Politics part of curriculum

• Teachers throughout Carbon County find ways to incorporate real politics into the classroom.

By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer

The presidential game of tug of war won’t last forever, and it seems young voters have the pull to decide whether the ribbon falls to the right or the left in 2008.

According to a post-Super Tuesday Rock the Vote poll, the energy of young voters is at an unprecedented level.

Requiring a senior government course is one step Carbon County schools have taken in an attempt to mobilize teens. From there, teachers can embellish the curriculum as they see fit.
“There’s so much outside the book, so why stick with a simulation when so much else is at your fingertips?” asked Doug Tieszen, Encampment’s government teacher.

Tieszen starts locally by asking each student to track three to five bills before the Wyoming Legislature that are of interest to the student, such as changes to driver’s license regulations or the Hathaway Scholarships.

“They see laws being made that directly affect them,” Tieszen said. “That’s when they realize they’re adults.”

Tieszen stands among a crowd of county teachers who incorporate a media unit where students explore bias, points of view and vested interests of various media outlets. He believes understanding the media and being exposed to the gamut of outlets is important in making educated decisions.

Last week, Tieszen’s class discovered that the BBC has a different definition than NBC of world news. “(The students) counted 16 different countries in the BBC report versus a brief about Iraq (on NBC),” he said.

Amy Hazelwood, Rawlins High School’s American history teacher, encourages conversation about satire. Students watch, but do not always understand, television programs like the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Little Bush and South Park, so they ask their teacher about the jokes.
“Satire gets them interested,” she said.

Most government teachers in Carbon County encourage students to register to vote and most have the county clerk visit their classrooms. Saratoga’s Ginger Miller even takes a class field trip to the voting booths to cast ballots while non-voters watch. Her students also participate yearly in a national mock election, where the voting process is simulated in entire schools.


Teachers notice changes

In 2001, an MTV survey of young adults found that about half thought that rather than vote, they could make more of a difference by getting involved with the community.

By contrast, a 2008 Rock the Vote survey showed that 89 percent of the people polled believed they have the power to change the country through the ballot box.

However, after 20 years of teaching, Encampment’s Doug Tieszen doesn’t think much has changed in terms of young voters being excited about the elections.

“All students are pretty apathetic and have been,” he said, “but I am encouraged by the reports of new voter registrations throughout the country.”

Saratoga teacher Ginger Miller believes the apathy “is mixed. I’ve found that if their parents voted, they are more likely to vote.” Parental influence is listed as one of the top reasons for a lack of student votes.

Meanwhile, Amy Hazelwood at Rawlins High School said that “this year is the most interest I’ve seen (in the elections). It was interesting to see the heartbreak when candidates dropped out.”