On Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, one of the most important days in our country is occurring: Election Day. Participating in our government is important for most but, sadly, not all. For many, there is a lot at stake regarding the results of this election.
For this reason, Thousand Oaks High School teachers, such as U.S. History and Government teacher Eric Kamm and AP Government teacher Krister Swanson, educate future voters on the decisions they are going to make.
“The point of this system is that we use our voice to get people in office who then listen to what we say,” Kamm said. “Sometimes it’s just a couple of years if it’s representatives, sometimes it’s six years if it’s senators but if it’s for president it could be four years or eight years and some of those policies they enact can affect us for a lifetime.”
As a teacher of politics, there is a lot of pressure to educate future voters about how the government is run. What the students learn in class could significantly impact their political opinions and how much they contribute to their government.
The world of politics often seems overwhelming for young people, with so many people telling you who to vote for and what you should believe.
“All the data shows that the most disconnected people from the world are often young people because they feel overwhelmed or there’s too much to understand, or no one is going to listen to them,” Swanson said. “If you don’t vote, you could be ignored in the political process.”
Both Kamm and Swanson have a main goal in common: educate students about the government they will soon be participating in. Teaching teenagers about political issues as they prepare to become legal adults can be a challenge in itself.
For seniors Audrey Li and Rami Shalhoub, AP Government brings more to the table than just homework and tests.
“I think just the subject of Government is very beneficial to our everyday lives,” Shalhoub said. “It’s good to know the structure of the U.S. government.”
The future voters of TOHS have been attentive to learning about the structure of their government; they want to be educated on the important topics at hand.
“[The class] teaches me and my peers about how the government works and it makes us more informed about how politics work,” Li said. “[It is setting] us up for when we start voting instead of just following blindly.”
It is undeniable that voting in the United States determines major leaders and law changes that can have lasting effects on all citizens, young and old. Both Kamm and Swanson see to the need to continue informing students about the government to create well-informed future voters that know the importance of voting and sharing their voice.