Science Guide

I typically love election years because of all of the teaching opportunities they provide.  Teaching students about electoral votes, the electoral process, and the candidates' platforms always sparks interesting conversations.  Students always wonder why the vote isn't just a popular vote, and they tend to have fun picking a favorite candidate for whom they are rooting throughout the whole process.

This year, however, I'm glad I don't teach older students.  With my third graders, I can keep things light, and we'll focus largely on the fact that we'll have either our first non-white president or our first female vice-president.  If I taught high school, the discussion might very well get much uglier.

How do you talk to high school students about the 700 billion dollar bailout without admitting that we've mortgaged their future?

How do you talk about Sarah Palin without admitting that she was chosen for vice president just for political motives, as the McCain/Palin ticket hopes to steal some former votes for Hillary?

How do you talk to students about the situations in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Russia without acknowledging that having troops in 130 countries is called empire building and that such overreaching militarism historically leads to demise?

How do you put a positive spin on the Dow's greatest one-day point loss in history, disturbing reports of climate change, or American energy dependence?

And if you, as a high school science or social studies teacher, say that you wouldn't teach about those things, how can you justify not doing so?