From Classroom to Capitol: Independence Students "Go" to Washington

Imagine stepping into the shoes of a U.S. senator as an elementary school student. That's exactly what Independence Elementary fifth graders did through a virtual program with the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, where they debated, voted and experienced the thrill of democracy firsthand.

Tricia Paugstat’s social studies students kicked off their new unit about the role of the government by participating in a virtual meeting with a representative from the Kennedy Institute, Shane Cudworth. The opportunity presented itself when Paugstat entered a lottery through the Kennedy Institute.

“I hoped that students would be engaged and develop a deeper understanding of the content due to ownership of learning during the simulation,” said Paugstat. Not only were they quizzed on what senators do and how many each state has (they knew these answers), the students were able to choose which state they’d like to represent as they assumed the role of senator. 

Cudworth showed a short video about the importance of doing research when preparing to vote on a piece of legislation, including hearing from experts. They learned the difference between the private and public sectors and were then able to hear from two expert witnesses as they considered whether to vote for or against a longer school day.

With Cudworth playing the role of Vice President and Senate President, he called on colleagues to join him via Zoom to play the Assistant Secretary of Education and the director of Better American Schools Association. “I thought it was a great opportunity to learn about the legislative branch of government,” said Mila Brugo, who chose to be a senator from Arizona. “It was cool talking to someone from the Kennedy Institute and hearing what the ‘assistant director’ thought.”

After hearing from the witnesses, the senators (students) had time to deliberate with one another before taking to the virtual senate floor to share their opinions before the vote was called. Micah Brunner, a senator from Utah, enjoyed the voting process. “I voted no because you might have sports after school and you might miss it,” he said, referring to the extended hours that were proposed. 

When the votes were cast, the initial proposed legislation failed. Then, an amendment was brought to the table that eliminated homework if the school day was extended. This made Micah change his vote. “If we have no homework, kids would not be pressured to get it done in time.” Mila agreed with Micah, voting the same way both times. 

Ultimately, the amendment failed to pass, with only two of Paugstat’s six classes voting yes to the longer school day if it eliminated homework. “I was not surprised by the results as most students were visibly shocked and appalled by the idea of a longer day,” said Paugstat.

Paugstat, along with her students, enjoyed bringing Washington to the classroom. “You got to actually see how everything works and experience it,” said Mila. Micah agreed, noting that Cudworth taught the students a lot. 

“Seeing the students take ownership and embrace their roles as senators was the highlight of the experience,” said Paugstat. “I believe experiences such as these allow for deeper connection with content which allow students to transfer content to real world applications.”

Mila wholeheartedly agreed. “It gave us a better understanding to be able to do it than just reading and learning about it.”