miss_swamp: (bridge)
[personal profile] miss_swamp
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of uncoached debate
or to take arms against a sea of troubles by just being blatantly anti-Bush among 11-year-olds ...

um, or something like that.

They're only fifth-graders, but we still need to talk about the election. Of course we do, so they'll know why I'm crying and wearing black next Wednesday.

Anyway. There are five groups, each researching the differences between Bush and Kerry on a different issue. They also have to read generic biographies from Scholastic News (remember them?). So more than one kid read the Kerry bio and then didn't want to read the Bush piece because "he's stupid."

To which the correct response is, of course: "And if you read the article, then you'll be able to tell your parents and everybody exactly why he's stupid."

And then if they don't understand the gory details, explain, using words like "unfair" and "mean."

It's only the truth, right?

Date: 2004-10-27 12:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mrdorbin.livejournal.com
These kids don't know how lucky they are. -I- was the only liberal in my fifth grade class. It made life interesting.

Date: 2004-10-27 02:51 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] miss-swamp.livejournal.com
Aaah, Indiana. How'd you turn out okay?
I love living in an oasis.

Date: 2004-10-27 03:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mrdorbin.livejournal.com
I read a lot of books? To tell the truth, I'm really not sure. I certainly didn't pick it up at home. Maybe the liberal media brainwashed me. Or maybe progressivism is inborn and not a choice. A hyperenlarged compassion center in the brain or something.

Date: 2004-10-27 01:00 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dreamline.livejournal.com
Back when I was in 5th or 6th grade our teacher gave us a list of issues and we had to pick the ones we agreed with. The results were then tallied up and it was revealed which issues belonged to which candidate. It was a good exercise for kids to look at the issues instead of the candidate and any preconceived notions about the candidates they may have gleaned from parents and the media.

Date: 2004-10-27 02:57 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] miss-swamp.livejournal.com
Yeah, I wanted to do something like that but all the pre-made ones I could find were too hard for my kidlings and I got too busy to make my own. But I figured since most of their parents can't vote anyway, they might not have been subject to quite as much brainwashing at home. So that's my job.

Date: 2004-10-27 02:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dreamline.livejournal.com
Why can't their parents vote?

Date: 2004-10-27 03:31 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] miss-swamp.livejournal.com
80% of them are immigrants.

Date: 2004-10-27 03:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gyngersnap.livejournal.com
"so they'll know why I'm crying and wearing black next Wednesday."

AAARRRGH! Don't project this image out to the universe. See yourself pumping your arm and saying "YES!" in victorious glee. See all of us doing this!

Date: 2004-10-27 05:13 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pixxelpuss.livejournal.com
Good work. They need to know not only about the political process, but that it's important. That's my opinion.

Also, you're Hilarious.

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