@ student mock elections

[stuffandthings]

Nov 1, 2024 12:21:55 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

Nov 1, 2024 12:05:43 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Wasn't there a seal or something that predicted elections? Or was it the Super Bowl...

I'm remembering a crab or a lobster or something?

Wasn't it an octopus? And wasn't it the World Cup?

[stuffandthings]

Nov 1, 2024 12:01:54 GMT -5 fernweh said:

Nov 1, 2024 12:00:32 GMT -5 stuffandthings said:

@@@@@@@

In the 2020 Democratic primaries my kid decided they liked Joe Biden "because he looks like a nice grandpa." This was at the point when Biden was polling at like 4%. I was a Warren stan and my husband was a Bernie Bro and we were just like, "What?"

My kid insisted Biden was gonna win the primary. We didn't believe them. Biden won the primary.
My kid insisted Biden was gonna win the general. We weren't sure. Biden won the general.

From the mouths of babes, etc. etc.

Who does you kid think is going to win this election?

They think Harris but they also said they aren't sure whether they really think it will happen or whether they just WANT her to win. (They're four years older now, so way better at second-guessing themself, lol)

[redheadbaker]

Nov 1, 2024 12:09:03 GMT -5 wawa said:

Oct 31, 2024 13:56:11 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

The students in the middle and high schools "register to vote" (via a Google form) -- I think the actual vote takes place on Monday.

In his 7th grade social studies class, they had an assignment about the electoral college, and another one where they had to research the candidates -- go to the websites, and take notes on at least two policies/issues there, for all the federal and state races on the ballot this year (president, Senator, Representative in Congress, PA Attorney General, Auditor General, and Treasurer).

I think they don't offer an actual civics class until high school.

I just saw a post from an old local nestie on FB expressing a low level outrage that her 6th grader was  asked to do this same assignment in history class.


Literally said, "kids don't need to be learning about this stuff yet!"



Unclear to me if she was upset about the policy topics (like...abortion?? trans rights? what?) or the entire concept. She didn't say, and I didn't ask because I just unfriended her  (my unfriend threshold for that level of acquaintance is very very low.  One annoying post and you're gone.)

the idea of being upset your middle schooler is being asked to look at a mainstream political candidate's website is...really really something.  @mock elections are bad yall!  You didn't even know!  

Jeez, DS has understood what abortion is since ... age 8, I think? 

[pixy0stix]

It was a seal and the super bowl - www.maritimeaquarium.org/newsroom/posts/the-maritime-aquariums-super-bowl-pick-rasals-version


I swear there have been animals predicting presidential elections though.

[lilac05]

My kids are having mock elections today.

As a blue dot in a purple city of a red state, I really wish they’d just do the actual election on something other than people. (I think they did that in elementary.) They can still learn all about the process, the electoral college, etc. without having to bring up issues that kids have been taught differently about at home, but are largely unable to fully understand. (I’d argue that most adults ALSO do not understand.)

I’m already anticipating hearing about the arguments that are sure to happen in my middle schooler’s friend group. Being in middle school is hard enough. They don’t need to be arguing politics when it’s nothing they have any control over. (However, this is different than arguing about topics like the treatment of LGBTQ+ kids, which I fully support him arguing about 100% of the time. THAT he can control.)

[wawa]

Nov 1, 2024 13:39:41 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

It was a seal and the super bowl - www.maritimeaquarium.org/newsroom/posts/the-maritime-aquariums-super-bowl-pick-rasals-version


I swear there have been animals predicting presidential elections though.

A quick google is giving me several articles about a study at Duke using monkeys to predict the election, a video of a squirrel predicting the election (Harris), videos made during the last two of various zoo animals making predictions, a dog choosing trump, and an octopus in Sydney predicting the australian prime minister in 2013 (not the same one that used to do the world cup I think?), and one of cockroaches predicting harris to win.

So i mean...yes?  But not sure if there's a specific one in there you're thinking of.

[pixy0stix]

Nov 1, 2024 14:20:31 GMT -5 wawa said:

Nov 1, 2024 13:39:41 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

It was a seal and the super bowl - www.maritimeaquarium.org/newsroom/posts/the-maritime-aquariums-super-bowl-pick-rasals-version


I swear there have been animals predicting presidential elections though.

A quick google is giving me several articles about a study at Duke using monkeys to predict the election, a video of a squirrel predicting the election (Harris), videos made during the last two of various zoo animals making predictions, a dog choosing trump, and an octopus in Sydney predicting the australian prime minister in 2013 (not the same one that used to do the world cup I think?), and one of cockroaches predicting harris to win.

So i mean...yes?  But not sure if there's a specific one in there you're thinking of.

I appreciate you delving into this issue, lol! Using kids to predict the presidential election just reminded me of all of the silly things we do to "predict" the winner of events.

[carmenere]

Oct 30, 2024 23:12:45 GMT -5 penguingineer said:

Oct 30, 2024 21:00:55 GMT -5 erbear said:

I definitely voted for Ross Perot in our mock election. Kids are dumb. Also name recognition.

Ross Perot won our elementary school’s mock election in 1992. 🤣 Suburban Cincinnati 99% white. I was in 5th grade. That night my mom told me that she had voted for Bill Clinton. I said to her “I thought we were republicans?”

🤣

(Do not fear. Cast my vote for Harris/Walz yesterday.)

Our school didn’t do a 2024 mock election but some teachers put together a really neat immersive experience on elections and the media that involved mock-voting in several historical elections. Without knowing the names of the candidates, a surprising number of our high school students voted for Ross Perot.