We can learn a lot from a nine year old............

(Reprinted from The American School Board Journal)
(The Leading Source... The ASB Journal's daily blog)
January 21, 2009
Inauguration provides teachable moment for young and old alike
My mother finally got her party last night.
Over the years, since the Bush administration came into office, she’s dealt with countless cases of berating and bullying from neighbors and friends, some of which was alcohol-induced, who live in a Tennessee retirement/resort community. Even the president of the local GOP nicknamed her “special ed.” (obviously he hasn’t studied his party’s positions on federal special education funding).
I often thought of these people when I was writing�”The Importance of Civics Education,” which appeared in ASBJ’s January issue. While I was writing (around the time of the election) we got an email from a counselor in Louisiana who reported that some of her African-American students were being bullied by McCain supporters, unfortunate incidents that probably went underreported. I also spoke with the group Teaching Tolerance, part of the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala., which had anticipated some backlash and prepared a kit of classroom exercises to help ease the tensions, available on their website.
“One of the things teachers can do is recognize that this is not just a matter of policies, it’s really about young people and their emotional investment and their identity,” Senior Editor Tim Lockette says. “It’s a time to address issues of identity and get young people to think about, what is my role?’”
Last night, some of the few and proud Obama supporters in my mom’s neighborhood threw an extravagant party to celebrate not only Obama’s symbolism and the inauguration, but also the departure of an administration that appeared to dismiss non-conforming ideals and underhandedly encouraged bullying.������
Nevertheless, it wasn’t just celebrating with like-minded friends that my mom excitedly told me about this morning, it was a 9-year-old boy, Jackson, the son of one of her friends.Jackson attends a private Christian school and he and his classmates were very interested in the election. But Jackson was the only one supporting Obama.
“His classmates teased and made fun of him, even pushed and shoved him around, but he stood his ground,” my mom says. The teacher had to step in, and also told the class that she, too, was an Obama supporter.�
�”We were so impressed with this little guy standing up for his convictions!” my mom says. At the party last night, “we gave him a big round of applause and everyone took his picture.”
Regardless of political views, an inauguration provides a rich opportunity to not only teach students about the political process, but also the acts of tolerance for other views and civil discourse. One of the themes that I heard repeatedly in the news coverage of the events was how peaceful the day had been overall, and how former President Bush had graciously worked with the incoming Obama administration to facilitate the transition even though they clearly repudiated some of his ideals.
Hopefully some of those civics lessons reached Jackson’s classroom and others across the country-after all, politics is cyclical and there will be a day when a candidate that repudiates Obama’s vision is elected. Those lessons are probably too late for the 60- and 70-somethings in my mom’s neighborhood. But yesterday was, regardless of your political affiliation, a time to celebrate a historic moment and appreciate the opportunities this country provides.

Associate Editor, Joetta Sack-Min

*Jackson Hughes is my nine year old nephew and a very special young man.
Rene'