Teachers use nasty US election to spark polite student debate

[webfact]

Teachers use nasty election to spark polite student debate

By JENNIFER C. KERR

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — From mock elections to writing projects and Electoral College math, many teachers around the country are embracing the often nasty presidential race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton as a real-world teaching tool.

 

Muslims. Taxes. The wall. Emails. The negative exchanges. They're all up for discussion in Halie Miller's fourth-grade class at Glacier Ridge Elementary in Dublin, Ohio. But when the students hold their own debates, they're polite and respectful.

 

"We kind of have debates and never yell at each other," says 9-year-old Mia Dahi. "We give our opinions and what we think about it, but we don't really fight about it."

 

The election provides material for other subjects beyond social studies. In math, Miller's students have learned about the magic of the number 270, using addition and subtraction to come up with different combinations to get to 270 electoral votes to claim victory.

 

"Educating students about their role in a democracy was one of the original goals of public education in this country and it should remain so today, as our nation becomes more and more diverse," Education Secretary John B. King Jr. said in recent remarks at the National Press Club.

 

This election no doubt has presented challenges for educators, with difficult topics such as sexual assault, infidelity and just the general bitterness and angry rhetoric.

 

"Teachers all over the country are having some very hard conversations with their students in a non-partisan way," says National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen García.

 

It's also opened the door, though, to some good debates. "They're having discussions about race. They're having discussions about religious freedom," she said. "They're having discussions about should girls aspire to be president as likely as a boy would aspire to be president."

 

Alice Reilly, president of the National Social Studies Supervisors Association, says teachers can't ignore the election.

 

"It's part of social studies. It's part of civics. It's part of government," she said.

 

Teachers Sara Winter and Patricia Carlson at Williamsburg Middle School in Arlington, Virginia, turned the election into a five-week THINK-TAC-TOE project for their sixth graders, who are required to complete three of nine activity squares on their worksheets.

 

Among them:

 

—Analyze a newspaper article on the election and write two to three paragraphs about it.

 

—Take a 30-minute walk around the neighborhood, tally Clinton and Trump yard signs and write two to three paragraphs about why the student thinks people in the community might support one candidate over the other.

 

—Interview five people about who they are voting for and write about why they support a particular candidate.

 

In Denver, social studies teacher Aaron Stites says the tone of the campaign can at times be discouraging.

 

"You can get bogged down by the negativity, but to see kids excited about the election and kids feeling they have a voice, it gives me a boost," Stites said in an interview. "Any time kids in your classroom are engaged and don't want to leave class, that's a good feeling."

 

Stites, a teacher at the Bryant-Webster Dual Language School, says immigration is the issue his seventh- and eighth-grade students have the most questions about. The school has a diverse population and some kids, he says, have asked him, "Mr. Stites, if Trump is elected, what does that mean for us, and how much power does a president really have?"

 

There are questions about Clinton, too. Stites says his students have discussed her emails and whether they think she's good at securing classified information. "They want to read and find out more about the candidates," says Stites.

 

Back in Miller's class outside Columbus, students read about the campaign in Scholastic News.

 

Miller says one student asked what a Muslim was, and why Trump wanted a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country. So, Miller turned to the children's book "Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors," to discuss Muslim culture with her class. Another child said the Islamic State group and the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks had something to do with the ban, and the students then discussed whether they thought that was fair.

 

"They hear things at home or on the news and they just need someone to help connect the dots," Miller said in an interview. "I'm trying to focus more on the positives."

 

The fourth grade at Miller's school also is participating in a mock election. Sriram Katta says he still doesn't know how he'll vote. "I want to hear about who's going to do something about health care and who's going to do something about taxes," said Katta.

 

Audrey Di Cesare also doesn't have a favorite. "I really don't have somebody to vote for because I don't want Hillary to raise taxes and I don't want Trump to build a wall or ban Muslims and immigrants because it's America and we should unite."

 

-- © Associated Press 2016-10-26

[klauskunkel]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

It's also opened the door, though, to some good debates. "They're having discussions about race. They're having discussions about religious freedom," she said. "They're having discussions about should girls aspire to be president as likely as a boy would aspire to be president."

All very good.

I would like to see this topic as well: Have discussions on how it has become possible for a country having to choose between an immoral/unethical candidate and a stupid candidate as president.

[maewang99]

klauskunkel..... my answer just for you!  Hillary and Bill have a machine that is so powerful.... you can almost see and smell it.  They went too far.  we got Bernie Sanders... whom we would never have otherwise even seen on the stage because no one wanted to waste big money running against her.....  in the other party everyone could smell blood in the water.  something like that... what 50 candidates running for the GOP nomination? because there is lots of money hoping that they can stop or at least slow down the opposition... no wasted money. and GOP nonsense talk and scandals par for the course for years and years.... but..... one of them is a major TV celebrity. end of story.

Edited October 26, 2016 by maewang99

[Grouse]

But you miss the point! I think it's great that the next generation are getting good enough teachers to deal with all this! Well done I say.

[Chicog]

One just hopes that these children are emboldened to finish their education, lest they be the supporters of future Trumps.

 

 

[sandemara]

It's a great idea, encourages students to develop a better understanding and appreciation of social values and their personal obligations to the community in which they live.  Imagine the possibilities if Thailand authorities endorsed and supported such a sophisticated approach to education practices in schools and universities.  Sigh.

[elgordo38]

4 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

All very good.

I would like to see this topic as well: Have discussions on how it has become possible for a country having to choose between an immoral/unethical candidate and a stupid candidate as president.

Maybe this election is a good example for students to understand how (bleep) the system is. They are after all the future facing the competition of robots, loss of benefits, loss of on the job dignity, the quality life of serfdom building monuments to the rich and bowing down to them. Geeze am I glad I am not sweet sixteen again.