Social studies teacher Sean Fleming in his classroom at Burlington High School. Photo by Anne Harte
Rose Howell, a junior at Burlington High School, is working with Green Mountain Student Press, a network of student journalists partnering with Community News Service.
In the midst of high-stakes politics, and often emotion, many schools spent early November figuring out the best way to cover the election. Whether schools used a factual education-based model, or discussions, the role of school in politics is becoming more and more important to define.
While every school and class may have a different policy on the best way to approach this, some went the educational route.
Mount Mansfield Union High School in Jericho did a mock election, which was somewhat inspired by a successful voter registration drive in February. The registration drive was coupled with actual polling stations set up and a mock election for the presidential primary. Andrew McClellen, a MMU social studies teacher, was the point person for this project. Partially prompted by the Student Action Committee there, students simulated voting using a Jericho town ballot.
“I think just in the social studies department here, we felt it was important to really talk about the cultural process and how our democracy works,” McClellen said. “We’re not here to endorse opinions about candidates.”
The social studies department educated students in advance about the different local and national offices. The department also covered a brief history of voting rights and the electoral college to make up a more complete picture of government. MMU students then cast their votes in a Google Form.
Rice Memorial High School in South Burlington and Champlain Valley Union High School in Hinesburg also did mock elections. Rice taught students about governmental processes and covered resources related to the election. The school has used a similar format for multiple election cycles.
Upperclass classes watched the presidential debate at home and looked at past debates as well, such as George H.W. Bush vs. Bill Clinton in 1992. Students also heard from U.S. Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., and Joe Benning, a former Republican minority leader in the Vermont Senate. They spoke with students about voting, bipartisanship, what their roles are and how young people can get involved in politics. During the assembly there was a voter registration table set up.
Another unique aspect of the Rice election preparation was that the students wrote political commercials for the presidential candidates. A student volunteered to make an ad for Republican Donald Trump and two other students volunteered to make an ad for Democrat Kamala Harris. The advertisements were then vetted for offensive or inappropriate messaging and aired over the loudspeaker.
According to Christian Frenette, a social studies teacher at Rice, this was very civil. He mentioned that one student who worked on a commercial was “given some grief,” but it was in a teasing manner.
The mock polls were open all day for students to go down or for teachers to take their entire classes.
Post-election, they also examined the makeup of votes nationally and debriefed how Trump won over certain voters.
“The goal was to get students to understand why, [and] how, the system works. I want them to show up,” Frenette said. “There is excitement in school, and students who disagree have to work together, or at least coexist.”
After hearing about what sort of mock election other schools did, Barwaaqo Sugow, an 11th grader at Burlington High School, said that format at BHS might be fun to do.
“It teaches students the process of voting hands on— so that when or if they do the real thing, they can [understand it],” Sugow said.
Ruby Fox, another BHS 11th grader, shared this sentiment.
“I think that that’s so important. I think that no one understands the election process unless you’ve taken a class, like AP Government [or] some civics classes,” Fox said. “You don’t know what’s happening and how it works and that’s the root of the problem.”
Math teacher Scott Hubbard in his classroom at Burlington High School. Photo by Ty Spellman
Scott Hubbard, a BHS math teacher, agreed that a more factual approach to these conversations is how the election should be addressed.
“These are just kids who don’t have all the information yet, and to get them excited about results of presidential politics is just not a positive thing in my mind,” Hubbard said. “It’s your role as a teacher in those areas to give unbiased factual knowledge to kids and let them make their own decisions. But if there are kids who are legitimately concerned, you do have a role in talking to them about their concerns and listening, but trying the best you can to listen to all voices.”
As a math teacher, it is different for Hubbard than if he taught social studies. Since he isn’t teaching the facts, he will happily share his thoughts.
“[I’ll share] my thoughts and give my reasons for why I vote the way I do, or think the way I think, but I will stress that that is the way I think,” Hubbard said. “You need to form your own opinions.”
He did say that a blanket statement to a class about presidential politics is not the best way to go.
“I think they’re making a lot of assumptions. I’m not saying that there aren’t students who have concerns. I’m not judging those teachers. I think in their heart of hearts, they’re doing what they think is correct or helpful,” Hubbard said.
Either way, a teacher’s job is to look out for students. Hubbard made sure to emphasize this.
Teachers and students at BHS received resources from Superintendent Tom Flanagan on how to guide classrooms in their election conversations, both with a focus on holding space and emotional acknowledgment. Flanagan’s email made no endorsement or statement on the election, but it mentioned the high level of “real fear” he has heard about, both in middle and elementary schools and reaffirmed the mantra “hate has no home here.”
Sean Fleming, a social studies teacher at BHS, felt it was important to acknowledge students’ emotions.
“So often in the classroom, it’s just business as usual. Teachers come in as adults, and they put on their business face, and we expect students to do the same, but I think there are moments that we have to recognize the humanity,” Fleming said. “It would be disingenuous to not speak about [it].”
Lindsey Cox, an advisory coordinator and a personalized learning teacher at Winooski High School, also made sure to prioritize students’ wellbeing. Their pre-election preparation took place primarily in advisory, in a circle format. Montpelier High School did a similar circle as well. A circle is when a class or group of students sits down to address a specific topic, usually one that is a source of deep thought, controversy or emotion.
At the Winooski school, every Monday’s advisory is dedicated to a circle about anything from holidays, to the attendance policy, to the war in Gaza. On the Monday prior to the election, they looked at data from American University in Washington about how young voters were leaning politically and thinking about the future of the country.
They offered three different discussion prompts for the advisories to choose from: optimism from young people about politics; what young people are looking for in political leaders; and young Americans’ views on this election. Cox said anecdotally that more of the upperclass students choose the latter.
Students could choose the level in which they participated in the conversations. After the election, they also had space for students to talk about their feelings. Cox said the goal of circles is always to listen deeply.
“You’re not worried or thinking about, like, responding to what someone says,” said Cox. “[Circles] create the opportunity for people to find connections to one another, creating safe and welcoming space for every student in the school.”
The reason Winooski High chose this format is because the school knows that most students get education about the democratic process and the factual aspect of elections. Since advisory is something all students participate in, it was a way for them to engage more deeply.
“I provided an activity that allowed for conversation rooted in national data,” Cox said. “It’s our goal to ensure that there is space for all voices and all opinions, both in our classrooms, in our hallways, in our advisories [and] in the lunchroom.”
Regardless of politics, these teachers believe biased teaching is not something that should be spread, and conversation and education should be encouraged.
“I think there’s more common ground than the media would have us believe between people on the left and people on the right,” Fleming said.