Political Activism "Dean's Homework"

[Andrew Schuetze]

The post by the student from the Robonauts 118 as well as the idea that students should invite elected officials to competitions sparked the following idea in my head.

What if the government class at FIRST schools had a project whereby they wrote letters to their congressmen as a lesson in civic responsibility? I ran this idea by my principal who is a good reality check for me in regards to school protocol. Here is what she said,

"Andrew -

Fine and a good idea as long as students are able to explore all aspects of the issue and write their true opinion. Don't want us to be accused of putting words in their mouth to promote a political agenda."

This is good advice and causes me to ponder how does one develop a writing prompt such that it does not lead the class to a single point of view or even that they need to have a point of view on a subject?

Here is my first take at such a prompt.

America has traditionally been a leader in the creation of new technology and it's application. What kinds of programs or curriculum should the public education system have in place at every school such that America remains a leader in this area?

Provide as much detail as possible that will help define and outline a proposal that you submit to your elected State officials, as well as your elected national representatives.