Ring Mountain Day School middle school students joined students
from around the country last week to participate in the My Voice
National Student Mock Election. The National Student Mock
Election has been engaging students in the democratic process
for 30 years and 18 elections. With such a close race this year
between President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt
Romney, this was the perfect year for Ms. Gough, Ring Mountain's
middle school Social Studies teacher, to go through the process
with her fifth to eighth grade students. Ring Mountain middle
school’s discussion-based approach to learning is specifically
designed to engage students in civil discourse and participate
in a democratic society. As Ms. Gough says, “The cornerstone of
a functioning democracy is education - citizens must not only
understand how to educate themselves on the candidates and
issues, but they must also learn how to work together and talk
about issues even when there is disagreement among them.
Discussion-based learning, esp