So, silly question for a high school social studies teacher: Did the events leading up to this year’s inauguration change your approach to teaching about it?
Um, yes — “150,000 gazillion percent,†said Falla Halsey, who’s taught at North Star since the high school opened.
For one thing, the inauguration of a new president and all the pomp and circumstance that goes with it was not streaming live in her classroom as it normally does.
She’d made the decision to watch and discuss the event a day after it happened even before the district sent a message to all teachers suggesting they not play the event live, given the potential for violence.
That might seem silly in hindsight, after the event came off seamlessly, she said, but warnings that protests could happen at state capitols, the prospect that insurgents could return to the place they’d stormed just two weeks earlier, was very real.
And Halsey didn’t want to risk adding to trauma her students might already be suffering, she didn’t want to worry about having to manage her own emotions were violence to unfold at the ceremonial event.
Another challenge: having class discussion is tough enough with a new class at the start of the semester, with students who don’t know each other or the teacher. Add in the reality that half of them are on Zoom and those challenges increase exponentially.
But because the celebration after the inauguration was virtual, it was also quite visual.
On Thursday, Halsey played to her government and politics class a recap by a PBS newscaster of the ceremony and Joe Biden’s speech. She played the recorded video of three past presidents and their call for unity, and let students watch Katy Perry sing to a jaw-dropping number of fireworks raining down from the sky above the nation’s Capitol.
Halsey had talked to her classes about the inauguration leading up to the event: The symbolism of it, the extra security, the ceremonial nature of the event, how COVID-19 changed it this year, the historic nature of the first woman and first African American and Asian American being sworn in as vice president.
Some students shared their thoughts: One was happy no rioters showed up, that the event went smoothly. Perry (and the fireworks) was her favorite performance. Another student wanted to hear the poem by Amanda Gorman, the first national youth poet laureate, performed during the ceremony.
Kamala Harris did not come up in the class discussion, which didn’t surprise the teacher.
“Students, in my experience, have less to say about it than adults,†she said. “Their expectations are different than adults’.â€
They were excited about it, felt empowered by it, but they grew up with a Black president, a female secretary of state who ran for president. That’s a good thing.
“It changes your expectations of what’s possible,†she said. “That’s the importance of representation.â€
It makes it easier to teach, Halsey said.
“It’s more accessible. Students are better able to see themselves in it, it’s not so much of an outside conversation.â€
They did talk about the symbolism they saw: that Perry wore white in honor of the women’s suffrage movement; that others dressed in purple, also a color of the suffrage movement and a symbol of unity; that Jill Biden’s white gown later that night had all the state’s flowers embroidered on it.
Halsey talked about the significance of a peaceful transition of power.
“Inauguration Day is one of my most favorite days as an educator. It signifies the hope and promise of democracy,†she said after class. “That’s what it looks like when people speak and leaders listen.â€
America's peaceful transfer of power is so unusual, she said, and this year, seeing the inauguration come off seamlessly — despite the troops and the COVID-19 restrictions — sends a powerful message that the promise continues.
After watching the videos of the inauguration and celebration, she asked students to answer a question on their Chromebooks.
What message does the way the United States transfers power send to Americans? About government? To others around the world?
Students wrote that they found it amazing three former presidents were rooting for Biden and wishing him luck. That it was disrespectful for Donald Trump not to be there. That the inauguration is a big deal. That Harris’ election shows anything is possible.
They wrote that it sends Americans a message of peace and unity because members of both parties attend. To other countries, it represents a reset, that despite disagreements Americans are united and fair. It shows how the government was serious and careful when it came to ensuring the transfer of power is peaceful.
One student wrote, succinctly:
“That democracy will prevail no matter the circumstances.â€
North Star High School teacher Falla Halsey (left) talks with senior Dru Miller on Thursday during a government and politics class about the presidential inauguration.