Educators may readily pull age-appropriate lessons from an event like an inauguration since it is so rich in tradition, spectacle, and symbolism. But today is not your average day of inauguration, when power is transferred without incident and the country comes together as one.
After being impeached for inciting riots to prevent the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s election, President Trump would be the first sitting president to miss his predecessor’s swearing in since 1869.
Because to the pandemic, the inauguration will have unusually strict security and less than usual fanfare. When Chalkbeat polled teachers about how they’d talk about Wednesday’s historic events, they got a wide range of answers.
It would indicate that some educators are feeling anxious about the start of the school year. Activities at the inauguration that aren’t specifically themed may come seen as insensitive.
Some communities are so deeply divided that lectures regarding politics are off-limits. If there are threats of violence, how safe is it to even witness the celebrations? Some, however, are not afraid to embrace the occasion by hosting student polls, watch parties, and adjusting their curriculum accordingly. Here you will find out do we have school on inauguration day.
What Inauguration Day Looked like in Schools
The United States has a new President and Vice President, and it’s been just over 24 hours since this historic event. In the midst of a pandemic, political discontent, and racial tensions across our nation, both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris take office.
Topics that are causing heated debates in classrooms across the state of Michigan. On the day of an inauguration, high schools all around Michigan’s Indiana territory tend to bring their history classes to life.
In contrast, this year’s conversations were more taxing, touching on sensitive topics like political ideology and racial prejudice. We were given the rare privilege to bring our cameras inside the ceremony.
An historic event witnessed by millions around the globe and one New Prairie High School senior history class. Mark Schellinger, head of the Social Studies department, has remarked, “From then, a lot of it is directed more solely towards the history the process.”
Broadcasting the inauguration at all was a tough call in light of the disturbance at the capital and the controversy surrounding President Joe Biden’s victory.
Paul White, superintendent of New Prairie United Schools, explained that a group including representatives from the school’s “senior U.S.,” “senior government,” and “social studies” departments had gathered to discuss the problem.
Whereas major political events are frequently shown in politics and history schools, the decision to depict the inauguration was heavily weighted.
Do We Have School on Inauguration Day
The day of this year’s inauguration will go down as one of the most memorable ever. Trump’s decision to skip his successor’s inauguration on the spurious grounds of election fraud is a blow to the peaceful transfer of power and will set him apart from every president in the past 150 years.
After a Trump supporter mob stormed the Capitol on January 6 to prevent lawmakers from declaring Joe Biden’s election, he is now facing calls for impeachment or removal from office under the 25th Amendment.
Traditionally, all living U.S. presidents, both current and former, gather for the inauguration. Aside from Andrew Johnson in 1869 and John Adams in 1801, only two other presidents have failed to attend the inauguration of their successor.
Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, along with current Vice President Mike Pence, are all scheduled to appear at this year’s festivities. Carter, who is 96 years old and a former president, has already said that he will not be present.
The traditional events of Inauguration Day have been disrupted by the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. The traditional inauguration crowds will be absent, and the procession will be held virtually, out of concern for health and safety and to limit the spread of the airborne disease.
There will be a swearing-in ceremony for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on the Capitol steps, despite the pro-Trump siege of the building.
Conclusion
There is a formal ceremony to inaugurate the president of the United States every four years on January 20. If you are teaching during an inauguration year, this might be a terrific way to get students involved in how the government operates.
The following exercises are created with the notion that your class is able to view the presidential inauguration. If it’s not an inauguration year, these activities can still be fantastic methods to get students thinking about civics and democracy but you may need to adjust them just a bit.
As part of these events, you can think about showing them a film of a past inauguration. Hope you are now aware do we have school on inauguration day.