Ideas for Teachers for November 2023

RESEARCH LINKS

Issue 1: Gas Cars vs. EVs
Congress.gov: H.R.1435, “Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act”

GASOLINE-POWERED CARS are familiar, quick to refuel, and can travel long distances between fill-ups, all of which can’t (yet) necessarily be said about electric vehicles or EVs. However, EVs offer a unique set of positives, from an inherently exhilarating drive feel to a significantly less harmful impact on the environment.

CarMax.com: “Electric Cars vs. Gas Cars: What’s the Difference?”
CarandDriver.com: “Electric Cars vs. Gas Cars: Everything You Need to Know”
Autoweek.com: “Electric Cars vs. Gas Cars Pros and Cons”
ConsumerReports.org: “Will an Electric Car Save You Money?”
EnergySage.com: “Electric Car vs. Gas Car Environmental Impact”
EPA.gov: “Electric Vehicle Myths”

Issue 2: Student Loan Debt
USAToday.com: “Student Loan Forgiveness, Education Department Begins”
PBS.org: “Biden’s Student Loan Cancellation Plan Advances with Debate”
ProCon.org: “Student Loan Debt Elimination – Pros and Cons”
APNews.com: “Supreme Court Rejects Biden’s Student Loan Plan”
TheAtlantic.com: “Biden’s New Student Debt Strategy”
Center for American Progress: “What’s Next for Student Loan Borrowers?”

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Issue 1: Gas Cars vs. EVs

  1. What are the arguments for and against Congress passing a bill to prevent states from banning the sale of gas-powered cars? Where do you stand on the issue?
  2. How important is giving American consumers the power to choose whether they will purchase a gas-powered vehicle or an electric vehicle?
  3. What factors might make electric cars more expensive than gas cars initially? What factors might make electric cars more affordable over time?
  4. Let’s compare the Tesla Model 3 (electric) to the Toyota Camry XLE (gas). Which car do you believe costs more over all (to buy and to drive) over its full lifetime? Why?
  5. What infrastructure and resources are required to support mass adoption of electric vehicles in the U.S.? Is the cost worth the investment? Why or why not?

Issue 2: Student Loan Debt

1. Supporters of the Biden administration’s efforts to forgive student loan debt say it would deliver relief to debt-burdened households and lift the economy. Opponents, however, say it’s unfair to those who avoided debt or made sacrifices so they could repay their loans. Where do you stand on the issue? Explain your position.
2. Does student debt affect you or someone you know, and if so, how? What went into the decision to take on student debt? How do you (or they) feel about the decision now?
3. Would forgiving all or part of people’s student loan debt help narrow the racial wealth gap? Why or why not?
4. Some people think student loan debt should be “forgiven” and college tuition should be paid for by the government. Who would actually pay those costs?
5. Should people who chose not to attend college be forced to pay for others’ college education? Why or why not?

 

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.”