Election saga enlivens social studies classes

"The interest level makes my job a lot easier,'' says a high school teacher incorporating the election drama into his history and economics classes.

By STEPHEN HEGARTY and BARBARA BEHRENDT

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 16, 2000

As difficult as the political stalemate of the past week has been for the nation, it has been a field day for social studies teachers.

Educators who typically struggle to keep students awake while discussing the nuts and bolts of the electoral process have found it difficult the past nine days to talk about much of anything else.

Two years ago, it was impeachment. And now this.

"It's really nice when current events tie in so nicely with something you're studying," said Pat Jennings, who teaches advanced-placement American history at Pinellas County's Boca Ciega High School. "The interest level makes my job a lot easier."

Jennings has found that the current "teachable moment" -- when the lesson at hand magically dovetails with something that has captured students' imagination -- is at work in his history classes and even in his economics classes.

"I wanted the students to try to anticipate how the election would affect the economy," Jennings said. "Of course, nothing happened the way we expected, but it still affected the stock market."

At Citrus County's Lecanto High School, social studies department chairman Bill Hartley has a special interest in the election. He has 14 students signed up to attend the inauguration in January.

He's just not sure whom they'll get to see.

Hartley also has rearranged his lessons so he can make full use of the live news events.

"I've moved everything around," Hartley said. "We looked at the Electoral College and we knew that this election would be close, but we're still talking about all the permutations."

Hartley has had to remain flexible; students keep diverting from the regular class lesson to ask questions about the political events of the day.

"I've never seen anything like this," he said. "There is something much bigger involved here than partisan politics."

John Burton, who teaches history of the Americas at Palm Harbor University High School, said he expected to get a good three months' worth of classroom material out of this year's election. He's gotten quite a bonus, and a few lessons he expects his students will remember.

"There is no way any student in Florida can say "my vote doesn't count,' " Burton said.

John Eberts, who teaches advanced-placement American history at Dunedin High School, said that before the election he sent students home with maps. As the election returns came in, they were to fill in the states, and the electoral votes, for each candidate.

"They came in the next day and of course their maps weren't filled in completely," Eberts said. "They said "What are we supposed to do?' I told them, "I guess we're not finished. Fill it in in pencil for now."'

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright