The Voters of Tomorrow
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How local teachers are using the election and its aftermath to engage students and raise civic awareness. By Melissa Kagan
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very four years, educators use the presidential election to impart valuable lessons to students about the electoral process, democracy, government, and the responsibilities of citizenship. While many teachers avoid discussing matters of personal opinion, they are finding creative ways to use the campaign as fodder for especially impactful lessons and classroom activities. Teachers across the region have implemented lesson plans and programs for students of all ages, and many have ambitious plans for the weeks leading up to Election Day and beyond, as they dissect and discuss the results. Because the 2016 election has been especially contentious, Jen Hickey, a sixth grade Individuals and Societies (formerly known as social studies) techer at Dobbs Ferry Middle School in Dobbs Ferry is using this opportunity to teach her students about respect and how it’s possible to get a point across without using inflammatory language. “This will prepare them for adulthood,” she says. “In order to be taken seriously, it’s important to sound educated while discussing topics such as the election.” Hickey oversees a lesson in which students work in small groups and read excerpts from the candidate’s websites. They focus on five issues the students have identified as being important to them. However, the excerpts are labeled 14
November 2016 | nymetroparents.com
as Candidate A and Candidate B, instead of identifying the candidate with whom they are associated. “After reading all of the text excerpts, students decide which candidate their views align better with and vote for that candidate,” Hickey says. “After all of the classes have voted, at the end of the day, we announce who was Candidate A and who was Candidate B. In our next class, we talk about their vote and would it have been any different if they knew which candidate was A and B. It’s a great opportunity for students to have conversations with each other and also their families about how they voted on certain issues.”
Debating the Issues
Students at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Hall Regional School in Bellmore are required to watch the presidential debates and engage in discussions about the campaign during time set aside for current events every Friday. “I want my students to know where each candidate stands on key issues so they can see how their opinions impact our country’s economy,” says Laura Sena, a middle school social studies teacher at the school. The seniors in Richard Salerno’s Advanced Placement Government class at Iona Preparatory School in New Rochelle are also encouraged