Schools Using Obama Inauguration as Teaching Tool

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

19 Jan 2009 10:06 AM

At noon tomorrow hundreds of thousands of children living on the East Coast will put down their books and lunch trays and gather in front of massive television screens to watch history unfold.

Florida Governor Charlie Crist wrote a letter last week to state Education Commissioner Eric Smith asking him to encourage schools to take a break from studies on Tuesday, when Barack Obama takes the oath of office.

The Republican governor's letter read in part:

"While the inauguration of any American President and the peaceful transition of our national leadership are admired around the globe, next week's event symbolizes much more for our country and our people. As Americans and as Floridians, we can count the inauguration of our nation's first African-American President as an achievement that has resulted from generation after generation standing strong in the face of discrimination and inequality."

But, Crist is not the only one who believes tomorrow's inauguration has the ability to further students' civic education.

In cities all across America, students will commemorate the historic swearing in of Barack Obama in a variety of significant ways.

In Newark, New Jersey some 200 public school students will watch the swearing-in ceremony live at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Meanwhile, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, students at Marquis de Lafayette Middle School will hold their own inaugural parade. Some schools in San Francisco plan to host their own Inauguration Day viewing parties in rooms decorated with essays and artwork to and about the new president. In other parts of the country students will watch the event on TV or computer screens, then discuss the significance of the day's events with teachers and classmates.

Teachers around the nation say Obama's election has given them a unique opportunity to use current events to enliven traditionally boring subjects like politics, social studies, history, civics and the economy, and tomorrow's monumental inauguration ceremonies is no different.

Will your child be watching the swearing-in ceremony at school?

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Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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