Exploring Democracy at Sherman School of Excellence

Despite Ms. LA Keenya Joyner’s students being kindergartners, she understood that she had a great opportunity to educate her students on the importance of the presidential election. Students participated in a mock voting simulation on which they used their voting power to decide which type of pizza they would enjoy as part of their Halloween celebration.

We connected with Ms. Joyner to learn more about how this lesson went and her overall goals for her students related to participating in civic life. Read her thoughts below.

Do you think your students were able to real-world connections as they voted for their preferred type of pizza? 

Before the students voted, I explained the election process to them and even asked them to encourage their parents to get out and vote. I also provided a presentation about each candidate and shared their respective desire to become President of the United States.  Additionally,  we read the book V is for Voting, followed by students even making their own voter registration cards. It was very precious because the students could not wait to show their parents. I  believe they really began to grasp the importance of voting. 

How did you approach the social-emotional side of voting, given that only one type of pizza would win? 

There were some tears and emotions, and I was not prepared for that side of it. One of my students in particular was so upset because he could not understand why nobody wanted sausage pizza. This was an important lesson for my students because in any election, the candidate you vote for does not always win. I also encouraged them that even when you don’t win, you can keep encouraging your classmates to understand why sausage pizza is really good. 

If you were to do this project again, would you do anything differently? 

I definitely would prepare myself more for the emotional component of the election. As a teacher, it may just seem like pizza, but, for five-year-olds, it really does mean a great deal to them. It was really good to tie in mathematics by counting the ballots together. Overall the combination of subjects such as social studies allowed the students to have had a real-life connection. I believe that I can definitely bring in the social-emotional learning component a little bit more next time.

What are your long-term goals for your students in terms of staying engaged with democracy and staying involved with civic life as they get older? 

It’s important to remember that politics matter to our students, even when they are younger, because it impacts their futures. Our students should be aware of what’s going on in the world that we live in. I try to make these lessons age-appropriate while still providing them with insight into what’s going on in society. 

I also love to hear that my students are telling their parents about what they are learning and creating important conversations that might not be happening organically at home. I remember going to vote with my mom on Election Day when I was growing up, so it’s important for me to create similar exposure for my students as well.