What does writing about nuclear weapons have to do with educational issues?

Almost every major leader in the world, including President George W. Bush, has at one time or another, suggested that one of the most urgent issues facing us in our world, is how to handle these extremely dangerou and threatening weapons. And yet almost nobody is seriously talking about it in mainstream media, in neigborhood backyards, or most importantly, in school. Sure, we read a lot about the “rogue” regimes daily, such as Iran, North Korea, and Syria. But how many American citizens know much at all about the nuclear policies of the United States, and how these policies have contributed to the growing menace of these weapons in our world today?

I would say that probably most high school students know that nuclear weapons have great destructive power, that they produce radioactivity and the lethal ramifications of this, to a certain extent. But most probably know nothing about the history of how these weapons came to be, the controversial build-up of these weapons during the last six decades and the push for the continued development of these weapons through today, and the recent about-face of U.S nuclear weapons policies that has taken place during the present Bush administration.

With a growing interest in “peaceful” nuclear energy programs in countries throughout the world, most noticeably in the Middle East, that would introduce a significant increase in the amount of enriched uranium being transported around the world, vulnerable to terrorist activity, and other issues of concern, I feel that we are entering into a second nuclear weapons arms race. I feel that it is urgent to develop in students at least minimal literacy on nuclear weapons issues and policies, and give them the opportunity to become informed, to discuss, make judgments, and respond to one of the issues of the greatest importance as citizens of the United States, and of the world.

In my blog, I hope to give facts about nuclear weapons and highlight events from history and those that are currently taking place, to inform and educate readers about this issue, and to suggest how we as teachers, can appropriately introduce this issue into our classrooms in an effective and discrete way.