Social studies teachers aiming to connect real-life current events to classroom learning won’t have to look far this fall: The presidential campaign will come to a crescendo during the first semester of 2024-25 school year and culminate with the election on Nov. 5.
Teaching students about these cornerstones of the American political process seems like a no-brainer. But this election cycle, it won’t be a given.
Schools tend to be microcosms of our politically polarized nation, and it’s not uncommon for families’ political beliefs to be at odds with those of educators. This—along with laws in some states that restrict how teachers can talk about controversial topics—has some teachers, and entire school districts, hesitant to wade into potentially fraught subjects like the presidential campaign.
The 2024 presidential election has some ready-made lessons for students, with President Joe Biden’s exit from the race, former President Donald Trump’s recent felony conviction and an assassination attempt against him, and the historic nature of Vice President Kamala Harris’ candidacy. However, the matchup that’s taking shape between Trump and Harris is steeped with inflammatory rhetoric and personal attacks, and tensions among voters are high.
Still, social studies educators and experts share why they believe covering the presidential campaign is worth the effort—even in a hotly contentious political climate—and offer some insight on how best to navigate it effectively.
Kids are curious: an argument for teacher-led discussions on current events
“Students are deeply curious about their world,” said Christie Nold, a high school social studies teacher in Vermont’s South Burlington school district. “I believe that students are regularly trying to make sense of what’s happening both at home and overseas.”
She also believes teachers are in a good spot to respond to their curiosity. “As educators, we can either create space in our classrooms for facilitated conversation, or know that the conversations are happening on TikTok, in bathrooms, and hallways without facilitation and support.”
Former middle school teacher Lawrence Paska agrees that kids are curious. And they come to class with questions.
“If I were teaching a world history class in grade 10, and we’re about to learn about Chinese empires today, and breaking news is happening, kids may ask about it. And you have to make that decision: Do I stop what I’m doing to kind of put things in context?” said Paska, who is now the executive director of the National Council for the Social Studies.
The answer may lie in judging the current event’s historical significance, and whether taking time to teach it will further students’ knowledge, explains Paska.
“Right now we’re in this historic moment where a candidate who is clearly running for renomination has stepped aside,” Paska said. “Kids will have a lot of questions about that, and we do have an opportunity to put that in context, how other presidents have also stepped aside in the middle [of a campaign].”
Will teachers be talking about the presidential campaign?
Given kids’ curiosity and the educationally relevant nature of the presidential campaign, will teachers cover it in class? It depends on whom you ask. Nold said she “absolutely” will.
“As a social studies teacher, there are so many ‘days after.’ It might be the day after an election, the day after a mass shooting, the day after war breaks out,” she said. “In each of these cases, students are often looking for answers and come with curiosity.”
Although Nold said she doesn’t always fully understand or have all the answers when big news breaks, she attempts to come to school “prepared with resources, information, and structures for conversation.”
Jennifer Morgan, a social studies teacher at West Salem Middle School in Wisconsin, works in what she describes as a “really, really bright red” district.
“I don’t necessarily share their [students’ and families’] viewpoints in most cases,” said Morgan, president of the National Council for the Social Studies. But she will mention the presidential campaign and election in her class.
“I plan to stick to the facts,” she said.
Some of Morgan’s professional peers who work in similarly polarized environments won’t venture that far.
“Some of the teachers I’ve talked to have been told by their administrators not to teach it. And others are just really nervous about teaching it, because they’re fearful of what will come out of students’ mouths,” she said.
Strategies for navigating political—and divisive—topics
Students tend to be curious about current events—as well as their teachers’ take on them. That’s normal, said Paska. But he encourages teachers to turn this curiosity back to students’ own perspective.
“I was a middle school social studies teacher, and kids would sometimes ask me: ‘Who would you vote for?’ I would tell them that it’s not about who I would vote for,” Paska said. “It’s really about the issues and what’s important to you in deciding who should be elected.”
Paska stresses that the role of social studies teachers isn’t to indoctrinate students into a particular way of thinking about politics.
“It is never our mission to come in and tell you how to vote, who to vote for, why one position is better than another,” he said. “I tell people: [Social studies] teachers are here to teach students how to think, not what to think.”
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