Ben Wofford is a contributing editor at Politico Magazine.

Presidential campaigns have always been a civics teacher’s most reliable lesson plan—an every-four-years, plucked-from-the-headlines romp through the ultimate example of American democracy. Oh, the opportunities for learning! The nuanced interplay of geography and policy, the rise of the two-party system and even the peculiarities of the Electoral College. Then came Candidate Trump.

Suddenly kids were being exposed to debates that sounded more lunchroom than Lincoln-Douglas. (Mrs. Smith, why are they arguing about their hand size?) The televised rallies resembled pay-per-view MMA matches. And the policy proposals! Bans on Muslims, mass deportations and torture without restraint. If teachers and school administrators harbored any doubt that relying on the 2016 presidential campaign as a curriculum enhancement was fraught with danger, it was removed with the release on Friday of the videotape of Donald Trump boasting that his star-power licensed him to kiss and grope women with impunity. Ear-scorchingly profane, the tape included the unforgettable line: “Grab ‘em by the pussy.” Civics meets sex ed. Did the tape and the wildfire reaction to it have anything to do with the crisis in Syria, tax reform or free trade pacts? Nope. Was it all over television? Oh yes. So while the political class was obsessing all weekend about the effect of Trump’s infelicitous remarks on his support from the GOP and how it would alter the dynamic on stage at the second debate, teachers and administrators across the country were stressing about how they would confront a topic that had veered wildly from the predictable confines of their textbooks.


We called teachers and administrators in public, private and charter schools across the country to hear how they dealt with this touchy, politically volatile and somehow huuugely important subject. Basically, they’ve discovered that the biggest lesson from this race is in civility, not just civics.

Have you been preparing for this moment all along?

Ilana Hand, ninth-grade math teacher, Langley High School, McLean, Virginia:

I think every teacher in America probably has. And frankly, the teachers, we’re talking about this. This is uncharted territory for us. And it’s sensitive. My students are mostly ninth graders, ranging from age 14 to 15, and so they’re not voting, but they are obviously impacted by all of this. In my 24 years or so at Langley, this is probably the most discussed and polarized campaign we’ve had. I was thinking back to when George Bush finally won the election after all that time [in 2000], it was fairly polarizing. This is polarizing in a completely different way because it brings in a moral component that we haven’t really had in a political campaign on this level before. It affects gender relations, and I think that’s an important conversation to have in a school. We have programs embedded into our school year about how we treat each other, about mutual respect. Part of our mission at Langley is to teach kids to be good citizens. So this certainly plays into that mission.

Mike Davis, head of school, Colorado Academy, Denver:

Any school finds itself in a difficult situation. We live in a very divided time in terms of partisan politics, and what we’re trying to do as a school is educate children, and teach them how to think critically. We have teachers who assigned their kids to watch the debate this weekend. That assignment went out before the bus tape emerged. And then there was a flurry all weekend. I talked to one faculty member whose kids watched it last night, and these are young, I would say late elementary or middle school kids. He described his kids asking, “Seems to me, dad, they’re not answering the question.” The kids do pay attention. They have the ability to listen to these candidates, to listen to the kinds of questions, their positions and to make their judgments.

Carole Gauronskas, paraprofessional (teaching aide), Ketterlinus Elementary, St. Augustine, Florida:

I work with children who have a disability. In my case, it’s an emotional and behavioral, but we still teach the same curriculum. Every political cycle when you’re teaching fifth grade, you end up having to teach American government. To be honest, this year shocked the heck out of me. Our second week of school, in social studies, we immediately started talking about the three branches of government, and the executive branch of course comes up. [Eventually], my boys said: “You couldn’t vote for Donald Trump, because he made fun of a disabled person on television.” I said, “Guys, that’s true. You’re right, he did.” My fifth-grader says, “You won’t vote for Donald. If you voted for someone who made fun of us, and we're handicapped like that man is, that wouldn't be right.” I had one of those ‘aha’ moments, I realized how impactful and how hurtful this man’s words have been. I just walked away that day, and talking to a teacher, I said, “You know, our kids get it.”

Tim Demeria, chairman, School Board of the City of Manassas, Virginia:

The teachers have the expertise and the experience on how to approach things, [but] they’ve never approached anything like this, at least not in my lifetime. But I think what we need to do is teach respect. I don’t want my educators taking a side politically with our children, but I want them to say that, “You know, Mr. Trump disrespected women, and that can’t be done. And not only women, but he disrespected me, saying that was ‘locker room talk.’” Well, I’ve got news for you. Mr. Trump, I’ve never spoken that way in the locker room

George Cassutto, eighth-grade civics teacher, Harmony Middle School, Hamilton, Virginia:

Over the summer, I attended a seminar on civic education, and part of the angle of that training was how to remain objective in a heightened political atmosphere, and that’s what I wanted to know: How do I deal with these issues in a way that makes me appear objective? So that was my academic preparation. But I also had to go through an emotional preparation to make sure that when the issues came up that students felt like they had a safe zone, they could express their views, without repercussions from other students.

Haley Bottemiller, fourth-grade teacher, White Center Heights Elementary, Seattle:

I teach in a high poverty school, 80-percent free and reduced lunch. We have many different cultures: Vietnamese, Mexican and Somali. This year in particular, I have an even larger Muslim population—a fourth of my class is Muslim. We started reading about this two weeks ago, about what a president’s job is, what’s their role in government, and the very simplest terms. Then what type of person should be president? They should be responsible, respectful, and hardworking—their character as people. Then we started reading about Trump. The words that they came up with to describe Trump were greedy, wealthy, selfish, disrespectful, unwelcoming. And that juxtaposition—these are the words that we came up with for when we thought about the president as a general job.

Will you bring it up in class? Or do you expect the kids to?

David Swaney, civics teacher, Linn-Mar High School, Marion, Iowa:

The first thing I asked [Monday] morning in class was: “Raise your hand if you saw a video.” And two-thirds of them had watched it already. So, you know, I felt like we could talk about it. And everybody who hadn’t watched it, already knew what was said in it. So that makes it easier. Absolutely, lots of comments: That’s disgusting! It’s disgusting behavior! What locker room does that happen in? You know, lots of comments like that. The class is half female. And students aren’t shy, talking about it. I sort of let students drive the conversation.

My goal was to put it in the broader context, to make sure that they understand that this is totally uncharted territory. I have some very conservative kids in the class, and I’m sympathetic to them. It’s cringe-worthy for them, and so you want to protect them a little bit from an onslaught of criticism. I try to discuss it by pulling back, and being as objective as possible, sort of clinical, discussing it as political scientists would.

Ilana Hand, Langley High School, McLean:

I’m so on the fence. I change my mind every 30 seconds. Honestly, I want to bring it up and I want it to be a conversation. I just don’t know if it’s the right thing to do. I don’t know what the reaction will be. Again, it’s uncharted territory. I fear that I’m not qualified to handle this conversation in a way that’s going to be productive. I’m not trained in this. But I will say this: If a student asks me my opinion, I will be very clear and very honest about how I feel about this situation [and] that my opinion is that [Trump’s tape] to me is so horrific and unforgivable that the response for me was not acceptable.

Mike Davis, Colorado Academy, Denver:

We have a seventh-grade course called “Outside the Box” in which the kids learn about problem-solving and real world issues. The teacher assigned an article on Friday that talked about both candidates and the issue of character. The article actually referenced specifically some of Trump’s comments that were inappropriate in public discourse. The teacher did not censor this language (which was similar to the language he used in the Access Hollywood video) and talked to the class about that language and what it meant and why it wasn’t reflective of school values. [On Monday] not all of her kids came to class having seen the video. Some did, and shared it with the class. This led to a conversation about character. Again, as most of our classes are like here at Colorado Academy, the teacher took a Socratic approach to encourage dialogue and questioning.

Carole Gauronskas, Ketterlinus Elemnetary, St. Augustine:

This week, I'm prepared to hear the p-word, because unfortunately I hear a lot of things I wish I didn't hear out of children in my room. I'm going to expect that kind of question: Did you see the tape, Mrs. G? Did you see it on TV? He said the p-word! My answer to this—it will always be—is that words have consequences, guys, and that there are words we do not use in public.

George Cassutto, Harmony Middle School, Hamilton, Virginia:

I will have to avoid any direct discussion of the debate. Because the Access Hollywood tape became known after Friday, students may be able to bring it up—Mr. Cassutto what do you think of it? I’m not going to discuss it, because it’s too controversial. The reason why is because I’ve had numerous phone calls from parents this year, through my principal and directly to me, where I have had to defend my lesson. And that’s a very precarious situation to be in. I have to be very careful [on Tuesday]. The debate—I will not bring it up either. I told kids watch the debate, be informed, but I will not bring it up. Because of the repercussions inevitably that come about. I think I have the blessing of my administrators to say, “In this atmosphere, we’d rather you not discuss it.”

Haley Bottemiller, White Center Heights Elementary, Seattle:

I wouldn’t bring that up. Especially not using the rhetoric of sexual assault—because I don’t feel like it’s a developmentally appropriate word for them to know at this point in the year. But I do think that the discussion of what he says and how he treats people is [warranted]. Hey, Ms. B, did you hear about this tape? I’d say, “I heard about it, and it’s really upsetting as a woman, and he said some really unkind things about women.” The kids have already said: “He hates women.” They’ve heard that! They’ve heard some of the nasty things that he said, and the mudslinging that occurred. But I would have to phrase it in that way. Before we do health [education], we have to have parent approval: Is it OK if we talk to your kids about sexual assault?

Can this be turned into a teachable moment?

Ilana Hand:

We do have these programs in place to teach kids about gender equality, and how to be respectful of each other, what is appropriate behavior, what we will and will not tolerate at our school. If [Trump’s] kind of language were used in my classroom, or in a locker room and a teacher heard it, they would be expected to report it and there would be some kind of reprimand that would be fairly serious. Is it teachable? Yes, I just don’t—it freaks me out to be honest. Yes, absolutely. But how much of our values as a teacher should we impose on the students? I do think this a fundamental conversation. I just don’t know how we’re supposed to do it. I think we need some help.

Mike Davis:

It happened on Friday, we didn’t have time to get ahead of it. I trust that my teachers have common sense and are going to understand it. [They can ask:] “The tape is disturbing. What do you guys think of that?” We’re trying to manage a healthy conversation, but we want politically engaged kids. We’re trying to create citizens. So we’re going to talk about this stuff.

Tim Demeria:

I think there very much is a teachable moment in everything. But I can’t see anywhere in this that would be a silver lining. As a teachable moment, maybe it’s mostly negative. What we’re hearing is intolerance and lack of respect. Children are impressionable. If their parents are supporting someone, and that person says things that have been said—that it’s OK to treat women like that, that it’s OK to want to build a wall to keep the “rapists” out—those sort of things are teachable right there. It’s the wrong teaching, but it’s still teaching.

Carole Gauronskas:

My [disabled] kids see this guy on television, and there's no consequence: It’s OK for him, [so] it’s OK for us. That’s the mentality of some of my children. I absolutely see a correlation. [I tell them] your action has a consequence. And one of the kids said, “He seems to get away with everything he says.” I said: “Well, he’s not living within the ‘character counts’ rules like we do.” And I said this to the kids: “This is not what we teach you daily. Bullying is unacceptable.” And immediately one of my kids said: “But he bullies all the time on television!” And I was like, “OK, but that doesn’t make it right. If you bully someone, it goes against the school rules, and the district’s rules, the state rules, and yes, the government—the federal government has anti-bullying rules in place.” One of my kids goes: “Well, why isn’t he in trouble?” How do you teach the kids here that there’s a consequence, when they see on the national stage there doesn’t seem to be a consequence? So, I guess for my part, may Nov. 8 come sooner rather than later, and have these kids know that there is a consequence: You lose an election.

What's the most worrisome thing that could come up in the next month?

Ilana Hand:

For me, it’s very clear the most worrisome thing is that these young children think that saying these words and having the attitude that it’s OK is normal. And it’s not. It’s not acceptable.

Tim Demeria:

Are we preparing for what’s next? Who the heck knows what’s next! And hopefully [it’s] not much. Because it’s detrimental to my kids and to my country. I really think it’s dumbing us down. We’re better than this. You know, young men are impressionable. They hear this, and even if you’ve got great parents at home, it’s still out there now. This makes parenting that much more difficult.

Carole Gauronskas:

We’ve had to talk to students in our class when words have been used in the debates like Lyin’ Ted. That word actually came up once in the classroom. Lyin’ Ted! I said, No, no, no, it’s Mr. Cruz, or Sen. Cruz. You need to give them their just title. That is a made-up name, by someone who couldn't come up with anything brighter. You just don’t make fun of people. We remind them of that all the time, when they bully one another. Whether that’s to write a letter of apology to a person they called a name, there is always an immediate consequence. And I’m sure that’s what we're going to get this week, and up until Nov. 8.

George Cassutto:

Because of the Access Hollywood tape, the possibility of students using profanity or using vulgar language in the classroom—because they have seen a presidential candidate use it—is now much greater. And so I will have to address that behavior, because they are simply doing what they’ve seen modeled by adults. That’s the next scenario that I will have to deal with. The bottom line in my class is respect: Respect each other, even if we disagree. Now I feel I’m out on a limb. If someone starts talking about the Access Hollywood tape, how do we show that same level of respect, especially to our female classmates and the women in our lives?

Haley Bottemiller:

I’m concerned that the campaign is going to get even worse. But I’m more concerned I’m going to have to explain to a bunch of fourth-graders that Trump [has won]. They might feel very worried about their parents being asked to leave. At our school there have been deportations. They’ll say: “I don’t want to leave,” because they don’t understand that the president can’t come to your house and force you to leave. They think presidents have a lot more power than they actually do.

Have students been emotionally affected by the campaign?

Mike Davis:

As educators, we see a larger trend toward unkindness, just in general in society. I think that’s been the development of social media and kind of trolling, anonymous comments and things like that. The election is reflective of how we’ve evolved in the past 10 years. But I do think we’re always combating a general flow in our society toward uncivil discourse and behavior. You talk to any public school or private school educator, adults are the more challenging parts of the equation than the kids. Kids understand what the rules are in schools, and what’s bad language and good language. All these thing the candidates have done at various times—Does this normalize that behavior? All of a sudden I'm giving a ‘B’ to a student. Are they going to manage it like a reasonable person who is trying to instill in their child accountability and responsibility? Or will they handle challenging situations like so many political figures, with language and discourse that fails to respond to the core issues?

David Swaney:

Frankly, the message started [here] on Iowa caucus night. As the students have gotten more comfortable with the subject matter and with the chemistry of the class, they’re becoming more open about sharing their thoughts and opinions on what’s happening. … I don’t think they’re particularly scarred by it. Then again, I think everyone is a little bit scarred by this election.

Haley Bottemiller:

They’re more angry than anything. One little girl, her parents were born in Somalia. But she’s lived here her whole life. And every time we talk about it, she says: “Oh, I can’t believe Trump says these things!” It’s so hard to comprehend, especially children who have grown up in a multicultural neighborhood, to feel any sort of hate or fear. Because everyone in the room is different from them. There’s no majority race or religion.

Are you concerned about criticism that you have politicized the classroom?

Ilana Hand:

Yeah, I am. I really feel like it’s not my place, unless I’m asked, to talk about politics at all. Kids have asked me over the years: “What do you think?” And I’ll say: “I’ll tell you my opinion.” My job is to be their math teacher. So if I have a situation in my class where somebody is disrespected, I address that immediately. But I don’t initiate a conversation about it unless I have to. And the question is: Do I have to? I think we probably all do, yeah. I do think it’s probably worse for the teachers who have government as part of their curriculum.

Mike Davis:

As educators, we walk a very fine line, about how do we manage these conversations and allow kids the opportunity to form their own opinion. It’s just tricky. And it’s hard in this election when you have political discourse from adults that has devolved in such a disturbing way. But I also think the last thing we want to do as a school is be seen as imposing a political perspective on kids.

Tim Demeria:

I don't want a teacher to be influencing children on how they should vote or think. [At the same time], you have to tell the truth: That sort of language should be unacceptable. Maybe for some people it’s acceptable in the locker room. It wouldn’t be acceptable in my locker rooms. If the teacher was asked about it, and she or he said that that is inappropriate language, that’s not politicking, that’s answering a question. And yes, I would stand by my teacher, because he or she is doing their job. You have to answer the questions. You can’t hide from it. It’s out there.

David Swaney:

Yes, although I may be a little different. I don’t necessarily come straight out and say that this behavior is wrong. I let them come to the obvious conclusion. They’re 17 and 18 years old. I can tell by their facial expressions and their comments that they recognize that it’s wrong. It’s difficult to bring up outrageous behavior by anybody, and try to maintain objectivity and come off as unbiased. I’m often looking at the conservatives in the class thinking, how do I get through this without making them uncomfortable or angry? I’m not always totally successful. I’ve had some things that I wish I could rephrase.

How is this campaign changing the way you teach civics?

Mike Davis:

I have a lot of faith in the wisdom of young people to come to an understanding about the world around them. I am not so worried about kids and how they handle this political campaign, my bigger concern is how parents “live out” this emerging political discourse. As a country, do we learn from this dysfunction? Do we perpetuate uncivil and inappropriate discourse?

David Swaney:

There’s a couple of ways it’s going to change. First of all, just having a woman candidate changes all the language you have to use. I’ve always referred to the president with the masculine pronoun. That’s one way. And the other way is just Trump. I worry that his language is going to become the new normal. And his campaign strategy is going to become what is expected of candidates in the future. And that scares me. And that will change the way I teach.

George Cassutto:

I think moving forward and looking at revising my usual classroom technique which may be more about critical thinking, asking students to think critically, to question authority. Part of what we have to do in eighth grade is detect bias. I’m not going to change anything, but I will have to be more careful in helping students do the things that are part of the curriculum.

Are you worried this is the students’ first exposure to an election?

David Swaney:

I keep telling them: I’m so sorry that this is your first election. It’s normally not like this. And yet, it’s alluring. And it makes it juicy for them to pay attention. So yes, there is an advantage. The entire world is talking about it, and they’re learning the details of it. It's kind of convenient timing for me. So there’s a silver lining.

Carole Gauronskas:

They have retention that is amazing. Four years from now, when they’re freshmen in high school, at the next presidential election, will they remember? Part of me prays they don’t.