Civics course gets Fremont students more engaged in the common good, public service
FREMONT >> A Fremont high school teacher is offering two civics courses this year with the aim of engaging students to take a more active role in government and their communities.
Jeffery Alves, a Mission San Jose High School teacher, said he started thinking about the course a couple of years ago, especially as he read more about colleges that were disappointed with the “selfish” students arriving on campus who seemed focused more on personal achievement than the common good.
“I thought this would be a great course for the kids of Fremont because we really focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) a lot, and I think social sciences is kind of forgotten sometimes,” Alves said in an interview last week.
“Civics really works to get them aware of their rights, their responsibilities, but also how to engage in civic dialogue, and how to participate, whether it’s in a company or in politics,” he said.
The course touches on a range of topics related to being an active citizen, including writing letters to the editor, running a fundraiser, starting a club or civics-focused group and identifying biases in the media.
“This class really lets kids explore, dive into this constitutional democracy, what we have, for all of its pros and cons, and really see what their role is,” Alves said.
“I think the success of the course will be taking current issues that kids are interested in, and then providing them with class time to really explore, to investigate and discuss,” Alves added. “Not only the issue, but what we should do. Should we make a petition? Should we plan a protest? What can they do?”
Some of Alves’ students who have been in the class for about four months say they like what they hear so far.
Asavari Gowda, a 14-year-old freshman, said she enjoys learning how to find volunteer opportunities, which Alves also builds into the course.
Gowda also said although she thinks it might be a “long shot,” she plans to petition the school board to provide a modern, synthetic track to her school, which still has a dirt track. Mission San Jose, along with the other four high schools in the district, share a single synthetic track at Tak Fudenna Stadium on Washington High School’s campus.
“We talk about stuff like this” in the course, she said. “How to not be afraid to tell other people your ideas.”
She also is hoping to get students to prioritize quality time over just racking up more achievements than the next college applicant.
That’s in line with one of the goals of a 2016 report published by Harvard Graduate School of Education and other top colleges, called “Turning the Tide: Inspiring Concern for Others and the Common Good through College Admission,” which highlights the dangers of “excessive achievement pressure.”
More classes at Mission San Jose should be teaching students how to be well-rounded and “how to develop more as a person,” said Meera Sehgal, a 14-year-old student taking Alves’ class.
“Mission as an atmosphere is quite competitive. Luckily, my personal family, they don’t really push me too hard, but I definitely see other kids here struggling a lot. Because the thing with immigrant parents is they try to push you to succeed a lot. I think that can be detrimental to some kids,” she said.
“If they take a class like this, which shows you that there’s more to life than just your grades, I think that can really help break out of that single focus,” she added.
Alves said skills learned in civics, such as how to advocate for others, critique the status quo constructively, or merely participate in more collaborative ways, will stick with students and transfer to college and their careers.
“That’s what we want,” Alves said. “We want active, productive, positive citizens.”
American High School is set to start teaching the civics course in the spring, Alves said, adding that he’d love to see it spread to all five Fremont high schools.
Alves said he started developing the course before Donald Trump became president but selling the idea to other educators should be easier today because of seemingly renewed attention to political engagement.
“I think going forward, a lot more people will be receptive to civics,” he said.
“Civics really works to get them aware of their rights, their responsibilities, but also how to engage in civic dialogue, and how to participate, whether it’s in a company or in politics.”
— Jeffery Alves, Mission San Jose High School teacher