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There have been many TEACHABLE MOMENTS, indeed !!
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And this morning, our family voted with sample ballots.*
Why ?*
To finish our study of An American Election, of course. This Election had provided an amazing educational opportunity -- the stark contrasts between the candidates, all of the press coverage, and of course the ability to 'fact-check" and scan the extraordinary amount of information available online.
It all started long long ago ... before the Primary Races.*
We made a list of all of the candidates (and all of their respective parties), and then assembled lists of "the issues" and where each candidate "stood".*
After the Primary Elections, we made a new list of "the issues" for each of the main candiates (Republican and Democrat only, just for simplicity).*
One for John McCain / Sarah Palin and the other for Barak Obama / Joe Biden.*
We watched all of the debates, with our lists in hand. We watched the candidates speaking from all over the country whenever we could. We scrutinized press releases and scoured the candidates websites. And we read through the party Platforms for both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party.*
And slowly, our WHERE (candidate's name) STANDS ON THE ISSUES lists filled in with lots of information.
We focused on the main issues, and tried to avoid the smearing and grandstanding. (Needless to say, it was difficult to do !)*
DadToCherubs and I did our very best to be unbiased in discussing politics with the children. (this was NOT as easy as I had thought it would be !) We did not want the children to feel pressured to stand "there" because their parents stand "there". We wanted the children to use their own hearts and minds to decide which team they felt was the BEST choice for our nation ... to feel free to use their voice when casting their vote. *
DadToCherubs and I went to vote when the Early Voting began in our state. At the Courthouse, I obtained a Voter Registration Form and a Sample Ballot, along with a few other brochures about Elections and Voting. (Tax dollars spent well .... all in the name of education, right ?!?!)*
I made voided copies of the Voter Registration forms, and of the sample Ballots.*
Several weeks ago, each of the children "registered" to vote by filling out the proper form -- filling out forms seems so simple, but it is a valuable skill that we do not get to practice very often as homeschoolers.*
While we filled out these forms, we discussed voter registration -- where and how a person can register to vote, who can vote, who cannot vote, voter fraud, why it is important to vote, and more.*
We continued filling out our Issues Lists .... waiting until the last minute to gather all of the best information in order to be sure we (as individuals) are voting for THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE JOB.*
And this morning, at 8am sharp, every member of our family was able to cast their vote (using a copy of the sample ballot) ....*
To conclude our study, just before dinner this evening, DadToCherubs play the role of Election Commissioner. He will count every vote, and will declare the winner (for our household).*
Then, during dinner, each child will be presenting the REASON they cast their particular vote -- citing the one issue that meant the MOST to them as a "voter" and where each candidate "stood" on that issue. And finally they will speak about why they chose the candidate they voted for.
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After dinner, we are going to sit down together and watch as some of the polls close and votes begin to be counted.
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After dinner, we are going to sit down together and watch as some of the polls close and votes begin to be counted.
And we will pray .... that God will bless our great nation with THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE JOB.
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UPDATE 7:45pm -- Our family votes were counted. We had 7 votes for McCain/Palin and 1 vote for Obama/Biden. And now we are going to PRAY, and then we are going to settle in to watch the race (while trying not to chew our nails).
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