With the 2012 debates quickly approaching politics are on everyone’s mind, but Franklin High Students want to be more involved. Politics is a difficult thing to discuss anywhere, but teenagers at Franklin are ready to learn and want to make politics more prominent during election years.
“It’s important to make your own opinions, because most kids grow up believing whatever their parents think. Even I followed what my parents thought about politics—they didn’t really have an opinion—but now seeing how it will affect me I enjoy it; I want to know about it,” says Melissa Munroe, a junior at Franklin high School, when asked if Franklin should discuss policies brought up in the election. “So yeah, learning more about it during election years would help a lot of kids out. I think it’s important.”
“I think we send a message that politics isn’t important… it’s part of the problem [at high schools] and not so much teenagers.” says Mrs. Leardi, a history teacher at Franklin High School but Franklin High students want to be more informed on the issues that will affect their futures as college kids, women, men, mothers, fathers, and soldiers.
“Ah—yeah, definitely, I think people should know what they’re voting for and be able to form their own opinion and stuff.” agrees Matt Zajac, a junior at Franklin High. A lot of kids at Franklin would benefit from the political discussion, it’s a way to create a fun debate as well as keep kids informed. Teachers would be able to play devil’s advocate without stating their own opinions. Teenagers are ready to learn about the issues surrounding the election, and what better way than to discuss it with their peers.
“Yeah, as long as it’s not [taught] in a biased way which they won’t. I feel like they should… make it a point to show each side, and that would even open up my eyes to the political world. [Because] I almost wish I was more involved in politics.” says Brittany Landry, also a junior at Franklin High, about incorporating politics into our studies.
“It’s really hard to turn eighteen or nineteen and say ‘oh okay, I’m going to get smart now and figure it all out’” continues Leardi “I think some teenagers honestly say ‘Ugh I’m not going to be able to vote and it really doesn’t matter’ but it’s a cumulative thing, [I think kids should] try to get like a landscape of the issues.”
Even though the majority of teenagers at Franklin High School can’t vote they still want to learn about the policies that could impact their lives moving forward. Kids go to school to gather knowledge, and learning about the election and deciding what is right and wrong based on that is definitely a skill teenagers will take with them moving into the future.