Teacher Spotlight on Elizabeth Randolph (Post, TX)
Snapshot
Name: Elizabeth Howard Randolph, M.Ed.
School Name: Mullin Garza County
School Location: Post, TX
Subject(s) Teaching: Social Studies (History, Geography, Government, & Economics)
Grade(s) Teaching: 8th–12th Grade
No. of Years Teaching: 16
Elizabeth Howard Randolph, M.Ed., has been teaching social studies to middle and high school students at Mullin Garza County for the past eight years, which represents half of Randolph’s 16-year teaching career. Located in the small town of Post, Texas, Garza County Regional Juvenile Center is a secure lockdown facility which provides residential treatment, sex offender treatment, counseling and therapy, and detention for pre-adjudicated youth.
Youth Making Their Voices Heard
Nearly all of Randolph’s students have been through the court system, and, yes, teaching in a correctional setting can be difficult, she admits. “The kids here are more of the at-risk and marginalized type students,” Randolph adds. “A lot of times their only experience with government has involved being prosecuted. They don’t understand how the government works and, more importantly, they don’t understand their role in the government process or where and how to make their voice heard.”
That is where the SGAP newsletter comes in. Randolph says she uses the SGAP program to help meet some of the civic knowledge requirements of her state’s standards—the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills or TEKS, which are like the Common Core standards, only more specific to Texas, Randolph says.
“Using the SGAP newsletter, students are asked to formulate an opinion on one of the topics and they will write about it based on facts and details,” Randolph says. “These students have some pretty strong feelings, so guiding them to use their voice in effective ways makes a huge difference. I emphasize that we choose to give our government some of our autonomy so that they can protect our rights, and that the purpose of this is so that we are able to live with the maximum levels of autonomy possible while being safe to live freely.”
Promoting a Positive Environment
To create a welcoming environment for her students, Randolph spends the first week of the school year establishing the ground rules for her classroom. “We have two classroom rules that are non-negotiable: Treat yourself and others with respect, and behave with dignity and self-control,” she says. “I introduce the philosophies of natural and unalienable rights and emphasize that each student is intrinsically valuable, which some of these kids have never been told.”
To instill a sense of pride in her students and encourage them to see themselves as a community of learners, Randolph buys students the supplies they need to succeed and takes care to decorate her classroom according to the season. “This makes a huge difference to kids who are used to getting the bare minimum,” she says.
Randolph keeps her classroom an open and inviting place to learn, so students feel emotionally safe enough to express their opinions on the issues and current events discussed in class. “We need to stress civic engagement and participation at all levels, and we need to teach our children to hold their leaders accountable,” Randolph says. “It is critical to teach our children to have civil discourse and discussion with others. We have lost the ability to disagree with others and still be civil.”
At the end of the school year, when she will say goodbye to her students, Randolph hopes they will use everything they learned in social studies class to make the world a better place. “I hope they remember that they are intrinsically valuable just because they are humans,” she adds. “I hope they learn to value themselves and others, and that they absolutely make the world better.”
Ideas for Teachers for November 2022 Issues
RESEARCH LINKS
Issue 1: Student Loan Debt
STUDENT LOAN BORROWERS in the United States owe a collective nearly $1.75 trillion in federal and private student loan debt as of August 2022, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Congress.gov: H.R.8729 “Debt Cancellation Accountability Act of 2022”
Congress.gov: S.4483 “Debt Cancellation Accountability Act of 2022”
whitehouse.gov: “President Biden Announces Student Loan Relief 4 Borrowers”
GOP House.gov: “Biden’s Student Loan Giveaway to the Wealthy”
GOP House.gov: “CBO: Biden’s Biggest Executive Actions Come with Price Tag”
Wall Street Journal: “Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan to Cancel Debt”
Associated Press: “GOP states sue Biden administration over student loan plan”
Issue 2: Puerto Rico Statehood
Congress.gov: H.R.8393 “Puerto Rico Status Act”
House.gov: “Chair Grijalva Introduces Historic Puerto Rico Status Act”
LatinoRebels.com: “Puerto Rico Status Act Stalls in House, ‘Outside Interests’”
House.gov: “Rep. García’s Statement on His Vote on the Puerto Rico Status Act”
PuertoRicoReport.com: “Supporters Rally for the Puerto Rico Status Act”
CRS: “Statehood Process + Political Status of U.S. Territories”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Issue 1: Student Loan Debt
- Should any student debt be canceled? If so, who is “deserving” of cancellation, and on what timeline?
- If all future students were provided with a pathway to a debt-free public college going forward, does that make student debt cancellation more or less reasonable?
- Why is the question over forgiving federal student loan debt so controversial?
- How have the opportunities in the job market for someone with a degree changed in the last 10 to 50 years?
- Is it important to have a significant number of young people attend college, including young people that are going to require loans to afford college?
Issue 2: Puerto Rico Statehood
- Do you support or oppose H.R.8393? If you were speaking to a person who disagreed with you, what would you say is the strongest argument in support of your position?
- Should Puerto Rico be granted statehood? Why or why not?
- What other policies could mitigate the problems seen by proponents of statehood? Explain your answer(s).
- Should any or all of the other U.S. territories be granted statehood? Why or why not?
- What other measures might be considered, if any, to resolve Puerto Ricans’ lack of representation in Congress, citizenship, and other concerns?
SGAP Newsletter for November 2022 (Student Loan Debt + Puerto Rico Statehood)
Teacher Spotlight on Lisa Hintz (Fayette, Ohio)
Snapshot
Lisa Hintz is an English and Government Teacher at Fayette Local School in Fayette, Ohio.
Name: Lisa Hintz
School Name: Fayette Local School District
Location: Fayette, Ohio
Grades/Subjects Taught: Middle School English; High School Government
No. of Years Teaching: 16 years
For more than 80 years, residents of Fulton County, Ohio, have consistently voted for Republican candidates for U.S. president, with few exceptions. But Lisa Hintz, English and Government Teacher at Fayette Local School District in Fayette, Ohio—a village in Fulton County—is ensuring political discourse and debate take place on both sides of the aisle.
Round Table Debates
Hintz purposefully pushes her students to see the other side’s perspective by having them argue the opposite of how they feel in her “round table debates.” She organizes the students’ chairs and desks in a circle, so the students have to face each other. And she polls the students before assigning their role in debates, so she can give them the opposite side.
“I believe it is important to teach common discourse,” Hintz says. “I started the round tables with students facing each other because people can be so opinionated on certain topics. Honestly, the way the world is and how everyone is so busy yelling over and at each other, I wanted to add depth to our discussions and debates.”
Hintz says she received pushback from the students initially, but then they started to see the other side. “It may not have swayed their opinions, but they had to research the topic, look for opposing views, and gather them from multiple sites. Students are graded on their participation and knowledge of the subject. To this day, my former students comment on some of our debates and how much fun they had.”
Government Groove
Hintz is just now getting back into teaching Government classes, after taking a hiatus and focusing more on English. Now she is back to teaching Government and finds herself drawn to incorporating a current events-based approach to her teaching.
“Going from Government to high school English to middle school English, the dynamics have changed, and I had a flow from History to Government,” Hintz explains. “Now I am working to bring that flow back by encouraging reading comprehension and being actively involved with what is happening in the world.”
Each class period, Hintz devotes five to ten minutes to discussing current events in local, national and/or international news. “I believe it has to be more than the textbook and feeding answers,” she says. “Creating curiosity in my students about our government and the world is important to me. I try to help my students see more than what is popular in the news and learn to research before they speak.”
But Hintz is certainly aware of media bias and she says she challenges her students to watch and compare the news outlets for what they do and don’t cover. “The day Queen Elizabeth died, I had students running down the hall to give me the news. I became a little choked up, because these were students who normally would not pay attention, but now are constantly asking questions and digging deeper. I love what I do, and, man, that day, I felt like, hey, I can make a difference.”
Hintz is indeed making a difference in her corner of the world, and her students will no doubt remember her influence in their lives for years to come.
Ideas for Teachers for October 2022 Issues
RESEARCH LINKS
Issue 1: Methane Emissions
Regulations.gov: “EPA’s Proposed Rule on Emissions Guidelines”
Congressional Research Service: “IRA Methane Emissions Charge Brief”
Competitive Enterprise Institute: “Biden Methane Rule Would Cause Decline”
Washington Post: “Biden Unveils New Rules to Curb Methane”
The National Law Review: “EPA Proposes New Methane Regulations”
RMI.org: “Methane: A Threat to People and the Planet”
Issue 2: For the People Act
Congress.gov: H.R.1 – “For the People Act of 2021”
Conservative Action Project: “Conservatives Oppose H.R.1, Fantasy of the Left”
Brennan Center for Justice: “Congress Must Pass the ‘For the People Act’”
Roll Call: “10 Things You Might Not Know about H.R.1”
Heritage Foundation: “H.R.1 Is a Threat to American Democracy”
Fox News: “H.R.1 Imperils Free and Fair Elections, Here Are the Worst Parts”
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) OpEd: “Why I’m Against the For the People Act”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Issue 1: Methane Emissions
- Where do you stand on whether the U.S. government, and specifically the Environmental Protection Agency, should be doing about global warming and climate change?
- Why are methane emissions from transportation a problem? Do you have any suggestions for how methane emissions can be reduced?
- What alternative sources of fuel or other means of transport are available, which would reduce emissions?
- How does the distance from your school effect your emissions? How did your grandparents travel to school? How do you think your grandchildren will travel to school?
- Do you think recent changes in climate and weather are more attributed to natural or human causes? Explain your reasons.
Issue 2: For the People Act
1. Do you support or oppose H.R.1? If you were speaking to a person who disagreed with you, what would you say is the strongest argument in support of your position?
2. Does H.R.1 represent federal government overreach into territory best left to the states? Why or why not?
3. Are the bill’s ethics provisions necessary? Why or why not?
4. Are H.R.1’s improvements in access to elections, through ease of registration, early voting, and more accurate voter rolls, necessary? Why or why not?
5. Do the disclosure provisions around political ads and political spending represent a threat to free speech, or a needed opening to identify who is influencing our democracy?
SGAP Newsletter for October 2022 (Methane Emissions + For the People Act)
SGAP Newsletter for September 2022 (Gun Safety and Court Packing)
Research Links and Discussion Questions for September 2022 Issues
RESEARCH LINKS
The U.S. Supreme Court as composed October 27, 2020, to June 30, 2022. (Front row, L to R) Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., Stephen G. Breyer, and Sonia Sotomayor. (Back row, L to R) Brett M. Kavanaugh, Elena Kagan, Neil M. Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.
Issue 1: Protecting Our Kids Act
Congress.gov: H.R.7910 “Protecting Our Kids Act”
Congressional Budget Office: “Estimated Budgetary Effects of Protecting Our Kids Act”
RAND Corporation: “Gun Policy in America — Effects of Minimum Age Requirements”
Pew Trusts: “Few States Seem Ready to Raise Age to Buy Semi-Automatic Rifles”
The Hill: “House Passes Sweeping Gun Package in Largely Party-Line Vote”
Fox News: “House Votes to Set Minimum Age for Buying Semi-automatic Weapons”
Issue 2: Judiciary Act
Congress.gov: S.1141 “Judiciary Act of 2021”
Sen. Roy Blunt Op-Ed: “Don’t Pack SCOTUS, Truth Behind Democrats’ Push for Reform”
Rutgers University: “What Is Court Packing?”
Reason.com: “House Democrats Revive Their Court-Packing Push”
Supremecourt.gov: “The Court as an Institution”
Pacific Legal Foundation: “Court Packing Explained”
Democracy Journal: “Let’s Think About Court Packing”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Issue 1: Protecting Our Kids Act
1. If passed, would the Protecting Our Kids Act would be effective at reducing gun violence and mass shootings in the U.S.? Why or why not?
2. Do you think raising the age from 18 to 21 to purchase semiautomatic weapons would reduce school shootings? Why or why not?
3. Looking at the pro/con quotes made by members of Congress on p. 3 of the newsletter, what do their statements tell you about the bill?
4. Search for #ProtectingOurKidsAct on Twitter and/or other social media sites. How do others’ perspectives help you understand the bill?
5. In Japan there are strict gun control laws and so there is very little gun crime. Should all countries follow Japan to lower gun crime?
Issue 2: Judiciary Act
1. Should packing the Supreme Court ever be considered? Why or why not?
2. Does the current method of waiting until a Justice retires or dies and allowing the current president to appoint a new justice work? Why or why not?
3. If you could wave a magic wand, what would the ideal Supreme Court look like? Consider how many justices, the nomination and approval process, term limits, and other ideas. Support your opinions and argue why this court would be the best.
4. What are the steps in the nomination process for Supreme Court Justices? What constitutional actors are involved?
5. What qualities should a Supreme Court justice have? How much does a candidate’s political ideology influence a presidential nomination today?
Research Links and Discussion Questions for May 2022 Topics
RESEARCH LINKS
Issue 1: Energy Independence
Congress.gov: H.R.6858 “American Energy Independence from Russia Act”
Congress.gov: S.3752 “American Energy Independence from Russia Act”
Politico: “Republicans Seize on Ukraine to Attack Biden’s Climate Policies”
NBC News: “Republicans Cheer Russian Oil Ban, Jeer Biden for Rising Prices”
League of Conservation Voters: “Clean Energy Is Key to Energy Independence”
Center for American Progress: “U.S. Can’t Drill Its Way to Energy Independence”
Issue 2: CROWN Act
Congress.gov: H.R.2116 “Creating Respectful and Open World Natural Hair Act”
NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund: “Natural Hair Discrimination”
NPR: “House passes CROWN Act banning discrimination on race-based hairdos”
American Bar Association: “Is Hair Discrimination Race Discrimination?”
thecrownact.com: “Official Campaign of CROWN Act Led by CROWN Coalition”
Washington Post: “House Passes Crown Act, Banning Discrimination Black Hair”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Issue 1: Energy Independence
1. Why would a country want to achieve energy independence? What are the benefits?
2. Which approach should be at the heart of U.S. national energy policy—increasing energy production domestically or shifting the emphasis to renewable energy resources such as wind and solar? Outline the reasons for your answer.
3. What should the United States do about climate change? Should it adopt strong policies to reduce the use of fossil fuels? Or should it encourage more research and hold off on adopting strict requirements for now? Why?
4. Will rising U.S. oil and gas production change U.S. relationships with major oil- and gas-producing countries, and if so, how?
5. Would a shift to renewable energy or electric vehicles introduce new security vulnerabilities? Why or why not?
Issue 2: CROWN Act
1. How has European imperialism and colonialism influenced global beauty standards over time? Are those standards now changing?
2. What kind of hair did you want as a child? What kind of hair do you want now? Has that changed?
3. Actress Tracie Thoms says, “It’s amazing that it is considered revolutionary to wear my hair the way it grows out of my head.” She describes natural hair as “freedom.” Do you think that not wearing make-up or not shaving is similarly “revolutionary” or “freeing?” Why or why not?
4. Does a person’s hair or hairstyle impact their personal brand, career advancement and/or job performance? Why or why not?
5. How does societal acceptance of a person’s natural hair texture affect their identity and self-esteem?
SGAP Newsletter for May 2022 (Energy Independence + CROWN Act)
Research Links and Discussion Questions for April 2022 Topics
RESEARCH LINKS
Issue 1: Border Wall
On 06-19-1019 construction crews continue work on the replacement border wall on the boundary between the United States and Mexico near the Calexico Port of Entry.
Photo by Mani Albrecht
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Office of Public Affairs
Visual Communications Division
Congress.gov: H.R.5810 “To Authorize Transfer of Materials for Border Wall”
Dallas Morning News OpEd: “The Border Wall—A Barricade or a Safeguard?”
ThoughtCo.com: “Weighing the Pros and Cons of U.S.-Mexico Border Barrier”
Fox News: “Governor Abbott Announces Details on Texas Border Wall”
govtrackinsider.com: “Bill would give states materials to resume border wall”
ProCon.org: “Should the U.S. Build a Wall along the U.S./Mexico Border?”
Issue 2: Daylight Saving Time
Congress.gov: S.623 “Sunshine Protection Act of 2021”
National Conference of State Legislatures: “DST State Legislation”
Politico: “Here Comes the Sun: Senate Agrees on Permanent Daylight Saving”
Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine: “American Academy of Sleep Medicine”
Smithsonian: “What Happened the Last Time U.S. Made DST Permanent?”
BuzzFeedNews: “Everyone Was Surprised by Senate Passing Permanent DST”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Issue 1: Border Wall
- Do you think the current approach to U.S. border security is effective? What ideas do you have to make it more effective?
- Do you think all, some or no national borders around the world should have walls or fences separating countries? Why?
- What differences do you discern between the two border crossings with Mexico and Canada?
- Do you think that the border wall has become a political symbol for its supporters and opponents? Why or why not?
- What might a wall represent psychologically? For instance, might it symbolize safety or preserve a way of life?
Issue 2: Daylight Saving Time
- Should the United States make Daylight Saving Time permanent year round? Why or why not?
- Do you feel the effects of springing forward and/or falling back? What are the effects and how do they impact your day?
- Now that you’ve read the arguments for permanent Daylight Saving Time, visit https://savestandardtime.com/ and read the arguments for permanent Standard Time. What are the benefits and drawbacks of each proposal? Which time system do you think is best for the U.S. and why?
- Why do you think some places like Hawaii and most of Arizona opt out of Daylight Saving Time?
- Compare and contrast the economic benefits and disadvantages of Daylight Saving Time. Is DST good or bad for the economy overall? Explain your answer.