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Good Teaching

Election Day Resources for 2020

by Andrew Roush
written by Andrew Roush

Major civic events, like an election, can be useful ways to integrate not just lessons on citizenship, but also a broad array of social studies, math, and even science topics. Elections are a great way to explore maps, charts, graphs, and other statistics skills. 

Besides that, presidential elections are always subjects of intense discussion, and this year is no different. Students are likely curious about the candidates, how the election is intended to work, and what the outcomes of a presidential election can be. Educators looking to incorporate the 2020 elections (and some free digital resources) into their classrooms need look no further. 

Elections and Education

It is broadly understood that an educated populace is vital to produce a healthy society, especially in societies which govern themselves collectively. W.E.B. Du Bois, the African American sociologist, historian, and activist whose life began during Reconstruction and ended at the cusp of the civil rights movement, described the importance of an educated electorate in his 1920 essay, “Of The Ruling of Men.”

We say easily, for instance, “The ignorant ought not to vote.” We would say, “No civilized state should have citizens too ignorant to participate in government,” and this statement is but a step to the fact: that no state is civilized which has citizens too ignorant to help rule it. Or, in other words, education is not a prerequisite to political control — political control is the cause of popular education.

“Of The Ruling of Men” by W.E.B. Du Bois, Ch. VI in Darkwater: Voices from within the Veil (NY: Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1920) http://www.webdubois.org/lectures/DuBois;OfTheRulingOfMen.html

A Few Leading Candidates

Civic organizations, nonprofits, and individual educators have all developed resources, lesson plans, activities, and discussion topics that can help you explore elections in school, all while encouraging civic engagement and thoughtful discussion of real-world issues.

Check out these resources from Teacher Planet, ReadWriteThink, Teacher Vision, and We Are Teachers. These links include coloring pages, clip art, lessons, and more to help you build election-themed lessons at multiple grade levels. 

Going Down the Ballot

A number of other online resources are available to help you augment your teaching with rich and detailed information, tools, and lessons. 

Facing History has gathered several thoughtful resources, including discussion ideas, guides, even classroom routines, and workshops and webinars meant to help educators understand the complexities of politics, and help them translate that understanding to students. 

Scholastic offers discussions, lesson plans, and book lists for students for grades 5–12.

Education World has collected a special theme page around primaries, voting, and elections. This collection includes 10 different lesson plans, along with activities and “completely editable templates to track the issues of this election and the results.” You can also explore their list of related articles, links, and more.

The Election Collection from PBS includes the Electoral Decoder activity, in which students can explore all U.S. presidential elections in history, as well as the nationwide Let’s Talk about Election 2020 challenge in which middle and high school students can record audio or video commentaries on the issues of this year’s election.

The Politics and Public Policy lesson plan from iCivics is an entire unit designed to teach democratic decision making and the ins and outs of American politics. You can dive into their Election Headquarters page, complete with featured resources, many games, lesson plans, and more. 

The National Archives and Records Administration offers a long list of resources that can help students (and educators) understand the workings of America’s unique electoral college.  

Delve into a number of topics about voting with the Center for Civic Education’s five different, resource-rich lesson plans, designed for all learners, from elementary to high school.

Finally, Teaching Tolerance has put together a lengthy trove of activities, sites, and other resources focused on voting and elections. This collection includes a focus on diversity, civic activity, and cooperation. 

Related Readings from TechNotes

Photo by Element5 Digital from Pexels

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team
Leadership

Join Our Team in Serving

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

I remember when someone first asked me to serve on the TCEA board of directors. I was working as a tech director in Bastrop ISD and had attended the TCEA Convention and Exposition since 1982, often volunteering there. TCEA President Kathy Kothmann asked me to take over for the Area 6 Director who had to resign and I was so thrilled to be asked to join their leadership team. Every time I attended a board meeting, I was amazed and impressed at the other board members and their tremendous dedication not only to TCEA, but also to its mission and goals. I went on to work on the board for 13 years, eventually serving as convention chair and then president. I can quite honestly say that it changed my life, both personally and professionally.

TCEA Board Election

Because I know the value of working with an unbelievable team of individuals all working toward a common goal, I would like to invite you personally to consider serving on the TCEA board. Nominations are open now through November 2, 2018 and the election will be held from November 5 – November 16, 2018.

To be eligible to serve, you must meet the following criteria:

  • Be a member in good standing of TCEA
  • Be employed by an educational entity (public and private schools, colleges and universities, and governmental agencies concerned with education) in the state of Texas
  • Reside or be employed in the Area in which you are running for office
  • Have a servant’s heart and a strong dedication to the improvement of teaching and learning through the use of computers and technology

The board of directors meets four times a year and may also have some special virtual meetings. They also work the convention. In addition, they have other duties as designated in the Bylaws. These are not onerous duties; in fact, they are actually a joy to do as you help other educators become more fully versed in teaching and learning in a digital world.

Board positions up for election this year are directors from areas 2, 4, 8, 10, 12, and 16. Each of these who are elected will serve a three-year term.

Step Up to Our Team

TCEA is blessed to have so many fantastic members like yourself. Isn’t it time you took your career to the next level and joined our team of leaders? Fill out the online Nomination Form and follow with an email to nominations@tcea.org that contains a digital photograph (professional headshot preferred if available) of the nominee. I can promise you that serving as a TCEA board member will be highlight of your career!

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Announcements/Important DatesLeadership

Make a Bigger Difference

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

As an education professional, you are used to making a difference every day. Whether it is in the classroom, the library, the front office, the network operations center, or at central office, your dedication to the cause of helping all students learn and grow guides everything you do. Now it is time for you to expand your reach.

TCEA is seeking innovative, energetic, and committed professionals to serve on its board of directors. The board of 27 individuals from across the state helps to lead the association and its 17,500 members. They meet quarterly to discuss improvements to be made so that TCEA can better serve all of its diverse stakeholders. They help to ensure that the TCEA Convention & Exposition is a phenomenal learning event each year, working in a variety of roles during the week. And they fulfill a variety of extremely critical jobs that only they can do. They do all of this because they are committed to the mission of advancing teaching and learning through the use of technology

Open Board Positions

If you want to make a difference on a bigger scale, beyond your classroom or even your district, please consider running for office in this year’s election. The following positions are open and will be elected to serve starting April 1, 2018:

  • Vice President (three-year term; must have served as a voting member of the Board of Directors for two full years prior to the election year and completed the three full years prior to taking office)
  • Convention Chair Elect (two-year term; must have served as a voting member of the Board of Directors for two full years prior to election year and completed the three full years prior to taking office)
  • Membership Chair (two-year term; must have served as a voting member of the Board of Directors for two full years prior to election year and completed the three full years prior to taking office)
  • Area 6 Director (three-year term)
  • Area 13 Director (three-year term)
  • Area 14 Director (three-year term)
  • Area 15 Director (three-year term)
  • Area 18 Director (three-year term)
  • Area 19 Director (three-year term)
  • Area 20 Director (three-year term)

Qualifications for Nomination

If you are a member of TCEA and a teacher, administrator, or other employee of an educational entity in the state of Texas, you are eligible to run for office. Educational entities, according to our Bylaws, include public and private schools, colleges and universities, and governmental agencies concerned with education. Area directors must reside in the area in which they are running for election.

Nominations will be open October 2 through November 3, 2017. The election will be held online November 6 through 17. The nomination form and additional information can be found here. Won’t you consider working with us to make a difference for millions of students and their teachers as a TCEA board member?

 

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election
Announcements/Important Dates

Election Time, TCEA Style

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

I know that the very last thing that you want to hear about right now is another election. But this election is different. There isn’t anyone calling the other candidate names, no one accusing someone else of doing something horrible, no bad commercials, no biased news stories, no screaming or tantrum throwing. There’s just a slate of educators who want to help lead TCEA and make it even better for its members. And they need your vote.

The election for open TCEA board of directors positions will be held from November 7 through November 18, ending at midnight CDT. Running for office this year are the following:

  • Vice President: Dr. Roland Rios, Fort Sam Houston ISD
  • Convention Chair Elect: David Jacobson, Lamar CISD
  • Finance and Records Chair: Brian Grenier, El Paso ISD
  • Area 1: Dr. Pat Abrego, Texas A&M International University
  • Area 3: David Luna, Goliad ISD
  • Area 7: Michelle Cooper, White Oak ISD and Paulette Roundtree, Malakoff ISD
  • Area 9: Don Sewell, Graham ISD
  • Area 11: Dr. Brian Brown, UT Arlington College of Education and Elaine Plybon, Keller ISD
  • Area 17: Bill Landis, Lubbock ISD

Members will vote via email. The email link provided will be for your use only, cannot be shared with others, and is only valid for one submission. You may select one of the candidates or choose to not select anyone. Detailed information about each candidate in the election is included with your ballot.

If you are interrupted during your voting and do not have time to finish, you may continue where you left off at any point during the time that the election is open as long as you do not click the final “Submit” button. However, we do encourage you to complete your vote as quickly as possible. Those elected will be announced on the TCEA website and in a future blog post.

When you receive your email ballot, take a moment to clear your mind of all of the ugliness of the national presidential election and remember that our election is done TCEA style: simply, nicely, kindly, and with the best interests of students and educators in mind. Then cast your vote and take part in a electoral process that really works for everyone. Thank you for your vote.

 

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leadership
Announcements/Important DatesLeadership

Step Up Your Leadership

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

As a district leader, you already wield considerable influence, making decisions each day that affect every student and staff member. But I would like to ask you to ramp up your leadership and become one of the TCEA leaders on the board of directors.

TCEA and its 17,000 members are led by a dedicated group of 27 educators like yourself who make decisions on the direction of the organization. Their work during their terms of office impacts students and teachers and librarians and administrators across the entire state of Texas and beyond. They set policy and legislative agendas, working to ensure that learning with educational technology becomes stronger and more prevalent each year. They make a difference.

Nominations for some of the positions on the board are now open, and I would ask that you consider running for an office position. The positions available for this election are as follows:

  • Vice President (three-year term)
  • Convention Chair Elect (two-year term)
  • Finance and Records Chair (two-year term)
  • Area Director in areas 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 17 (three-year term)

Service on the board of directors is not arduous, but it does require a commitment to excellence. The board meets in four regular board meetings during the year (May, July, October, and January) and may also have special called meetings, which are held virtually. All board members are required to work the entire week of the TCEA Convention & Exposition in February. In addition, each area director is responsible for providing services to the members in his area, including a robotics contest and a second event, which could be a small conference, a workshop put on by TCEA staff, a webinar, or anything else needed by the members. Every board member has the full support of the TCEA staff and the organization’s resources, making it easier to serve.

In addition, board members receive advance information about new technologies and have the opportunity to network with and learn from the best minds in educational technology today. Professional development opportunities are provided as well.

Nominations will close at midnight on October 31. The election will be held November 7-18. Those elected will assume their duties on April 1, 2017. Won’t you nominate yourself and step up to a higher level of leadership service for the benefit of the students and educators across Texas?

 

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