Tragedy Hits Close to home

I am at a loss for words right now.  It is scary to think how in a community that we view as being so safe, in a place that we view as being a safe haven for children to learn and grow something so horrific can happen.  Please keep Sandy Hook Elementary School in your thoughts and prayers.

For my Delicate Balance project I tried to make a difference in student’s lives by demonstrating the importance of being an active citizen. Two other education students and I taught two civic education lessons to the entire sixth grade class at Poultney Elementary school. The lesson taught the basics of the United States voting process and the importance of voting. These lessons used an active teaching method.  In the first lesson students learned the Electoral College and created Frayer models of the stances of both the 2012 presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.  During this lesson we discussed the importance of voting and how everyone’s vote does count. The second lesson involved holding a mock election where the students made IDs, filled out Vermont registration forms at a pretend county clerk’s office, and then filled out a ballet to vote and concluded by having a ‘right to vote’ party. During this lesson we discussed respecting everyone’s opinions, and to appreciate the right to vote.