EVANSTON, Ill. (CBS) — At Lincoln Elementary School in northern suburban Evanston, some fourth-graders may have a lesson for all of us.
The young voters – according to a classroom survey – were very excited to learn about the process firsthand. Their teacher also set it all up in a very creative way.
“I really learned a lot from this that I didn’t know before,” says a boy from the class.
The fourth graders won’t be old enough to vote in an actual election for several years, but this class vote was more than important enough for them.
“It is important to inform what we will decide and who we will vote for, and to educate ourselves so that we know that our vote really counts and really matters,” says teacher Kevin Familara.
Mr Familara was happy to prepare the lesson in democracy.
“Being a voter myself, I wanted to go through the voting process and see what you really have to do to vote,” he said.
But instead of candidates, the youth of Lincoln Elementary – located at 910 Forest Ave. – voted. on Main Street, not far from Lake Michigan – about something that was more kid-friendly. The class voted on their favorite museum in Chicago and chose one “president.”
There were several days of research, creating campaign signs and coming up with the perfect pitches to voters.
Groups of children campaigned for each museum: the Chicago Children’s Museum, the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum of Natural History.
At the Chicago Children’s Museum at Navy Pier, one boy said in an enthusiastic campaign speech, “The castle exhibit has everything: a king, a queen, and you can build our own sword, too.”
“There are animals like sea otters, beluga whales, California sea lions and finally Pacific white dolphins,” said fourth-grader Josie Thomas in her campaign for the Shedd.
After some thought, it was time to fill the ballot box. Mr. Familara made sure the kids took the process seriously, just like real voters would.
“Make sure you and only you can see who you’re voting for,” he told them.
Mr. Familara even gave the children buttons for their shirts to show they had voted — just like the stickers adults receive after turning in their ballots.
Before the ballots were counted, the children themselves emphasized the impact of this exercise.
“I learned that voting is very important because without a president, life would be chaos,” Aarna Sharma said.
They also learned how to pick the issues to get voters on their side.
“You want to post the one that you know the most people are talking about and the most people are liking because then the most people are going to vote for you,” Josie said.
Evaluating campaign speeches and other information was also a lesson they learned.
“The Children’s Museum had a great speech, so I considered voting for them, but like the Field Museum, it was unstoppable,” said Gus Tingley.
But most of the time, the big meaning behind each vote was the takeaway.
“Even if you don’t think your voice will be heard, it will,” Jenley Rah said. “Every vote is like: helping history.”
So back to the present history. When Mr. Familara calculated this, there was polite applause across party lines for what ended up being a razor-thin race.
The winner was the Shedd Aquarium, which defeated the Chicago Children’s Museum by one vote. When Mr. Familiara announced the winner, the children screamed and jumped for joy.
It’s that kind of enthusiasm that can make elections great.
“It’s so important to me to get them involved in wanting to learn, you know, something that is their civic duty as they grow into adulthood,” Mr. Familara said.
Mr. Familara told the class, “All these things are important because they directly affect you.”
Mr. Familara also said the students are learning another important lesson: how to respectfully disagree with each other. It’s something the adults can keep in mind too.
Many of the fourth graders will cast their first votes for U.S. president in 2036. That’s not as far away as it seems: it’s eight years away.
