Aristotle said that “man is a political animal.” Today when we say that a person is a political animal, we generally mean it in a negative sense; someone who is deeply interested in candidates for office and the races that determine winners and losers in elections. That is not what Aristotle meant when he said that man is a political animal.

When Aristotle was writing about politics he was referring not to elections that would put one political party in power but about the organic life of the city. He was referring to the way men (and women) would join together with other men (and women) to create a new social order. Aristotle’s view was that the life and happiness of the citizen was inextricably linked to the life of the city (polis) and therefore the health and wealth of the polis. So when Aristotle said we are “political animals,” he was referring to a desire inherent in every person not just a hobby that we may choose.

Aristotle was also the first proponent of public funding of education. He believed that education was fundamental to the success of the city and the happiness of man. So the question is, would Aristotle have approved of school mock elections? Probably not. He would have said that the election of one particular man was not “politics” and the city is much, much more than that. He would have said that politics is the decision of every person to work and be a virtuous citizen. Taken in that light, elections are the symptoms of our culture and not the cause of our culture.

Schools should be imparting to our students, knowledge of civics, our constitution and our history. Obviously, part of being a citizen is voting, but the preparation for voting is participating and adding to our country and being discerning and knowledgeable about the issues. Schools should prepare students to be discerning and knowledgeable about the issues facing our country.

Joseph Marie de Maistre said: “Every country has the government it deserves.” In that light, schools should be preparing citizens to get the government they deserve, and to deserve a great government.

Jeanne Whitmore is the founder and CEO of American Fork charter school Aristotle Academy, and an education columnist for the American Fork Citizen. You can learn more about Aristotle Academy at aristotleacademyk8.org or on Facebook.