Jack T. – Educating Future Voters
About This Project
November 9th, 2016 was my first glimpse into the ugliness of American politics. I vividly remember sulking on the bus to school with the knowledge that Donald J. Trump would be the 45th President of the United States. Having attended a progressive New York City middle school for four years, my eighth-grade self could hardly come to grips with this reality. At the time, I knew very little about the political mechanisms that allowed him to gain power. Lacking proper civic knowledge led me to believe that the whole electoral system is broken beyond repair.
LREI’s history electives have armed me with that civic knowledge. Courses on Constitutional Law and International Diplomacy spoke to me because of their interactivity. Role-playing a Supreme Court justice or a U.S. diplomat allowed me to understand American politics more intimately than any PowerPoint ever could.
With my Senior Project, I hoped to create for younger students what Ann Carroll, Tom Murphy, and countless other teachers created for me: a defense against cynicism. A way for students to make sense of a chaotic political landscape by getting to the root of all issues: voting rights.
Inspired by my history teachers’ hands-on approaches to teaching, I created classroom resources on gerrymandering, the Electoral College, voter suppression, and more. I employed some of the same tools as my teachers used, such as Jamboard and Mentimeter. Google Slides became my “canvas,” each frame an opportunity to share a stimulating visual or quote.
As I look back on the last four years, I see my eighth-grade self, devastated and confused by seemingly out-of-control politics. Something that I have now that I lacked then is a belief in the power of interactive political education. This belief guided my Senior Project experience, and I hope to instill it in those that may be as devastated and confused now as I was four years ago.
My Supplemental Work
In addition to my Senior Project Evening presentation, I created a gallery full of lessons, activities, pictures, and other supplemental materials from my experience. Enjoy!
For the best experience, click the “fullscreen” arrow at the bottom right of the gallery. Then, click on the arrows to the right and the left of the screen to navigate between subsequent pages—this will allow you to take the time to read the things I wrote.
