In 2016, as the Presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump was heating up, I asked my faculty not to discuss politics in their classrooms. Talking about process was fine and recommended, but it was not the role of teachers to get into which candidate was best by voicing their opinions. It was, of course, always fine to lead by example and talk about history.
One memorable day, I was the substitute teacher for a 7th grade class in what we called “Humanities,” a combination of Language Arts and Social Studies. The design of a double period allowed for good work of all kinds, including conversation.
I had no sooner started the class than there was a general clamor to talk about the upcoming elections. I agreed we could do so once they had finished their assigned tasks, with the proviso that everyone would listen and respond respectfully to the opinions of others. We all knew there were divergent allegiances in the room.
I will never forget the first question, posited by Jack, a thoughtful, eager young man: “Mrs. Glass, how can anyone say women like their private parts grabbed and also make fun of disabled people, then say he is just joking?” The class nodded along in bewilderment.
My answer: “I don’t know, Jack, but we would never allow such behavior here at Lake Tahoe School.” Again, the class nodded in agreement.
Then someone asked, “Do you think if Trump is elected, people would move to Canada?” We agreed that conjecture was our only option at that point.
Fast forward a year, when I was again subbing in that class, now 8th graders. “Mrs. Glass, Mrs. Glass (the repeat of my name always reflected special interest and eagerness for dialogue), do you remember last year when we wondered about people going to Canada? Do you know if that has happened?” Of course I remembered. The fact that they had tells us a great deal about how young people pay attention.
Since I did not know specifics about Canada, someone quickly pulled out a laptop and did some research. The evidence suggested increased population in Canada during the last twelve months, but we agreed there was no way to tell the reasons for the immigrations.
I was immensely impressed by and pleased with the balanced thoughtfulness of our students on both occasions. Too often, adults do not give credit to the perceptions and curiosity of young people. We see them on their screens and in groups and are oblivious to how much they care about their world and their future. I was struck during the initial class by how much more astute a class of 7th graders was than a huge proportion of the general population. Trump was not “just kidding” then any more than he is now.
As a wise parent once told me, when her daughter would do something mean and say she was “just kidding,” the mother would fire back with, “Who is it funny for?” I was grateful that we had created a school environment in which even young students knew right from wrong. That didn’t mean our students were perfect and always kind to each other, but they did know the difference between right and wrong. It was also not lost on me that the kids who struggled the most with boundaries and whose parents would rush to defend them, usually despite clear evidence of wrong-doing, were the children of parents who had voted for the man with no boundaries himself.
