Congrats to Jimmie on her Lens of the Day!

Current events was included in all of my schooling. In the younger grades it's more factual. Kindergarteners would probably just color pictures of Washington, Lincoln and learn that Obama is the current president. What the president does that sort of stuff.

I can't remember what grade I was in when it turned into a brawl.

Well Jimmie you should have accepted those comments even if they were negative. It would give you the opportunity to reply and inform and educate the ignorant and prejudiced. You could state that the nation was built on immigrants, and without them the USA wouldn't exist. You could have said that it was a testament to freedom and tolerance, and Obama is a product of the declaration and constitution of the United States of America. 

Unfortunately, for all your good intentions, when you write about politicians or presidents you will polarise opinion, and consequently you will swim in shark infested waters.

I looked at your Squidoo lens, and found it inoffensive and harmless - I'm not too happy that a third party promoted it on Wizzley, for all it's innocence and naivety it will attract undesirable elements, particularly in the build up to a presidential election - but you've created it now. 

Obama is a divisive figure in the US, so even if you make a Squidoo Lens about Obama Cupcakes or Barak Blueberry Pies you can expect a flurry of comments. They won't be looking at the contents - they will be looking at the name and you have inadvertently politicized your lens.

There's alot of that going on at Squidoo. I suspect that the Wizzley bods will learn from that.

Lissie: 21. Feb 2012, 14:06

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Interesting - thank goodness they hadn't invented lapbooks when I was a kid -  I could write reports all day long - but once got marked down because my cover was rubbish - I refused to spend any time on the cover because I knew it was a waste of time, that the content was the important bit! 

But even more interesting - what age group would learn about a current president in the US? In NZ current politics isn't part of the education system - maybe it would come up if you did Politics 101 at uni/college - but I can't see it being discussed at high school level. LIttle kids might do something about elections in an election year - but I can't imagine learning about an individual -  particularly a living one! 

I'm not sure, Lissie, about what age children lean about the President or about elections. I feel sure it is not left only to high school years. Of course, the studies would be simple for young children and would avoid all the polarizing politics. My guess is social studies teachers do quite a bit of teaching on the elections during election years.

As a homeschooling mom, I can choose when and how we learn things. There is no scope or sequence that I must adhere to. We are pretty free in what we learn. And I love that!

Prospero: 22. Feb 2012, 14:48

 

Obama is a divisive figure in the US, so even if you make a Squidoo Lens about Obama Cupcakes or Barak Blueberry Pies you can expect a flurry of comments. They won't be looking at the contents - they will be looking at the name and you have inadvertently politicized your lens.

 

Yes, maybe I should have left the idiodic comments. But I didn't. And you made me laugh on cupcakes and pies!