It is often said that children are the future of our country.

But when it comes to politics and keeping an eye on our government, many teens could not care less. Most concern themselves with their favorite sports teams or whether their favorite celebrity was caught with drugs.

Many simply have no incentive or time to input their voice in matters that could directly affect them. Even dedicating minimal time to politics could spur some interest in them.

Opponents of linking current events to high school students’ education may argue that there is little time for it. Currently, teens are expected to spend hours learning algebraic equations and other difficult material, and they have little time to learn about current events. However, making time to stay informed is essential, because what students gain from learning about the world can be applied to their daily lives, regardless of what job or college degree they get.

Of course, high school students are sometimes exposed to current events and the structure of our government in classes such as Gov/Econ, World History and World Geography, but the approach is inconsistent and often unplanned.

Now more than ever, awareness of our current events is crucial, as tensions rise among major world powers.

Teaching students about current events could be done by linking past events to current events. One such example would be to link the anti-Japanese sentiment during World War II to the anti-Muslim sentiment today. Thus, we can avoid a repeat of the mistakes of the past as well as see historical prejudices in a modern perspective.

Teens are entering a stage of life when they need to become independent and make more choices. If the young people  never see the importance of current events and are unaware of what our government does, they will wake up one day and scratch their heads, not knowing what their vote means.

Let us have an informed future — and let it start with a more consistent discussion of current events in the classroom.