William Graham and Michael Horwits have a lot in common. Both men teach social studies at Central High School, both are parents and both spoke to MetroKids to lend parents their insights into the how and why of teaching kids about government.
While teachers do what they can to teach children about how the government works, schools can only do so much. Here’s what parents can do to help their children navigate the world of government.
“It’s absolutely essential that people understand the complexity and nuance of the political process and that they realize how they can make a difference directly,” Horwits says.
Graham generally recommends that parents start making an effort to teach their children about government by middle school, but parents can start as early as their child shows an interest.
“It’s important for kids to identify concerns that they have, issues that they feel are important and they need to make decision makers accountable to them,” Horwits says. “If you start that young, you have a chance that they continue to develop those skills and hold our policymakers to a standard.”
Make Learning a Family Effort
Parents can start with the basics by teaching their children about their rights, the different levels of government and the branches of government.
One way for parents to teach children about government is to take a field trip to the town hall, a courthouse or even the polling place.
“My parents, they took me to the polling place when I was 10. I do that with my 3-year-old daughter, she’s been to every election since she’s been born,” Horwits says.
At home, parents can start education early with books about voting and historical figures.
While Horwits says his 3-year-old daughter may be too young to understand the complexities of the three branches of government, he tries to explain things to her at her level of interest.
When his daughter sees litter on the street, he makes sure she knows not to litter and who picks up trash to get that fixed.
Another way to learn together is to watch or read the local news together. After learning about a story, talk about what happened, who said what and why. Discuss potential solutions.
Kids are great at asking why, and it’s a parent’s responsibility to nurture that reflex.
Some news stories can be graphic, so parents should be sure to view the news with their child to avoid topics too mature for their age.
“Media literacy is really important, which is something that I spend a considerable amount of time on,” Graham says. “Students come to me, and again I teach 12th grade, lacking a certain awareness of what is fact-based reporting versus what is commentary.”
Parents can prepare their children to be conscious consumers of news media by discussing the difference between fact and option; the differences between primary, secondary and tertiary sources; and how to judge if a news source is reputable.
For older children (ages 10 and up), consider attending public meetings either in person or virtually. Attending public meetings gives children perspective on what kinds of things adults are considering when they make decisions.
“I would certainly recommend attending or watching a session if it’s on like, a public access television, just to kind of get an idea of the scope of what they deal with,” Graham says.
For example, a school board meeting might decide whether backpacks are allowed, if sports fees should be increased or how many students can be in one class. Watching or attending meetings will help children learn what decisions are made at different levels of government – all the way from the school district to the federal level.
“The House of Representatives is the people’s house – I mean, it’s designed for people to go,” Graham says.
However, Graham does recommend calling in advance to make sure your congressperson or high-level staffers will be there.
But families don’t need to trek out to the capital to make changes. Local governing bodies such as the city council are even more accessible, and a letter goes a long way.
“I think a lot of young people, or anybody honestly, maybe aren’t aware of how much of an impact they can make,” Graham says.
