Electing Education
With the first Tuesday of November looming in the windshield like the Rocky Mountains on the drive westward across the Wyoming plains, we have arrived at the final weeks of our four-year national election cycle. While four years is the time period determined on paper, this cycle actually began in January of 2017 when President Trump formally filed his papers seeking re-election. This official act was followed eight months later with the filing by the first of more than 20 Democratic Party challengers, former Congressman John Delany from Maryland. In January and February of 2018, the bulk of the Democratic field submitted their paperwork, and the final candidate, former governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick, filed his a year ago in November of 2019. After a host of entrances and exits by erstwhile candidates, we are now down to two major party tickets (plus choices from the Green-Rainbow and Libertarian parties on the Massachusetts ballot). Here in Massachusetts, we are also voting for a US Senate seat and several US Representatives in addition to greater and lesser slates of local town and city candidates.
As we enter the final throes of the election process with debates, polling, mail-in and in-person early voting, and a 24/7 news-cycle, Brimmer has opted to offer its students educational opportunities and examples to instruct our current and future voters about the election process. This effort takes on decidedly different goals and approaches within each division of the school. The Lower School replicates the process without referencing the national political process and polemics. The Middle School is hosting assemblies and providing direct instruction at each grade level about the specific processes, elements, and timelines of the local and national election process. The Upper School is offering both direct instruction in the classroom and a host of extracurricular presentations and workshops on how local and national elections are conducted, balloting and voting, and the presidential election in particular.
Lower School Elects a Core Value
Ms. Kevaney, Grade 4 Homeroom teacher penned an email to her Lower School colleagues in an early-October, writing, "Every four years the LS has held an election regarding the Core Values. In the past, grades 3, 4, and 5 have presented candidates during Share, decorated the buildings with campaign posters, and every Lower School student, teacher, and staff voted. [This year], both fourth grade classes have created imaginary candidates representing two essential Core Values: Bea Equitable, who champions Equity, and Seezer B. Honest, who upholds the value of Honesty. Over the next week, you will see campaign posters around campus. Both classes will also be putting together presentations that highlight the Core Values represented by their candidate."
Ms. Kevaney and fellow fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Hellmuth, shared several resources with their Lower School colleagues to prepare their students to understand and participate in the Core Values election. The plan is to have ballots for all students, teachers, and staff to live vote on November 3; fourth graders will count the votes and will announce the winner of the Core Value election. Once the presentations have been made and posters hung, it will be time for students to weigh the candidates and determine their voting decision. We will have to wait until November 3 to learn of the outcome, but the students will have been learning about and gaining insight into how elections can be and are conducted to lead to a voting populace's decision.
Middle School Goes to Election School
The Middle School is tackling election basics and processes in history classes and its weekly assembly period. They are learning about all things election-related with specific and general information for both the current local and national elections, including ballots, voting methods, referendums, the Electoral College's role, and other salient components of this year's election cycle.
In assemblies, however, they are focusing specifically on voting rights. Mr. Vallely describes this work in a recent weekly newsletter for Middle School faculty: "Over the next several weeks, we will use our assembly block for several short documentaries and discussions around voting rights in our country." He reports that he has received positive feedback from faculty and students about the documentary viewed last week (The 19th Amendment: A Woman's Right to Vote from The Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania). This week's focus will be on the voting rights of people of color, the march to Selma, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
With work in the classroom reinforced by shared assembly experiences and discussions, the Middle School is building a greater understanding of the voting and election process, its history, and its practical application in the United States. As they approach direct involvement in elections in the next several years or more--as voters and even candidates themselves--they will have developed a solid understanding of the design and intent, the vicissitudes, and victories that result from the United States election process.
Upper School Workshops Election A, B, Cs
In the Upper School, history classes ( Mr. Cutler's United States History course for juniors and Government for juniors and seniors in particular) have had the current election process available to them as basically a "live lab," regularly producing daily discussion topics for their consideration. However, to capture the minds of the entire Upper School student population, Ms. Neely, Humanities Department Co-Chair and her colleagues in the department have organized an Election 2020 Civics Education Series. These extracurricular presentations and workshops have been scheduled as a run-up to the election to help explain election terminology and processes and to define and underscore the role of these soon-to-be voters so they can educate themselves and involve themselves in the democratic process of voting. The series includes the following sessions:
To educate our students successfully about elections and voting in general and about the current election we are experiencing, Brimmer's faculty have researched, explored, and shared resources with each other and their students and reached beyond the classroom to provide students with opportunities to learn about and discuss a process that is essential to their democratic lives. This work is right before us all; it is essential, and it is compelling. We elect to be educated!
As we enter the final throes of the election process with debates, polling, mail-in and in-person early voting, and a 24/7 news-cycle, Brimmer has opted to offer its students educational opportunities and examples to instruct our current and future voters about the election process. This effort takes on decidedly different goals and approaches within each division of the school. The Lower School replicates the process without referencing the national political process and polemics. The Middle School is hosting assemblies and providing direct instruction at each grade level about the specific processes, elements, and timelines of the local and national election process. The Upper School is offering both direct instruction in the classroom and a host of extracurricular presentations and workshops on how local and national elections are conducted, balloting and voting, and the presidential election in particular.
Lower School Elects a Core Value
Ms. Kevaney, Grade 4 Homeroom teacher penned an email to her Lower School colleagues in an early-October, writing, "Every four years the LS has held an election regarding the Core Values. In the past, grades 3, 4, and 5 have presented candidates during Share, decorated the buildings with campaign posters, and every Lower School student, teacher, and staff voted. [This year], both fourth grade classes have created imaginary candidates representing two essential Core Values: Bea Equitable, who champions Equity, and Seezer B. Honest, who upholds the value of Honesty. Over the next week, you will see campaign posters around campus. Both classes will also be putting together presentations that highlight the Core Values represented by their candidate."
Ms. Kevaney and fellow fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Hellmuth, shared several resources with their Lower School colleagues to prepare their students to understand and participate in the Core Values election. The plan is to have ballots for all students, teachers, and staff to live vote on November 3; fourth graders will count the votes and will announce the winner of the Core Value election. Once the presentations have been made and posters hung, it will be time for students to weigh the candidates and determine their voting decision. We will have to wait until November 3 to learn of the outcome, but the students will have been learning about and gaining insight into how elections can be and are conducted to lead to a voting populace's decision.
Middle School Goes to Election School
The Middle School is tackling election basics and processes in history classes and its weekly assembly period. They are learning about all things election-related with specific and general information for both the current local and national elections, including ballots, voting methods, referendums, the Electoral College's role, and other salient components of this year's election cycle.
In assemblies, however, they are focusing specifically on voting rights. Mr. Vallely describes this work in a recent weekly newsletter for Middle School faculty: "Over the next several weeks, we will use our assembly block for several short documentaries and discussions around voting rights in our country." He reports that he has received positive feedback from faculty and students about the documentary viewed last week (The 19th Amendment: A Woman's Right to Vote from The Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania). This week's focus will be on the voting rights of people of color, the march to Selma, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
With work in the classroom reinforced by shared assembly experiences and discussions, the Middle School is building a greater understanding of the voting and election process, its history, and its practical application in the United States. As they approach direct involvement in elections in the next several years or more--as voters and even candidates themselves--they will have developed a solid understanding of the design and intent, the vicissitudes, and victories that result from the United States election process.
Upper School Workshops Election A, B, Cs
In the Upper School, history classes ( Mr. Cutler's United States History course for juniors and Government for juniors and seniors in particular) have had the current election process available to them as basically a "live lab," regularly producing daily discussion topics for their consideration. However, to capture the minds of the entire Upper School student population, Ms. Neely, Humanities Department Co-Chair and her colleagues in the department have organized an Election 2020 Civics Education Series. These extracurricular presentations and workshops have been scheduled as a run-up to the election to help explain election terminology and processes and to define and underscore the role of these soon-to-be voters so they can educate themselves and involve themselves in the democratic process of voting. The series includes the following sessions:
- A Morning Meeting presentation by Ms. Neely to all students, including introducing the upcoming series and voting logistics (registration, mail-in ballots, early voting, Election Day) and explaining volunteering opportunities for Upper School students through the Poll Hero Project
- A Morning Meeting presentation by Mr. Iuliano for all students with information about kinds of ballots, samples of local Massachusetts ballots, and information about the mail-in ballot process
- A workshop with Ms. Abodeely on conducting civil discourse, where discussion focused on how to have conversations about controversial issues without coming to blows
- A workshop with Ms. Smith about shifting voting demographics and their impact on political parties
- A workshop with Ms. Neely about the 19th Amendment and the fight for universal voting rights
- A workshop with Mr. Barker-Hook and Mr. Cutler about understanding where your news comes from and how this influences our understanding of political issues
- A workshop with Ms. Smith examining the Massachusetts Ballot Initiatives: Questions 1 and 2
- A Morning Meeting presentation by Mr. Iuliano about how the ballots/votes are counted
- A workshop with Ms. Neely on the Voting Rights Act of 1965--how it came about, what rights were won, how it has been challenged in recent times
To educate our students successfully about elections and voting in general and about the current election we are experiencing, Brimmer's faculty have researched, explored, and shared resources with each other and their students and reached beyond the classroom to provide students with opportunities to learn about and discuss a process that is essential to their democratic lives. This work is right before us all; it is essential, and it is compelling. We elect to be educated!
Brimmer and May School
69 Middlesex Road
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617-566-7462
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617-566-7462
As an inclusive private school community, Brimmer welcomes students who will increase the diversity of our school. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, or any other characteristic protected from discrimination under state or federal law, in the administration of our educational policies, admissions practices, financial aid decisions, and athletic and other school-administered programs.