Do Politics Belong In The Classroom At All Analysis

In his article, Drummond asks the questions, “Do politics belong in the classroom at all, or should schools be safe havens from never-ending partisan battles? Can teachers use controversial issues as learning opportunities, and, if so, to teach what? And then, the really sticky question: Should teachers share with students their own political viewpoints and opinions?” (Drummond) Drummond brings up some interesting, and maybe even controversial, questions in his article. The subject of politics in the classroom should be discussed because it is such a big part of our world now, since most high school seniors are able to take part in voting. Not only thinking about the seniors, but also the students. It is inevitable that they are all going to be out in the real world someday, so they need to be prepared.
The first question Drummond asks is “Do Politics belong …show more content…
A political boot camp is an ideal environment for students to learn about politics. It presents them with the opportunity to learn in a non-judgmental setting. It is to help students understand the complexities of politics, not just take one side or another (Phillips).
A political boot camp would be used not just to tell students to vote, but teach them how they should go about making their decision by considering their morals, problems, and their future. Phillips suggests having Civic Simulations, such as mock party conventions. This allows the students to take part in a real-life exercise that they might find themselves in one day. These conventions teach the students about campaigning. Political boot camps can also hold mock elections. The class can choose two candidates to campaign for, schedule debates and speeches, and hold rallies. At the end, students get to vote for who they think is the most deserving candidate. All this time, they learn about the campaigning and election