Multiple districts — Important, daunting, exciting, polarizing, overwhelming: These are some of the ways Kent County students describe the upcoming presidential election, which is challenging them to re-evaluate how they seek out, absorb and assess information.
As the Nov. 5 election fast approaches, students of voting age and younger are doing their best to stay informed about an unusually controversial race that’s dominated headlines worldwide for months.
“It can be really difficult to keep up with the situation right now,” said City High Middle School senior Charlotte Moxon, who’s shy of voting age but strives to stay abreast of election matters, even when it’s hard to do so.
“It can be really easy to kind of go into this hole of, like, ‘I’m going to ignore it,’ or, ‘It’s too much to think about now,’ but it’s also really important. It doesn’t only affect me but also people I know and a bunch of my friends as well.”
Teachers are there to help students sort through key concepts of government, civics, campaign strategies and the electoral process. Neutrality is paramount, however — especially with an election as divisive as this one, pitting Vice President Kamala Harris against former President Donald Trump — and educators are striving to contextualize issues without muddying the message with personal beliefs.
‘I just think this is a major test for whether or not our democracy will prevail.’
— City High junior Krishna Mano
Tactics for understanding the election differ from district to district and teacher to teacher. At Cedar Springs High School, World History teacher Dave Stuart is using daily exercises to teach students about the importance of reliable, unbiased information.
“I want to inform students about this important historical process that’s happening right now,” said Stuart. “I just want to give them context of the whole thing.”
Critical Thinking is Key
Stuart is focusing on critical thinking, showing students how to scrutinize news articles and poll results for biased or misleading information. He has students read a quick article from a reputable news source, then asks questions about the articles, pushing students to consider as many perspectives as possible when they give their answers.
“If there’s any type of message that I’m trying to impress on students, it’s a message of, ‘Be informed, get involved, and someday I hope you’ll vote,’” Stuart said, adding that he wants students to feel confident and empowered about their capacity for understanding complex issues.
“You can make sense of all the different information coming at you, and you can understand things like polling and who’s ahead and who ‘won’ the debate,” Stuart said. “You can do that in a way that’s not as stressful or acrimonious or hyper-partisan. That’s what I’m trying to model for them.”
And it’s working. Stuart’s students are only in ninth grade, but many, like James Hiler and Brendon Schippers, are excited about doing their civic duty in the future. And they plan to do it with a shrewd eye for possible biases in the information they take in.
“Something that I really thought was interesting was learning about information and disinformation,” said James. “I never really thought about looking at that, ever.
“I’d always just go to one article and just read it and think it was true. … Now I actually go to an article, read it through and think if this is actually real information or if it’s disinformation.”
Brendon said Stuart’s class has taught him the value of fact-checking and the importance of reliable information. Partially as a result of the schoolwork, he said he’s excited to vote when he’s old enough to do so.
And, he feels confident that the system works.
“My plan is to vote, because I believe my vote will count,” he said. “If I vote, I could actually make a big difference.”
Getting Students Engaged
At East Kentwood High School, AP Government and We the People teacher Justin Robbins is using targeted instruction on government and the election to help students gain the skills needed to be discerning as they listen to candidates’ speeches and look at ads and social media.
Engaging students is one of Robbins’ goals.
“We hope they are asking the right questions,” Robbins said. “That’s the role on the education side — the thought structure and critical thinking.”
Robbins said AP Government and We the People help students establish the solid foundation they’ll need to be informed voters at age 18. He wants students to be able to explain why they support a candidate, examining questions like, Can they make good on their promises? Will they need to depend on other branches of government to get what they are promising done? What standards are we going to hold them to?
“Being able to articulate how you reached that conclusion is what really matters to us,” he said.
East Kentwood senior Frankie Lape, who is in We the People — and has already had some firsthand experience applying the lessons of the class and club — said he’s learned to consider different views.
“(Robbins) tells us to open our minds to all opinions because you don’t have to be on the right or the left when it comes to having a full picture. You can have ideas that are to the right and ideas that are to the left.”
While discussion about the Nov. 5 presidential election is common among teens, the AP Government curriculum focuses on processes: how elections work, how parties strategize, the role of the voter and trends in voting, Robbins said. It also challenges students to look at the news and apply their learning to the headlines, ask questions and interpret poll data.
As a prerequisite, AP Government sets the stage for in-depth application of what students learn in We the People. The competition involves simulated congressional hearings in which students demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of Constitutional principles.
‘I’m excited, but it is a little overwhelming. You’re going to be voting the rest of your life, so you have to constantly stay informed.’
— first-time voter Madisen Washington
Preparation involves studying the Constitution and court cases. Students evaluate, take and defend positions on relevant historical and contemporary issues. They work with coaches who represent a wide variety of political interests and perspectives.
“Kids who come into the We the People program usually describe it by the end as something that helped them develop a lot more nuance in their views and to be able to better articulate why they have a preference,” Robbins said.
Students Decry Apathy, Polarization
Students at City High and East Kentwood have observed some troubling patterns in terms of voter apathy and disillusionment.
Frankie and fellow We the People team member senior Cameron Rostic said polarization is one of the biggest topics on their minds.
“I think that’s our nation’s biggest problem,” said Cameron, 17. “I think political polarization has become so much more rampant due to the internet and specifically due to ‘fake news.’”
Frankie said he sees the division increasing due to generational shifts, too.
“Millennials, Gen Z and Gen Alpha are seeing things differently than previous generations,” Frankie said. “One of the big things is that a lot of what has happened in the 21st century is in direct conflict with traditions. … Our ideas of what America should be are much different than what the older Americans would have thought of what America should be.”
Cameron said his grandparents told him their experience with politics, and he realized the difference today in discourse and extremes. He also thinks technology and the internet have played a major role in creating those divisions.
“Back when the Constitution was being crafted, there weren’t two overarching political factions that had so much influence that caused the divide in our nation,” he said.
While he’s extremely interested in politics, Cameron said he sees polarization as a reason his peers might resist getting involved.
“There’s more of a disconnect due to the fact that my generation feels so disconnected from the candidates themselves. It doesn’t feel like we can really gravitate to them as well,” Cameron said. “That has to do with a mixture of things (such as) extreme ideologies politically speaking. It’s really hard to just have a conversation about politics without things getting out of hand.”
He said he sees a need to work to close partisan divides.
“The candidates are so extremely leaning left or right that it just causes separation. It doesn’t feel like there’s some gray area we can all take comfort in. It just feels like you’re either on this team or that team.”
Above All, Vote
Charlotte Moxon and her peers at City High each see the 2024 election as abnormally divisive and controversial — but they also feel it’s incredibly important.
One of the things they agree on is that those who can vote, should.
“I really don’t like it when people say, ‘Oh, I don’t vote. It doesn’t really matter that much.’ Because it’s like, it does,” Charlotte said. “Even if you don’t like either candidate, a vote for neither is not what you think it is. … One of them is still going to win.”
Fellow City High seniors Calvin Donahue and Madisen Washington, and junior Krishna Mano, each agreed.
“This is such an important election, because both candidates plan to do very different things when they get in office,” Calvin said. “Just look at which one aligns more with your beliefs. … Be informed and vote for the one you think would be a better fit for the country right now.”
Krishna — who despite not being old enough to vote is getting involved by volunteering with local campaigns — said the election will be a crucial one in the nation’s history.
“I just think this is a major test for whether or not our democracy will prevail,” said Krishna. “Not based off the candidates who are running, per se, but rather, how many people use that voice about who they want in office.”
Madisen, who will be voting in November, said it’s important for young people to be diligent and responsible consumers of election-related information. She said her Theory of Knowledge class has encouraged her to “look at sources with a critical eye,” and to research companies and organizations that sponsor political ads and campaigns.
“You have to be willing and want to be engaged in these things,” she said. “People our age, we just want something that’s convenient. … That’s why it’s so important to counteract that sense of easiness over actual truth.”
She said she’s looking forward to hitting the polls for the first time in November, even if the responsibility can feel daunting.
“I’m excited, but it is a little overwhelming,” she said. “You’re going to be voting the rest of your life, so you have to constantly stay informed. But that’s a good thing, so overall it’s a net positive.”
Reporter Erin Albanese contributed to this story.
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