Opinion – Judy Harris: Clap, clap, wiggle, wiggle; reminder of 10th Amendment meaning

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited to it by the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” — The Tenth Amendment, Bill of Rights, United States Constitution, December 15, 1791

The Constitution of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Bible: these are primary sources I have used in teaching and in writing curriculum.

Using primary sources provides endless, important benefits to learners in stimulating inquiry and critical thinking and raising basic awareness of essential documents’ relevance to our lives.

In the ‘80’s and ‘90’s, I was teaching Thomas More’s EDU 101: The Introduction to Education. The lesson on school law could have been dry but there were aspects that needed to be taught for heightening interest and for remembering important relevance to an educator’s profession.

Where do the individual states get the authority and responsibility for licensing teachers? For determining curriculum across every grade level? For choosing textbooks and teaching materials? For generating funds for providing for education? For evaluating the levels of mastery of learners?

When the framers of our Constitution sent the document to the individual states for study and ratification, they heard back from the states that further additions needed to be added to clarify the Constitution’s true limits of the federal involvement in the lives of the citizens and in specific rights of the states and individuals. “In order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers” was their reason. The Bill of Rights resulted.

The ten amendments are quite specific. It is in Amendment Ten that states have confirmation of their constitutional authority regarding the education of their citizens and all the other responsibilities that the federal government does not have through the Constitution.

So basic is this knowledge to educators, I needed to do something to make sure my freshmen would carry these truths through their training and certification and into their own classrooms as teachers in Kentucky or in other states.

After we surveyed the relevance and its importance to all educators and citizens as well, I asked them to join me in celebrating with a simple chant/clap: Clap, clap while saying “The Tenth Amendment,” wiggle, wiggle all ten fingers while saying “of our Constitution.” Repeat once more.

Of course, we were all smiling at the silliness of the gesture but then I asked them to repeat it with me again. Sometimes we need to engage multiple senses and responses to heighten the importance of remembering. Sometimes we make up songs or sing rhymes that have spanned generations.

Would these education students remember the role of the Tenth Amendment?

In the ‘90’s when the National Teachers Examination was still paper and pencil and administered in large auditoriums, our graduating education majors gathered at NKU for the final qualifier for their Kentucky teaching licenses. Kentucky required certain scores on the examination for licensure.

These seniors had become good friends having had many classes together and were aware of each other during the hours of NTE testing.

In the middle of a particular testing block, one of them clapped twice softly and wiggled his fingers. Was he exercising his tired hands?

No. His fellow classmates/fellow exam takers were smiling, knowing that he, too, reached the section of the exam asking about the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The next week several of them delighted in telling me about it.

I had hoped they would embrace this critical information. I didn’t realize we were creating a secret gesture. So be it.

The Tenth Amendment ensures acknowledgement and respect for the rich diversity present so naturally in the uniqueness of each state’s identity, its culture, history, geography, economy, and much more, and in that state’s being best able to respond to the needs of its citizens.

Educators and many other citizens, too, understand the vital intention and importance of the Tenth Amendment.

How about you?

A personal note

With warmest congratulations to Mike Borchers, recently retired superintendent of Ludlow Public Schools, on his appointment to the Kentucky Board of Education.

Judy Harris is well established in Northern Kentucky life, as a longtime elementary and university educator. A graduate of Thomas More, she began her career there in 1980 where she played a key role in teacher education and introduced students to national and international travel experiences. She has traveled and studied extensively abroad. She enjoys retirement yet stays in daily contact with university students.

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