Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
D.C. EVENTS CAUSE CHANGE IN U.S. HISTORY LESSONS
Andrew Magness teaches his students at Valley High School that the U.S. Capitol building is a symbol of democracy. ¶ So, when a mob of pro-President Donald Trump rioters breached the building’s doors last week to stop the constitutionally mandated process to affirm Joe Biden’s presidential election victory over Trump, Magness worried his students would be confused. ¶ “Everything I teach is the opposite of what happened,” said Magness, who has been teaching government for 13 years. ¶ Magness was not the only Las Vegas-area educator who spent time this past week talking to students about what transpired. It’s a lot to digest — even for adults, he said.
“As we struggle to help our children understand the impacts of these historic events, our educators must be clear about the importance of restoring peace and democracy in the months and years to come,” the Clark County School District said in a Thursday statement condemning the riots.
Educators are instructed not interject their own beliefs when talking to students about current events. Rather, it’s important to present the facts and allow the children to form their own opinions.
SierraVistaPrincipalJohnAnzalonesaidhetoldteachers: “You can tell them there are extremists on both sides, and these just so happened to be extremists on Trump’s side.”
Anzalone said discussing politics in the classroom is always a delicate situation as students — just like adults in the community — have opposite viewpoints. That, of course, has been amplified since 2016 when Trump launched his political career when running for the White House.
“It’s been tough for my government teachers for four years. For years, I probably didn’t even know what party my government teachers were part of, but once that 2016 election happened, I started to see little things. It was so polarizing,” Anzalone said.
Ramona Esparza, principal of Valley High School, encouraged teachers to remind students there are ways to express dissent beyond violence. The goal, after all, is to show students the importance of living in harmony with someone who has a different view.
“At Valley, we are about students learning about civics and being engaged, and understanding their voice can make a difference. So we encourage dialogue with our students because these are relevant life lessons,” Esparza said.
Magness said he was grateful Esparza gave teachers the go-ahead to open a conversation. Magness said he discussed with his students other leaders in history who overturned elections, such as Benito Mussolini, the fascist dictator of Italy from 1925 to 1945.
“I teach the class, with a lot of reverence, toward the idea that democracy is a fragile thing that we’ve created; that is actually one of our strongest pieces of superpowers we have as America, is this idea of a peaceful transfer of power,” Magness said.
As the chaos started to unfold last week in Washington, Magness received a message from one of his former students thanking him for the lessons on how government functioned. The note couldn’t have come at a better time.
It read, “Thank you for instilling in me and my peers an understanding and appreciation for our country’s governance and its processes. Every time I participate in the process or watch the craziness that is going on, I think about you and your lectures at Valley.”
Magness says he’s never seen students more engaged in politics as they are today.
“I will say this, they are more aware of their role in government, and how government affects them than any group of kids I’ve ever had,” he said.
sara.macneil@gmgvegas.com / 702-524-8269 / @ sara_macneil