Speak Up and Speak Out WHY POLITICAL CONVERSATIONS SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM
L
ast year, the uptick in political conversation was overwhelming for some, but others were eager to share their voices. With this dramatic increase in politics, concerns were raised about whether students are able to have these exchanges without forming boundaries. Talking about politics in school doesn’t just increase our awareness of other people’s opinions, it has us thinking about where we stand on our own beliefs, and that’s something we should encourage. Speaking up about politics can put stress on relationships, but it can also challenge people’s thinking and broaden their horizons. Expanding your worldview and ability to think past your own opinion is extremely important; and exactly why we need to have discussions about politics. Those tough conversations are why we have to be careful when making our opinions public, because it can seem like targeting, or can just hurt the feelings of other students when opinions don’t match up. Pursuing politics outside of the classroom is a great idea. We are about to have the option to make changes in our world today. We have the opportunity to become
voters, and we need to decide where we stand. That being said, we need to figure out where sensitive areas are and what we can do to make sure people don’t feel ostracized for their beliefs during our political conversations. This doesn’t just go for teens, even adults can get aggressive during an argument about politics, and that’s what we need to avoid. Our generation is capable of incredible things, but we can’t make changes without working together. Around the world there are stories of teens our age making
OPIINON OF THE WHIRLWIND EDITORIAL BOARD
Marty Johnston Social Studies Teacher
Jodi Howell Social Studies Teacher
a lasting impact, like climate change activist Greta Thunberg. She didn’t accomplished world wide support by keeping her thoughts silent. Collaboration can be a powerful tool, but we can’t make a difference without sharing and revising our opinions. As students we spend the majority of our time at school, so it makes sense for us to use it as a place to share and learn from one other. Every student has their share of insecurities and differences, and this kind of productive discourse at school can be the first step to normalizing important issues and creating a more welcoming environment.
Olivia Manske
Senior, Site counsel Rep.
IF WE GOT OUR STUFF TOGETHER AND
I THINK IT’S EMBEDDED INTO THE AMERI-
CONSOLIDATED, WE WOULD BE ABLE
CONTEMPORARY ISSUES AND THE
CAN IDENTITY IN SOME WAYS. THAT IDEA
TO GO OUT AND CHANGE A LOT MORE
CONTREVERSIAL ISSUES ITS IMPORT-
OF SPEAKING UP, OF RIGHT TO OUR OPIN-
THAN WE DO
I THINK ANYTIME WE TALK ABOUT THE
ANT TO OPEN THEM UP AS LONG AS
ION, OF INDIVIDUAL THOUGHTS, ALL OF THOSE PRINCIPLES THAT OUR COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED ON
T H E W H I R LW I N D
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