Politics lessons, without the name-calling

Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by GRETCHEN PHILLIPS Third-grade students at Gale-Bailey Elementary School participated in Every Kid Votes election through Studies Weekly on Monday. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

The children have decided.

One day before the presidential election, children across the country, including Charles County schools such as Gale-Bailey Elementary School in Marbury, participated in an online election called Every Kid Votes.

The election comes from Studies Weekly, a countrywide kid voting project that has been giving children the chance to vote since 1984.

"Obama should be president," said Shaqueesa Johnson, 8.

Shaqueesa said she would like to have a black president and Obama can "make the world a better place."

Across the country many children had similar views for Obama as he lead in votes in just about every state throughout the day.

Gale-Bailey Principal Carrie Richardson said the voting process for children was a way for them to learn about making informed decisions and respecting the opinions of others who may not pick the same person.

Each student at Gale-Bailey had an opportunity to vote on computers in the computer lab Monday and wait and see the results update online shortly after they voted.

Richardson said the school did not focus on any of the candidates' main issues or arguments and let the children come up with their own choices.

Zachary Zalovic said he learned throughout the election process that voters should vote for the person they think will do what is best as president or at least do the things the voter wants to see happen.

Zalovic said he did not think he voted for the same person his classmates were voting for but that was OK with him.

Robin Henry, the computer lab teacher at Gale- Bailey, was glad to hear that Zachary voted for whom he thought was right despite whom the majority of the class was voting for.

She said that was an example of the lesson students heard in class about the importance of voting even if the person you want may not be the winner.

"It's a right and a privilege," Richardson said about the voting process.

To go with the right and privilege, students at Gale-Bailey and other participating schools donned an "I voted" sticker much like their 18 and older family members who voted in the election Tuesday.

A slight voting malfunction caused the company to request many schools to re-vote, therefore results have not been officially recorded.

gphillips@somdnews.com