things at RHS change? Yes, I believe they should. It is good that social studies teachers are mentioning the Constitution, but it would be better if all teachers attempted to mention it to their students. However, these changes are unlikely to happen, unless the school reinforces the federal rule.