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Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Elections 101
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here we are about four weeks until the election. The debates have become must see TV and everywhere you turn people are talking about the candidates and the issues.
In the high schools I’ve visited recently, I’ve come across many seniors excited to vote for the first time. I hear them and their friends worried about paying for college and finding jobs when they get out.
I wonder, how many of these discussions are taking place in classrooms. Many schools participate in the National Student Mock Election and others do similar programs on their own.
But I’ve also heard from some teachers who are nervous talking about politics. They don’t want students to know their personal views and they worry about students attacking one another’s beliefs.
How much should teachers talk with students about the elections? Should there be policies about what can or can’t be said?
