Max Hubbard, Becker High School Student, is the author of a recent petition to have Becker schools offer more comprehensive education on the founding fathers and the American constitution. In order to raise awareness for the petition, Hubbard and his friends have been flying flags on the backs of their vehicles in the school parking lot every Tuesday.

Reason for the Petition

Hubbard knows that there are classes taught regarding the constitution and the founding fathers’ writings in senior year at Becker, but he wants to see a change made so he and his peers can learn about these things earlier in their school careers. Specifically, he thinks that students should learn about these topics before they are able to get a driver’s license. 

“You gain a lot of independence when you get your license,” Hubbard said. 

So he thought that was when students should be learning on what American independence is based, and reading about the founding fathers’ vision for the country.

He also is hoping to make a change in classes so students have a better understanding of careers involving law enforcement and military. He says these careers are discussed in citizenship classes offered by the school, but not covered as thoroughly as, for example, a college track.

In the petition, Hubbard voices concerns over teachers prioritizing their personal views over historical facts.

During the writing of this article, nearly 650 individuals (mostly students, according to Hubbard) had signed the petition. 

LGBTQ+ Petition

Hubbard got the idea for his petition when he read another petition for LGBTQ+ rights. The petition he saw was well written and had a lot of signatures, according to Hubbard. When he saw students his age standing up for what they believed, he was inspired to write his own petition about better education on the Constitution. 

Hubbard said he’s received backlash on his petition because some people misunderstood the intent behind it, believing that he meant to undermine the LGBTQ+ petition. He even had to speak with some of the school administration regarding this misunderstanding. Hubbard says it was never his intention to undermine the other movement, and that he would be happy to see the petition that inspired him succeed. 

Pushback Against Hubbard’s Petition

Setting aside the misunderstanding, Hubbard’s petition does have some pushback from Becker teachers and students. Heather Abrahamson, history teacher at Becker High School, believes that the classes being taught to students are great just as they are. 

Abrahamson said she believes Hubbard is frustrated with the education being offered simply because he hasn’t taken the senior-year classes that delve deeply into the constitution and the writings of the founding fathers. 

Abrahamson also said that the classes students are required to take follow guidelines set by the state, which dictate the order and age range students should be taught about society in their social studies classes. It just so happens that these guidelines direct teachers to teach courses about the founding fathers and the constitution towards the end of the student’s education. In addition to the regular government class for seniors, “21st Century Citizenship”, she notes that the post-secondary class “Democratic Citizenship” is excellent for the students who really want to delve deeply into the constitution and the writings of the founding fathers.

One Becker senior, Brooke Hendrickson, says she really loves the Democratic Citizenship class. She says that the class really focuses on what the Constitution means, and looks at the writings of the founding fathers’ so students really understand the intention behind the nation’s founding documents. 

“I ended up investigating more than I would have on my own,” Handrickson said.

Abrahamson said she can’t speak for her fellow teachers, but personally she loves to see students like Hubbard and Hendrickson come through the school; students who have an appreciation for the Constitution and who want to learn more. She says American history is her passion, and she loves sharing it with curious students.