Elections provide a wealth of lessons for home-schoolers

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Along with elections come phone calls. My kids got to see me with the headset on, list in front of my face, and pencil and ruler in hand as I proceeded down the list of names to call to encourage people to vote for me.

“What?” you say, “a home-schooler can learn about elections?” Well, I would say, “Yes, a great deal, in fact.”

Talk about some hands-on experiences.

Door-to-door…

About three years ago, I ran for a position on the Board of Selectmen in Willimantic. I discussed the possibilities with my family. They all felt that it was something they could support me in doing so, the signs went up and I threw my hat into the proverbial ring.

I decided that I would spend as many Saturday mornings at the local dump as possible, so I would be a familiar face to people who use a needed service. My kids saw me out there in rain or in shine.

My kids also came with me, rain or shine, when I went door-to-door to encourage people to vote for me. THIS was an education! What did they learn?

They learned that many people were not registered to vote.

They learned how their mom handled criticism (“you are so narrow minded to think that way!”), about our town and its demographics regarding parties (what are Republicans and Democrats and Greens and Liberals and…?), about statistics.

And through the conversations I had at people’s doorways, they learned about how people think when it comes to political issues, They were occasionally shocked at what people said and what they believed. And we talked about such things, as we went door-to-door.

Media, anyone?

I did a little cable channel publicity, and I appeared at various venues where I could further my goal of being recognized as a candidate. Jonathan was especially thrilled to come to the cable studios, where he could see all the technical equipment and be a part of a live production.

Working the phones…

Along with elections come phone calls. My kids got to see me with the headset on, list in front of my face, and pencil and ruler in hand as I proceeded down the list of names to call to encourage people to vote for me.

They heard my courteousness (most of the time, anyway), my conversational skills, and my abilities travel through the phone to people I didn’t even know.

Yes, this, too, was an education. How will they treat others they don’t know? What about the people who can be challenging – how will they respond?

Government in action…

At one time, I was part of a town committee. Guess who got to come to all my meetings with me? My kids, of course. They learned a boat load of stuff through those times; whether it was from discussions between people on the committee or conversations at home after meetings.

At one point, Jonathan wrote an open letter to the committee about some of the things he observed as a young person attending these meetings. I was so proud. I didn’t even encourage him to do this. He did it himself. And what a great letter it was!

What’s your sign?

We also did our share of sign holding, not just for my campaign when I ran, but for other candidates that we believed were good choices for the position they sought.

This gave the kids an opportunity to observe the people of the town they live in and see how they operate during election times.

This year especially, I found myself silently praying more than anything. Holding signs puts one in a vulnerable position, to say the least. It is putting grit behind your belief. Holding signs makes me feel like I am out there naked… but it also demonstrates courage. I want to raise courageous kids, don’t you?

Volunteering at the polls…

I’ve worked at the polls a couple of times; working at the polls is an opportunity to serve the town we live in. It also makes for some pretty funny stories about people. I have shared stories about my experiences with my family and we have a good laugh. They also know that I love my town and am happy to serve. I want to raise kids who love to serve, don’t you?

Out with the old…

When the kids were younger, I took them with me to vote in the booths. I showed them the instructions that one should read and how to use the voting booth. One year, I even did a write-in for a candidate and they saw how to do that.

This year, they got to see the new machines and how the technology works.

They’ve always left with an “I Voted” sticker since the days they were babes in arms. They have seen changes. And how people react to change – negatively and/or positively.

The larger lesson…

Whether our favorite candidate wins or loses, or whether we agree or disagree, we still have lives to live. We have responsibilities to fulfill. And we have children who watch our every move. Home-schooling makes me clarify why I do what I do and focus more on what I feel is important.

My children learned that the people who support the ones who serve in our government are important.

This year’s Presidential Election was an especially exciting one in which to educate my children – keeping up with everything through reading newspapers, and other publications and doing research on the Internet – and for learning about this part of the process of how our country runs.

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A Part of my History Lesson

by Jonathan

History can be made anywhere – from a little house in the country, to a huge podium in Chicago. History is made every day, and I believe that on Nov. 4, 2008, a lasting part of history was made. The world will not soon forget the outcome of the 2008 elections. What decisions that are made here and now impact the future in a huge way.

My prediction of the 2008 elections, before the count, was that Barack Obama would win (I predicted right! ).

I also predicted that a lot of people would sigh with relief as soon as he was announced the winner (I’ll bet I was right about that, too).

I participated in someone’s campaign this year. One of the thoughts going through my mind while I held up a sign outside one of the polling areas was, “Boy, do I feel conspicuous!” (I don’t enjoy doing things that put me in the spotlight).

And not only that, but there were some loud people that were kind of annoying, too. And after an hour I was pretty ready to go home.

Anyway, here are some of my thoughts on the election:

a) (before the election) I wonder who will win?

And

b) (after the election) whoa, McCain got slaughtered !

One of the things I thought was interesting, was that people in other countries were actually betting on who would win the election. The news said that one company in the UK, I believe, would be making somewhere around 5,000,000 £ (or about 8,000,000 US. Dollars) in bets! And these people aren’t even bordering America!

I learned a few things during this election, about how we elect people to elect the president, and how that is called the electoral college, and all sorts of other confusing stuff.

All in all, I would say that the whole ordeal was pretty confusing, though. Hope I don’t run for president any time soon!

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Rosie’s view of the elections

My mom asked me some questions about the [Willimantic and Presidential] election. Here are my answers:

1. How did I feel about the election? I felt that anything that happened was going to be a close call.

2. Who did I think wold win and why? I don’t want to offend anyone, but I think Dan Lein will win.

3. What concerned me about the election? I hoped that nobody would riot.

4. How did I pray for the election? I prayed that God would choose the right people.

5. What did I read about the elections? I read stuff with Obama and McCain in political news stories.

6. What did I think about Barack Obama’s acceptance speech? I think his speech was bogus and I wonder if he will keep his promises.

7. How did I feel about holding signs for a candidate? I felt proud.

8. How I did I feel about the people around me who were also holding signs and campaigning? I felt their behavior was embarrassing.

I don’t think I’ll ever be involved in politics. I don’t like they way things work.

Rosie

For More Information

http://mansfield.htnp.com/columns/homeschool/122408home-schooling_and_elections.html