Two articles in The Clarkston News on Nov. 12, 2014, caught the attention of an Independence Township reader.
The first reporting results of the election in which Republican Rick Snyder easily won re-election. The second, ‘Students take turn to vote,? was about fourth graders at Andersonville Elementary conducting their own, mock election for governor ? the students went for Democratic candidate Mark Schauer, 83 to 81.
‘I would be interested to see how the results of the registered voters that live in the school district that includes Andersonville Elementary compare to that of the children of the school,? the reader said. ‘It is my contention that 8 and 9 year old children do not have a great knowledge of politics or of the candidates running for office, and obtain their opinions on these subjects from the influence of what they are exposed to in their homes and schools.?
He would expect children to be most influenced by their parents, he said.
‘If the registered voters of the Andersonville Elementary district had voted similarly as the rest of the township did, then the results of the school children’s vote is surprising, at the least, and alarming if the school’s teachers are indoctrinating the students with their personal political preferences in the classroom,? he said. ‘This activity by the teachers would be outrageous, in my opinion, and may be of interest to the parents of the students being exposed to it.?
According to Oakland County Clerk election reports, Republican Rick Snyder received 3,907 votes in Springfield Township, 69.62 percent, and Democrat Mark Schauer got 1,584 votes, 28.23 percent.
Anderson Elementary Principal Bruce Martin said the Student Council conducts the mock elections on election day for governor and president to teach students about the voting process, and feel a connection to what their parents and other adults are experiencing at the polls.
‘Our teachers do very little, if any, sharing about their personal political views, especially in an elementary school setting,? Martin said. ‘Our standard practice is to give factual information about the candidates? backgrounds and then direct students home to their parents for discussions about preferences and voting decisions.?
In recent years, the school’s student broadcast team has prepared candidate informational items for fellow students as part of their newscasts in the days preceding the election, he said.
‘Student reporters research each candidate and bring information back to the student news team,? the principal said. ‘They work with an adult advisor, a former broadcast news reporter and print journalist, to narrow down the information to a simpler format and address only those items the student body might find interesting: name, age, hometown, previous jobs, married, children, pets, hobbies, and major campaign issues/promises.?
The fourth graders prepare slideshows on both candidates, he said.
‘The slides aren’t very heavy in terms of politics because the students frankly aren’t as interested and the deeper political issues sometimes aren’t very age-appropriate for our younger children ? views on abortion, gay rights, terrorism, and national defense, to name a few,? Martin said.
Students walk down with their classmates to the ‘polling precinct,? an empty classroom or stage in the cafeteria, are given a simple ‘ballot,? vote in a private booth, and then receive an ‘I Voted!? sticker for their shirt.
‘They are excited to get the sticker, especially since, hopefully, their parents come home later that night with a similar sticker and they can have a meaningful conversation about the election,? he said. ‘The next morning, we announce on the student-led broadcast news who the actual winner turned out to be, either to cheers or dismay depending on how each student voted. Many of the students already know who won because of the news feeds in their homes and discussions with their parents.?
Clarkston Community Schools follow the Michigan K-8 Grade Level Content Expectations for Social Studies, which include lessons on citizenship, history, communities, government, etc., he said.
‘We certainly stress all Americans have a right and responsibility to vote in elections, but we do not tell students how to vote or for which candidates to vote,? Martin said. ‘Again, we direct the students back to their parents for discussions on voting preferences and decisions.?
At the start of each school year, the school hosts an annual Partnership Night open house, outlining curriculum benchmarks for the coming year, he said.
‘We provide parents with links to the state curriculum expectations so parents can study upcoming lessons should they choose,? Martin said. ‘Classroom newsletters and webpages will sometimes include comments about current units of study and also notify parents about upcoming events such as the mock election.?