Eighth graders give election analysis

Days after the presidential election, adults in shops and on street corners can still be heard berating one another with shouts of “Crooked Hilary” and “Deplorable Trump.” But there is at least one place in the neighborhood where you can witness civil discourse about the political process. It’s in the classroom where Kathy Dahdal teaches English at the New School for Leadership and the Arts (NSLA), a sixth-through-eighth grade school in Kingsbridge Heights.

The day after the election, the exuberant rustle of eighth-graders raising their arms in the air and waving blue, green and yellow index cards filled the classroom. A red card meant “I respectfully disagree with you.” A green card said ‘I agree with you.’ The yellow card signified ‘I have a question’ and a blue card meant ‘I haven’t spoken yet.’

Students were eager to share their opinions on the presidential election which had been called earlier that morning. One student was so excited to share his thoughts that he borrowed yellow cards from two of his classmates and waived three cards in the air. In this English class, everyone “respectfully agrees” or “respectfully disagrees,” speaks uninterrupted, uses no harsh tones. And no one expresses an opinion until Ms. Dahdal calls upon the student.

Last month, The Press visited Ms. Dahdal’s classroom to get a glimpse of how the teacher was guiding her students’ discussion about the race, (Eighth graders focus on election issues, Oct. 27). At the time 18 students favored Hillary Clinton, 11 were for Donald Trump, but now that the election is over, several of the eighth graders said the moguls victory came as no surprise. For some students, the class had became more than just learning about the election. It also became a way for them to learn about politics in general and spark an interest in the topic.

“The whole election was basically a popularity vote and Donald Trump is a bigger celebrity,” said Angel Vargas, who thought Mr. Trump would win the election.

“I thought it was a bit surprising that Donald Trump won. Clinton has been in the lead for at least a month or so,” said Ramsey Garcia. He said that the email scandal contributed to her loss and that voters had a hard time trusting her.

Devon Lewis said he thought the election would be a close call but he had expected that Ms. Clinton would ultimately win. “I think she lost because he was bold. He let people know why he wanted to be president. And, Hillary Clinton, she’s wasn’t… sounding as tough as Donald Trump was. A lot of her ideas were the same as Donald Trump but she did not…lay it [out] as well as Donald Trump did,” said Devon.

Mr. Trump’s win also left Devon impressed because Mr. Trump flipped some of the 2012 Democratic states into Republican ones.

The students had suggestions on what Mr. Trump should focus on for his first 100 days in office.

Jerry Terrero said Mr. Trump should “care more about the economy” and healthcare and not concentrate on building a wall.

Katherine Baez said he should work on immigration and putting undocumented people on the path to becoming citizens.

Devon said he should focus on ISIS.

For the students interviewed, the class had been their first opportunity to learn about the American political process.

“When I came to Ms. Dahdal’s class, I had no idea about it and now I am more interested,” said Jose Cruz.

“I wasn’t aware of what was happening in the world. But, since she has been giving these classes and giving us all of these articles and charts, I’ve learned a lot about what’s going on [in] society,” said Pamela Sosa.

When the eighth graders first begin her class, Ms. Dahdal said, they were quiet but after following the media coverage and researching the issues, they have become more outspoken and confident in their opinions.

“Sometimes, I cannot even get a word in. They consume the conversation. And, I never want to step in and break that apart because it’s all about them. I want their voices heard. I don’t want to give my opinion. I don’t want to sway them, their beliefs or their views. I want them to think for themselves and be able to support whatever the say with evidence and be sure about it,” said Ms. Dahdal.

She added that she encouraged students to share their opinions, especially when they disagreed. It’s what made the conversation interesting and kept them thinking, she said.

“Every time, and before we have a debate, [Ms. Dahdal] tells us to respectfully disagree and agree and show why we feel that way and gives us a lot of ideas and examples of how to do it,” said Devon on how the discussions avoided a negative tone.

All students who stated an opinion had to cite the source where he or she obtained the information. Throughout the semester, students followed the election in the media, read Junior Scholastic magazine, watched documentaries such as “Little Boy Rescued from Rubble in Syria” and studied the websites of each of the candidates, said Ms. Dahdal.

Class participation was part of their grade and each eighth-grader had to evaluate a peer. Students did not know which classmate would conduct the review.

“I just thought that politics was just evil…Now, I learned like there’s the Electoral College and you have to go through the whole process in order to vote and stuff. I, like, really owe one to Ms. Dahdal for teaching me this and for, like, inspiring me to learn about politics,” said Jason.

“This is the first election that I’ve ever watched the whole thing. Usually, I just fall asleep and get bored. But, I watched the whole thing to see it,” said Devon. “I learned that the election is not always what you think it’s going to be.”

Ms. Dahdal said the class would be following Mr. Trump’s presidency next. “I want us to look back at our conversations and revisit them and say, ‘Okay, what do we notice now that he’s elected?’”