The Charlotte Jewish News -December 2012 - Page 11
Seheeis
Election Day, November 6 — At CJDS
The stage was set for the deei-
sion of who would be president of
the United States. Both eonven-
tions wrapped up so the games
began.
Although many adults still do
not understand all of the issues for
whieh both eandidates elaim to
have answers, it’s reasonable to
ask how we expeet our ehildren to
understand what is going on. This
year our ehallenge was to ereate a
learning environment that would
build a new generation of in
formed voters. Many of these stu
dents still have seven to eight
years before they are eligible to
vote, so you may wonder why we
think it is important for them to
learn about eleetions and govern
ment. Often the adults’ opinions
on the government or polities are
what the ehildren see, hear, and re
peat. Your politieal views beeome
theirs. Beeause they love their
parents and trust that they are
making an informed deeision
based on beliefs, reasoning, and
desire for the greater good, the
opening question to our unit on
eleetions and government was
“Do you know what demoeraey
means?” The answers that the
fourth and fifth grade students
gave at CJDS were right on. The
responses ranged from “freedom
to say and ehoose what you think
is right” to “the freedom to ehoose
your own path.”
The students realized that in
order to ehoose the “right” eandi-
date, they need to be informed eit-
izens/voters and learned about the
many jobs of the president and
how strenuous it ean be. Through
understanding what the president
has to do, the students began to
see what eandidate would be right
for the job. Students had to learn
what the politieal views of the two
major politieal parties were and
the eharaeteristies and strengths of
the eandidates. They understood
that their voting deeision should
be made based on who fits best in
that role.
A eommon miseoneeption was
that anyone ean vote. This quiekly
led us to look into the evolution of
voting laws and amendments.
Many of the students did not
know that you had to be eighteen
and a United States eitizen to east
a vote. Most of the students did
not know that you ean only vote
in the state that you live in. This
raised many questions about sol
diers who are fighting in other
parts of the world. The questions
they posed were “Do soldiers get
to vote?” or “What if you are on
vaeation in another state?” Natu
rally, the eonversation about ab
sentee ballots and early voting
ensued.
What does all that voting
mean? Students thought that when
you vote for President the vote
goes direetly to the eandidate.
Needless to say, the diseussion of
the Eleetoral College proved to be
both ehallenging and rewarding.
For this diseussion, we asked a
student to researeh and provide a
visual for the elass on how the
Eleetoral College funetions.
Lengthy diseussions and supple
mental resourees have assisted the
students in gaining a better under
standing of this proeess. This eon-
eept is diffieult for many adults to
understand so we were happy as
edueators that students grasped it
so easily.
With the groundwork laid, we
began to apply what we know to
our own sehool student eouneil
eleetions. Candidates understood
that they need to stand for some
thing and revisit several eharaeter
isties that they feel most people
want. One of the biggest elaims of
our sehool eandidates was that
they are “honest, reliable, and re-
speetfril.” This topie spiraled into
a elass diseussion on why so many
eandidates are trying to bad mouth
the other. “To win votes!” one stu
dent says. This led to the question:
“Is it okay to ask someone to vote
for you?”
Our students quiekly divided
into two groups. Group one said it
was not right to ask someone to
vote for you beeause you eould
hurt someone’s feelings. The ma
jority of the students agreed with
this. Only a handful of students
defended their stanee and said it
was okay to ask for votes. After
many baek and forth diseussions,
slowly group two began to win
votes and students were switehing
sides. A respeetful debate was
evolving. Many wavered several
times. In the end, students were
still divided on the answer to the
question. So they asked their
teaehers what they thought. We
jumped in and shared the types of
propaganda that eandidates use to
gain votes. We deeided not to an
swer and to let them keep their be
lief intaet, eehoing the beginning
of the unit that you have to vote
for what and who you believe in.
The ehildren also eontributed to
the eleetion wishing tree with
some of these eomments:
“Ameriea should be kind to Is
rael’s Jews.”
“If you are siek and poor, you
do not need to pay to go to the
doetor or get food.”
“How mueh longer till the elee
tions is over?”
“More freedom to ehoose.”
“Make taxes lower beeause my
mother eomplains.”
The primaries took plaee in the
elassrooms. Seeond thru fifth
grade eaeh nominated two stu
dents for elass representative,
fourth grade nominated two stu
dents for Viee President, and fifth
grade nominated two students for
President. Speeehes were deliv
ered on November 1 and the vot
ing took plaee on November 6.
The question/answer session ri
valed televised any press eonfer-
enee. The answers were off the
euff, well-erafted, and on the ball.
Promises ranged from more re-
eess, hash browns baek on the
luneh menu, and snaek shop in
business again. Very important is
sues. The students ereated flyers,
posters, and stiekers to distribute.
One of the eampaign managers for
viee president made a eomment
that it pays to give stiekers to the
Kindergarteners beeause they will
do anything for a stieker. Wonder
where she learned that!
On Eleetion Day the sehool
was deeorated in true form. Red,
white, and blue tableeloths
adorned the luneh tables and
luneh was appropriately prepared
with Constitutional Chieken
Parmesan with Presidential Pasta,
Swing State Salad Bar, and Star
Spangled Sun Butter and Jelly
Sandwieh.
When filing to run, the students
were asked to write the reason
they wanted to involve themselves
in this proeess. Some exeerpts of
their dreams:
“Three years ago I ran for elass
representative and promised a
four square eourt and you got one.
Now I want to bring in another re-
eess aetivity ealled eom hole.”
“I will work with the sehool’s
administration to make reeess
every day. I will promote new pro
grams that are fun.”
“Our elass is small, but our
spirit is big. I will eontinue to be
a eheerleader for seeond grade
and CJDS.”
“I also am respeetful and I lis
ten to what other people have to
say.”
Creating and nurturing leaders
is one of our goals. We are well on
our way. ^
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