I teach science at a suburban high school in Florida. Today was a day like any other in my classes… we had a test planned, so the students wanted to discuss anything other than the test, stalling for time. Apparently teachers fall for this tactic, so they try it often. Today I played along. Each and every class spontaneously brought up last night's presidential debate, which was surprising in and of itself. I was curious to hear their thoughts, so I let them discuss it for a few minutes.
Here’s what I gleaned from the conversation:
While many of the students had watched the debate as an assignment for a history or government class, many had chosen to watch it with their parents, which I thought was interesting. Over half the students in all of my classes watched; all the students in my advanced class watched. Perhaps they were avoiding studying for my test, but who can blame them?!
I asked who they thought won the debate, and they astounded me with their answers... every single class thought that President Obama had won. It wasn’t even close; they were as excited about President Obama as the students in 2008 had been.
Their number one reason for declaring President Obama the winner: they didn’t believe Mitt Romney. They found the President more credible and his arguments more believable, even if they weren’t sure of the nuances of the math or the details of the issues. They didn’t understand everything they heard, but they sure knew how they felt.
Romney’s comments about Big Bird were duly noted; these kids grew up on Sesame Street and Big Bird is sacred. It might not mean much to us oldsters, but those kids were genuinely offended that some candidate would cut funding for PBS.
Another common theme from my students: President Obama seems to care about the poor and middle class more than the other guy. Our area of Florida, near Kennedy Space Center, has been hit especially hard by the recession. Unemployment is high, and many of the students and their families are suffering. These students believe this President cares about them and wants to help them. My gut feeling today was that this red-leaning district won’t be that way for long. I know it might not mean much in the moment, but I was very heartened by the sentiments my students expressed today.