From the candidates dropping out like flies, the riots in Chicago and the possible wall between us and Mexico, this election season has been an interesting one. Every four yeras the election occurs, and candidates are able to monopolize TV space with ads and news coverage. Because of the constant screen time, government and history teachers are able to connect what the students are exposed to and bring that content to the classroom.
“With this phase of the election going on, it has been beneficial because the students are better able to tie in that process to the material we are studying, especially the executive branch,” said social studies teacher Eric Danforth, “They see the relevance better, which in turn helps them learn the material better.”
Dan Shuman teaches AP government and said with the election this year impacts the classroom.
“The election affects the dynamic in AP Government since it provides real life examples for many of the concepts and ideas we discuss in the class,” said Shuman.
Because of the vase range of candidates, students have taken an interest. Many come to school with comments and questions, and the teachers have noticed this change.
“This presidential election in particular has grabbed more interest among students than any I can remember and has sometimes led conversations to last far into class periods, which is awesome!” said Danforth. “The students seem very respectful of one another’s opinions and should never hesitate to feel comfortable in sharing.”
With some of the student body being able to vote, many are interested in what is happening and teachers enjoy that this creates time for class discussion.
“The biggest opportunity it creates, and which I really enjoy, is in the area of class discussions,” said Danforth. “I welcome dialogue among class members and [I] am comfortable simply being a facilitator of their conversations.”
With the advancements in social media, many of the candidates have twitter and are able to communicate their ideas and views through tweets. Students are than able to follow and know what is going on, thus bringing what is said on social media to the classroom.
“Students come to class with questions relating to the election or connect examples of things they have seen in the media to our discussions,” said Shuman.
In addition to social media, just having the access to YouTube and the internet in class, teachers are able to keep students informed on what is happening during this election process.
“Another big opportunity comes via our school district’s strong internet bandwidth, which has allowed us to view portions of the debates and to inspect government websites to learn about the candidates,” said Danforth.
With this year’s election, the teachers and students are witnessing history in the making, which what most history teachers thrive on.
“We are seeing something almost unique in American history,” said history teacher Lee Dvorak, “If Trump becomes President, he will be the first person elected to that position who has never served either in the government or as a high ranking military officer.”
No matter what happens in these next eight months, decisions could be made that will change the country as we know it. For the better or worse, that has yet to be decided.