With this being an election year, what are some of the activities that you do at your school to promote voting? With that, how do you maintain balance in the classroom with the current climate?
I enjoy teaching about voting because it's a fundamental civic duty. I remind students that elections happen more often than just for the presidency, so even in years without major elections, it's crucial for them to understand the importance of participating in all electoral opportunities.
I like to introduce students to the importance of voting through books and activities like mock elections, simple voter education lessons, and classroom discussions about how voting helps us make decisions as a community. We keep everything neutral, focusing on the process rather than political sides, and encourage students to think critically and respect different opinions.
One thing I will be focusing on is agreeing to disagree. I think in schools we unconsciously promote that students have to agree which is certainly not the case. How do we effectively disagree respectfully and coexist in the classroom? A big part of this is listening and considering what the other person is saying rather than waiting for your turn to talk.
Our second grade classes and I are organizing some voting to tie into their graphing unit which is the first unit of the school year. They will talk about why voting matters in their classes and then I will come in after they've voted on different questions so that we can use a variety of graphs to show their data.
I like to keep things simple in kindergarten, and just introduce my students to the idea of voting and having their voice heard. We have an annual ice cream election, regardless of if it is an election year or not so that every class of students gets to experience it. They can vote for chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry, or they can write in their own option on the blank line on the ballot. Once all students have voted, we tabulate the results together, and the winning flavor is usually brought in, or we make our own ice cream to celebrate another successful election.
We do also learn about how our grown-ups go to the polls and vote to have their voices heard as well, and many students will often chime in who they think their parents will vote for. I keep those discussions very neutral, and do not let my own political views be known. We just talk about the process more than who is running for different offices.
