Across the United States, voters will take to the polls tomorrow for the 2024 Presidential Election. Locally, Woodlands High School students have been preparing for this election; not as voters, as the candidates.
According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, the policies most on the minds of voters in this election include the economy, healthcare, Supreme Court appointments, foreign policy, violent crime, immigration, gun policy, abortion, race and ethnic inequality, and climate change. Students in Mr. Butler and Mr. Simmonds's Government and Economics classes were tasked with researching all the major issues and the candidates’ positions for an election project that culminated in a mock debate. “A Presidential Election year creates the unique opportunity for students to learn in the present, and not just from the past,” said Mr. Butler. “In the case of this election, students not only needed to have an understanding of the critical issues at stake, but to also be knowledgeable about both candidates' positions around them.”
The assignment of a policy and the candidate a student would represent in the debate was intentionally randomized, which meant that students had to be well-prepared. “We used an arbitrary system to individually assign candidates and one policy topic to address. It was a student-led process,” said Mr. Simmonds. “This project was organized in a way where policy research, from sources outside of the media, was the first point of focus. The next step was for students to articulate their position reflecting the perspective of Former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris.”
On the days of the mock debates, the students took turns in pairs to head to the front of the class, stand behind make-shift podiums, and present their positions. With Powerpoint presentations backed by research, critical thinking, and an understanding of the candidate, students fully embodied the moment. Maira, a student in Mr. Simmonds's seventh-period class, represented Ms. Harris in a debate on the 2nd Amendment. After the mock debate, she reflected on what she learned from her research. “I was surprised about how candidates can often change their positions on policies,” she said.
Max represented Ms. Harris in a debate on Title IX. In his preparations, he learned that the policy encompassed more than women in competitive sports. “I found out that Title IX is about promoting women in other professional industries, too. The goal is to provide opportunities for marginalized communities who are underrepresented.” he said.
Natalia, as Mr. Trump, stayed true to the former President’s stance on the same issue, even when faced with difficult questions from the student audience. “It was challenging to separate my views from the issues, but I knew I had to keep in line with his positions. I tried to find a middle ground where I could with some of the questions,” she said. “I learned that to be a good politician means give and take, and working with others who have opposing views.”
At times, the students’ debate arguments were at the level of lawmakers. Mr. Simmonds would occasionally interject when it would get heated. “I love the back and forth, but try not to cut each other off,” he said. “Wait until the other finishes speaking before responding.” The importance of listening skills was another key intention of the project. “It’s essential for students to be knowledgeable about political processes, and part of that is to build a capacity for discourse,” said Mr. Butler. “Understanding different perspectives can lead to the discovery that sometimes we have more in common than we think.”