CREATING A BETTER FUTURE THROUGH HONEST AND ACCURATE HISTORY
The walls of Wendy Peer’s classroom are covered in political ephemera, from hand painted donkeys and elephants to fabric featuring a bald eagle and flag pattern. The back wall could easily blend in with the rest of the décor, but the political maps, campaign flyers and policy platforms are the product of Peer’s AP Government students who just finished a primary election of their own. “This year the advanced placement college board offered a new curriculum in project-based learning, and it blew me away,” she said. “Students had to run their own campaign. We have media that write articles. Interest groups had to write endorsement questions, and party leaders had to create their platforms and plan what states they needed to worry about in the general election.” Students were assigned roles based on their interests, and the candidates who lost their primaries are now “swing states” that must be brought on board by the winners. “We’re actually getting into the meat of how this stuff works,” Peer said. “I could lecture all day long and I’ve done that. I could have them take notes out of the textbook and I’ve done that. But man,
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getting their feet wet, they’re really having a good time with this application, and I feel like they are so much more engaged.” Peer is encouraged to see that engagement, because many people don’t know, or understand how our government is supposed to work. In a time of increasing polarization, that knowledge is more important than ever.
“If you know how government is supposed to work, you’ll know when it’s not,” she said. “When we say something about gridlock or not getting along, the students all kind of chuckle because they know... they know the adults are fighting right now. They think [politicians] are crazy. It’s chaotic.” She takes care to teach her students about the system without taking sides. “I don’t want them to think that liberal is a bad word; I don’t want them to think that conservatives are bad,” she said. “It’s just a different view of government. I have children in here who are Republican, I have children in here who are Democrat – and their families are staunch whichever party – and so, I try to show respect for both, and show the differences.” In addition to the Government class, Peer also teaches American History, putting her squarely in the sights of certain politicians seeking to bring culture wars into the classroom and limit the topics she can discuss. “I wish they would just leave our curriculum alone and let us teach,” she said. “We’re college educated. We know what we’re talking about. I’m doing what you trained me to do, and I’m not hurting our kids with what I’m teaching.” Children deserve an honest and accurate education that enables them to learn from the mistakes of our past to help create a better future. Unfortunately, certain politicians want to whitewash parts of our history so they can control a political narrative. Peer wishes
WE HAVE A VOICE, AND WE GIVE YOU A VOICE, AND IF YOU EVER HAVE ANY ISSUES, WE WALK BESIDE YOU THROUGH THEM... WE’LL GO TO THE ADMINISTRATION WITH YOU.” - Wendy Peer, remarks on the benefits of AEA and FSEA
