Politics from the mouth of kids

If the kids around me are any indication then John McCain has Austin wrapped up for votes. Even my own son who previously wanted to "vote for Ovama" came home tonight talking about voting for McCain. I almost kicked him out..just kidding, well sort of. It's been a real eye opener for me working with kids and talking politics. I'm actually teaching a 3-week thematic unit on voting & elections, complete with a mock-class president election on November 4th. We've been talking politics quite a bit. I'm surprised by how much these kids actually know and shocked about some of their mistruths that spread like wildfire (hmmm...not much different than the adult world). I can't help but wonder if these "facts" (ie. lies) come from their parents trying to sway their views onto them or from misunderstandings on the kids part. Since I like to believe in the "ideal" world, I'll believe the latter. Here are some "facts" shared by the kids in my class.


On Obama:

"He will make everyone go to school on Saturdays."

"He doesn't even know how to read."

"He's mean to other people."

"He's a racist." - my personal fav

"He's not even from this country."


On McCain:

"He's nice and he likes kids."

"He wants a girl to be President, and Obama doesn't want that to happen EVER!"

"He reads and is smart."

So why does Cole want to change his "vote?" Because Sarah O. said that Obama is very mean, especially to kids and McCain loves to read. So what did I tell Cole? That everyone is entitled to their own opinion and he can vote for whomever he wants. He doesn't have to listen to his friends or family, he can make his own decision. That's what makes America great. I promised to bring him home my Time for Kids Magazine so we can read about both candidates and he can choose for himself.