Eighth graders discussed the close race and planned recount in Georgia through the lens of the history of voter suppression in the South. Seventh grade English students read John Lewis’s graphic novel memoir “March” to learn about the history of the march for voting rights in Selma, Alabama, and upper school students have viewed in past years the docudrama about the event, “Selma.” As students evaluated the history of voter suppression in the wake of the Shelby County v. Holder 2013 Supreme Court decision, and reflected how the court case may have impacted the last two presidential elections. Since the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett last week, students have discussed at length the role of the court in voting rights and other social justice issues.
Students in several math classes took careful looks at the electoral map as they evaluated the remaining ballots on Wednesday and Thursday. It posed some great challenges to evaluate how the remaining absentee ballots were breaking, and the various gaps in tallies between candidates. Elections are just one way classes including Ms. Raskin’s Statistics classes can critically evaluate the use of various numbers and percentages in the news and to see how math is used in a wide variety of careers including journalism.
Honors Humanities students had a chance to speak to Anika Prather, the founder and principal at The Living Water School in Maryland. Dr. Prather is also a professor at Howard University. Her research focuses on engaging students in reading the classics while connecting them to the literature of the African American experience. Her dissertation was about the Lived Experience of African American Students Reading Great Books Literature. She has spoken to college students about the history of Classics in the self-liberation of African-Americans, speaking about Frederick Douglass, MLK, Huey P Newton and others and shared her own experience studying Classics at St. Johns, and her thoughts on Plato’s “Apology” and “Meno.”
On Tuesday, during Election Day, middle school students took part in discussions about their values and ideas. As our school grapples with a complex election, students have been asked by teachers to think critically about how our country discusses differences. Part of our school’s mission focuses on handling conflict and controversy and teaching students to thoughtfully and reflectively discuss complex issues. As they consider both the election but also how to engage in respectful sharing of ideas, we hope they will lead the way for a next generation who is better able to resolve differences peacefully and thoughtfully. Meanwhile, upper school students lead discussions about all aspects of voting and politics in small group Zooms. Upper school math teacher and community council advisor Ms. Raskin noted, “Upon watching you young people lead thoughtful, well-prepared sessions that educated your peers and elicited spirited discussion, all I feel is a sense of hope. If you are the future leaders of our country, we will be okay.” Washington Latin considers each student a future leader, and their complex thinking skills and willingness to challenge themselves to be intellectually flexible gives their teachers enormous hope.
Ms. Mujal’s geography class welcomed fifth grade parent Iscar Blanco to talk about Colombia. He spoke about the language, culture, food, crops, and history of the country, including Simon Bolivar, a Venezuelan military and political leader who led a revolt against the Spanish allowing independence for Venezuela, Bolivia, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Panama. The class includes studies of the continents, various countries, and the United States.
