Reimagine High School Government

Reimagine High School Government In “Reimagine High School Government,” Episode, #215, join Meredith Curtis for an inspiring look at ways to make government fascinating to learn (if you are a teen) and motivating for your teens (if you are a parent). Making government interesting and fun was the challenge before Meredith and this is what she did! From hosting a state dinner to campaigning for a candidate to discussing current events, she learned that a government course CAN be appealing and exciting!         Powerline Productions, Inc. Bringing Homeschool Joy to Families Everywhere!   Show Notes Teens usually take a government class in high school that they universally call "boring". Is it any wonder that so few Americans have read the Constitution much less remember what it says? I have found some fun ways to engage teens to want to understand government over the years. Here are some ideas you can add to your government course to bring it alive. Engage in a Political Campaign Years ago, we joined John McCain's campaign for President. We made phone calls at headquarters, passed out flyers, and held signs on election day. If that won’t work for your family or homeschool co-op, make political buttons & posters & commercials. Host a State Dinner We hosted a State Dinner in our homeschool co-op, inviting the Prime Minister of Israel, his wife, and some of his officials to join us. We all took roles, planned a menu with American & Israeli food, and planned welcoming events. Put a Face to the Position If you're talking about what a mayor does, show them a picture of the mayor or better yet, take a field trip to meet the mayor. Learning about the judicial system? Sit in on a court case. Watch Videos We have really enjoyed videos from Prager U, Dave Barton, and Drive Thru History: America. Many of Prager U's videos are free to watch on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@PragerU Read Living Books There are some amazing books related to government that teens love! * Magna Chart by James Daughterty * The Light and the Glory by Peter Marshall and David Manuel * The Battle for the Mind by Tim LaHaye * From Sea to Shining Sea by Peter Marshall and David Manuel * Ancient Rome: How It Affects You Today by Richard Maybury * In His Majesty’s Service: Christians in Politics by Robert A. Peterson * Whatever Happened to Justice? By Richard Maybury And for serious advanced readers * The Second Treatise of Government by John Locke * On the Republic by Cicero * Common Law by Sir William Blackstone * Lex Rex by Rev. Samuel Rutherford * The Federalists Papers by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and others * The Anti-Federalists Papers by Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, & Others * The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli (classic about how to be a bad leader!) * Democracy in America by Alexis De Tocqueville Talk about Current Events Read articles, blog posts, or listen to News podcasts and bring one current event to talk about. Then pray for those things. Another great thing to do is to read about the same event in several different news sources and compare the information given and the information withheld. 20 Century World History