Whomever you support in this fall’s election, you can’t be happy about the tone the campaign has taken in the past couple of weeks. At a time when the nation faces a slew of economic crises (witness the government takeover of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae), two ongoing wars, serious challenges to our energy supply, a healthcare system that leaves millions out in the cold — I’m just getting started here — once again we find ourselves in the midst of a campaign that focuses on such matters of substance as lipstick on pigs, alleged sex education for kindergarteners, and the inclusion of dressing a moose as a qualification for high office.

This might all be highly amusing if it were featured in a Robert Altman film, but alas, it is all too real. The stakes for the American people and the world in this election could not be higher. Yet we seem to be convinced we’re electing a People magazine cover rather than a world leader with the skill to guide us through challenges perhaps greater than the world has ever seen.

So here’s a plea to all teachers out there, and social studies educators in particular: please take the time before November 4 to model the kind of meaningful, reflective discussion that befits an educated citizenry. Yes, we’re all under pressure to cover curricula and prepare our students for whatever standardized tests are coming down the pike. But let’s keep our eyes on the prize: the earliest promoters of public education in this country knew that democracy was hard work requiring considerable training and practice. If we want our politicians and adult voters to exercise their power responsibly we have to do our part to help prepare them. Our students are unlikely to think much about Harappan civilization after they leave our classrooms, but they are very likely to cast ballots for political candidates for years to come. Let’s prepare them accordingly.

My 16-year-old son came home from the first day of 11th grade the other day, relating his horror at the results of an introductory quiz the teacher had given, in which students were asked to identify various figures in government. My son is a musician and pays little attention to world affairs. But he was genuinely horrified to find that he was the only person in the room who could name the Secretary of Defense, a single member of the Supreme Court, or both his state’s senators.

“I know absolutely nothing about this stuff, but I knew more than the rest of the class,” he said. “That’s just a disgrace.”

Yet is there any doubt that most of the kids in the room know who Bristol Palin is?

“Teaching The Levees” is all about promoting civic engagement and democratic dialogue. While the general public interest in the election is a positive thing, we as educators have a responsibility to do what we can to steer the conversation into considerably more substantive territory. Who knows: maybe a few of our students will go home and spread the word at the dinner table. After all, it’s only our future as a democracy that’s at stake.

I was all prepared to assess how New Orleans had fared with Hurricane Gustav when Ike began to rear his 135-mile-per hour head. At this moment, Ike is pounding Cuba (which was hit pretty heavily by Gustav, as well), and current projection paths indicate he could well provide a serious threat to the Gulf Coast (take a look at the map to the right).

So this will be a very short post: for the second time in as many weeks, New Orleans and the Gulf Coast finds itself unable to do much more than watch and wait. The most frightening thing is that it seems unlikely that even if it becomes necessary, residents will be able to summon the strength for a full-scale evacuation as they did before Gustav. And just as quickly, what appeared to be a reasonably satisfactory outcome for this year’s hurricane season could turn into a disaster.

But it’s just too soon to tell. So once again we are watching and waiting, and wondering if the lessons of Katrina have truly been learned.