Category: Impact Stories

Shari Conditt

Posted on by icivics

On the State of the Nation

If I’m being honest I’m pretty hopeful because I know, over time, things get better. As a historian, I don’t think our current struggles are any more unique than those faced during other times in our history.

Since I pay attention to politics, I know that bipartisan bills pass and that the Supreme Court is unanimous in its decisions a majority of the time. That’s not what gets covered in the media, though, because that doesn’t make for exciting news. I don’t think we are so diametrically opposed as some of the media wants to make us sound like we are, and this is reinforced when I talk to my students and their families. We are a nation that deeply loves its communities and its children.

In order to teach civics, you need to know who your kids are, their families, their needs. You have to deeply, deeply invest in where you are.

On the Value of Civic Education 

We were studying the American Revolution in my A.P. U.S. History class. There are obviously no videos from the 1770s, so I’m showing them a couple of clips from this John Adams HBO series. There’s this beautiful scene where John Adams says, “In my life I want a country. I want a country.”

I want my kids to have a country—to have a place where the virtues of who we are as a people are secured for all. They are the ones that are going to have to do it.

So, it’s about learning the skills and having the knowledge needed to engage in a democratic society—to ensure that the values of our Republic are maintained over time.  We have to ensure that the next generation has the skill set to be good caretakers of the system that so many have worked to preserve. That’s the value of a civic education.

What Civic Education Looks Like in the Classroom and at School

Right off the bat, we create classroom norms on how we engage with each other. These are built by the students, not by me. There’s more buy-in this way. We review our norms before we launch into any conversation that might become ideological. As a result, I see a lot of honoring of each other and not a lot of heated debates.

My kids want civil dialogue. I hear it routinely. They’ll say, “Why can’t people just have a conversation?” In many ways, due to social media, there’s a greater level of awareness than there was even six years ago. As a result, students share and post on issues that feel dear to their heart, but they’re also being attacked for thinking about these issues and they often don’t know how to engage with that. So I feel impassioned by this work. If I can get my kids to engage with different opinions on really serious issues, then we can move the ball forward in progressing democracy.

Largely, I lead my class from a place of inquiry. Instead of being the ‘sage on the stage,’ I want to guide my students in understanding how various groups might think about issues. I want to help them find the necessary sources to help them understand.

Beyond the classroom, we set up school governing systems in which our students feel that their voice is imperative. If the democratic process feels removed from you, then you don’t have a say and don’t feel like decisions impact you or matter to you. As the student council director, I try to create systems where student voice is part of the decision-making. Through this, students see the value in the democratic process—engaging, reading, and understanding. 

On Teaching Civics

A lot of folks probably don’t know how much effort a civics teacher has to put in outside of class. Part of my homework is paying constant attention to the news—from understanding the background of current events to making sure I know the rules of the House of Representatives in order to answer student questions. That’s a lot of work outside of school hours that has nothing to do with grading papers or writing a curriculum. It has everything to do with how I “fill my bucket with content knowledge in order to support my kids’ education.”

The amount of paying attention I have to do toward media sources is just fascinating. And then, I’m having to practice the same inquiry and media literacy skills that we’re teaching our kids, right? And I have to prepare for handling crises that happen in the middle of the day for which I don’t yet know anything about. You must be able to maneuver through tough times, and know when it’s appropriate to push and let students take the reins.

It used to be that the teacher was the expert in the room, but with kids having access to so much information with the world wide web, we have to re-evaluate what it means to learn history. A positive shift in this regard has been to teaching concrete, tangible skills that have greater longevity than content knowledge alone. For instance: 

  • How do we read graphics? 
  • How do we corroborate sources to ensure that the media we’re looking at is accurate? 
  • How do we engage people in civil dialogue? 

I also don’t think most people see the nuance of just how thoughtful I must be with my word choices. I will frequently pause with students, and think about how to express an idea without betraying my own perspective. I’m really transparent with kids about this. It’s mental gymnastics in a way that I’m not sure other professions have to do. I even ask my principal to come into my classroom to observe, as I trust her judgment as to whether I’ve taught with bias or not. I take this step preemptively to serve as a check as faith and trust are essential, and built over time. 

On iCivics

I have nothing but love for iCivics. The resources are easy to navigate. As a teacher, I need materials quickly, and iCivics’ materials are “plug and play.” iCivics is great precisely because it has educators involved in the process of developing its curricular resources.

iCivics also responds to my needs. Four years ago, I had multilingual learners that were newcomers. I was trying to build capacity for the target language but also build civics capacity, and I needed resources that could help me. So, I reached out to iCivics and told them I was struggling. And iCivics actually responded back! They told me what resources already existed in Spanish and what was to come. Having a curriculum organization answer you is amazing!

Most importantly, students enjoy—and find value—in the iCivics curriculum. The materials are phenomenal, and the team that puts the materials together are clearly hard-working. We see that as classroom teachers because the materials help the kids explore and open their eyes.

About Shari

Teaching experience: 20+ years—high school social studies, including AP U.S. History, AP Government, economics, etc.

Select Awards: 

  • 2016 Washington State History Teacher of the Year
  • 2015 Regional Teacher of the Years
  • 2013 Nancy Lyman Roelker Mentorship Award—awarded by the American History Association to honor teachers who have inspired students in a way that’s changed their lives
  • 2009 James Madison Fellow

Saturnino Pajkos

Posted on by icivics

On the Youth Fellowship

I’ve always had a passion for helping people as well as a deep appreciation for education. My previous government teacher shared with me this opportunity to be a part of the iCivics Youth Fellowship, given we’d used iCivics materials before in class. So I applied… and got in! It’s been an honor and privilege to be a part of the movement for better civic education.

Being a part of the Fellowship had a profound impact on me. In my life, I haven’t met many people interested—dare I say passionate?—about government. Through the fellowship, I finally found a group of people to connect with. We had educated conversations and tried to resolve civics issues affecting us. 

I was surprised by the amount of engagement we had within our community. We weren’t just sitting there, saying what we already thought and knew. No, we actually interviewed our peers and gathered their many different viewpoints. Learning how to do that was so valuable to me. It helped me communicate better. It made our projects better. It helped the future of civics and our country.

The people in the Fellowship all had different backgrounds, opinions and career paths, yet we shared the common goal of improving civic education to promote these ideals to keep our Republic going. I found the others to be dedicated to this cause, and willing to put their political beliefs aside in order to work together. It was relieving to see, and makes me hopeful for the future.

On the Value of Civic Education

I think a lot of young people do care about what’s going on politically. I’ve had one-on-one conversations with people who are interested. But publicly, they don’t always express that. They fear the repercussions and the social effects. Part of that is just our age group—the social dynamics, the cliques in school…

There is a trend among some young people—they think, “Why bother?” Through media, they see little getting done, and constant bickering and fighting. However, I see that once young people get a proper civic education—once they sit down and make sense of how our government works, and why these systems are in place—they get a better sense of democracy as a system to uphold…one worth fighting for. Education plays a major role in evading crisis.

On Civic Education 

In Arizona, there is just one semester of a civics course; then you have to take the Arizona state-mandated civics test and receive a 70 or higher. It’s similar to the U.S. citizenship test. What’s become clear to me is your education depends on the quality of your teacher, given the teaching requirements are loose and open to interpretation. I was very lucky to have excellent teachers in government. But I also know students who didn’t have that. And realistically, you can only learn so much about a subject in six months.

For something like civic education, learning activities should be far more “hands-on.” It would certainly make it more interesting to more students. 

When you stop to think about it, civics is a set of skills that you use—and build on—for the rest of your life. We need practice. It’s learning how to be a savvy interpreter and user of media  It’s knowing how the judicial system works. It’s knowing what your rights are. It’s playing a role in your government and fulfilling your duties as a citizen. And it includes effective communication—how to convey different ideas between different people. Honestly, it’s part of the beauty of this country too—that we can speak openly in a class or debate setting.

I also think elected officials should be brought in more. It’s inspiring for students to have those who make the laws come in and talk to them. That has a major impact. Maybe classes could take trips down to their local town halls, or the courts, or even the legislature if you’re close enough to the state capital.

Games and hands-on simulations also definitely help. To have students doing the learning sticks with students more than traditional worksheets and reading.

On iCivics

The first time I used iCivics was in 8th grade. This is when we, in Arizona, start learning the basics about American history and government. My teacher mainly used the games, assigning us to play and then send her the results. 

Now I’ve always been passionate about government, but I saw how iCivics was even able to affect students who weren’t as interested in government or policymaking. It gave the teacher an opening to pique their interest. I saw how these games engaged us all. Soon, my classmates were picking up on new ideas about government, because the topics weren’t far-fetched. iCivics opened our eyes, bringing government down to a level we could understand and touching on things that concerned us. 

Civics, as a skill set, is not easy to learn. It’s an umbrella term for so much, and it’s unique to each individual. Yet it is such a key skill for us all to have in life.

iCivics tries to tackle this issue with hundreds and hundreds of resources for students to help understand how to address the world around them—knowing about government, policy, elected officials, how to check if a source is reliable, how to form a logical opinion, how to consider other opinions with respect. iCivics allows every voice to be heard. Its work will affect generations of Americans, and guide the course of our Republic.

Michael C. Martirone

Posted on by icivics

Egg Harbor, New Jersey

Teaching experience: 5+ years—high school social studies, including government and politics, Honors and College Prep World Cultures

Select Awards: 

  • 2016 HistoryQuest Fellow, Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
  • 2016 James Madison Legacy Fellowship

In 2016, I was a first year government and politics teacher looking to connect with teachers who shared my interest and passion for civic education. A friend suggested I join the iCivics Educators Network and since then, my life hasn’t been the same.

The iCivics Educator Network not only helped me develop best practices for teaching civics and government, but has allowed me to collaborate with educators from across the country. I’ve had the opportunity to engage in meaningful pedagogical conversations, share civics resources, and seek new perspectives about my content matter—all of which has made me a better teacher for my students.

The iCivics Educator Network has provided me and my students with a platform like the youth fellowship to share our passion—and elevate the need—for equitable civic education throughout the country.

I have had speaking opportunities to explain why this is the time to fund civic education and give my perspective from the classroom on other topics, as well. The iCivics Educator Network has given me the opportunity not only to teach civics, but to become a part of it.