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This year provided a unique experience in American education. Teachers were able to provide many teachable moments directly from the front pages of the nations newspapers and television coverage. For 36 days students all across the country got the opportunity to see the election process up close and extremely personal. Teachers had many “teachable” moments bringing the concepts of democracy in sharp focus for the students in their classes. Discussions ranged from the revision of the electoral college to the definition of the word, chad. No longer a country on the African continent, the word chad has now entered into the jokes of comedians as well as the vocabulary of sixth graders. The essays written here begin with the observation of the candidates during the series of televised presidential debates. They end with the students’ analysis of the November 7th election and the voting situation in Florida. Election 2000 will be an interesting topic for historians to record in future American history textbooks. It provided American students an opportunity to learn about their government. It offered students a chance to define their future role and responsibilities as American citizens. |
