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Kristy Johnson

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Can you tell us a little about your work and how you first came across iCivics?

I have a Masters Degree in Education and Coaching, and over a decade of experience teaching K–12 and adult learners. I have taught in turn-around schools, schools where the PTA raised a million dollars a year, in-patient treatment centers, and prisons. I have also tutored a variety of standardized tests: ACT, SAT, ISEE, and PSAT, to name a few.

Currently, I teach adult education. There are two tests our country uses to measure High School Equivalency (HSE) and I teach both: the GED and the HISET. (The TASC was discontinued, but I taught that one as well.)

Civics and government make up 38% of the social studies portion of the HISET and 50% of the social studies portion of the GED. iCivics has some of the best worksheets I have found to teach this subject, and I love the general approach to nonpartisan education for all Americans. I’ve been using the worksheets for years.

What do you think explains civics making up such a significant portion of the high school equivalency tests?

I think the reason for this heavy emphasis on citizenship content is that the GED and HiSET are geared toward adult learners. Topics like the branches of government, voting, and the Bill of Rights are fundamental to a functioning democracy. The exam mirrors a citizenship exam, and I think that’s intentional to the demographic.

What do you see as one of the most important pieces of the kind of civic education you provide?

More than ever, students need to know how to find a reliable resource, and how to sift through fake news and AI-generated content to find what is true. My undergrad degree was in journalism, and we learned how to research: how to verify information, how to find a reliable resource, etc. I appreciate that iCivics resources do just that: teach students how to research and find what is true. This is the most important topic for a functioning society.

The majority of students are like, “Wait. I saw a video on that.” I push back and ask, “Where did the video come from? How do you know if it’s real?” Students often don’t care. “So what if it isn’t?”

To get students to care about the fact that their “news” (TikTok videos and such) might be fake, you have to start with topics that matter to them. I let students choose a topic they care about, and then we discuss how they would feel if they saw AI-generated content or fake news about that topic. What would they do? How would they feel? How would they verify or know what is true?

Some students truly believe we cannot know what is and isn’t true anymore. You have to walk students through the research process multiple times to prove that we can actually know what is true. Explore several articles on one event. Identify bias and leading language. Distill the facts. This helps students see that we CAN know what is true. We just have to be critical and careful consumers.

What challenges do you encounter in your teaching?

Distrust is a big one. Everybody comes into class with some kind of “Whose side are you teaching me?” mindset. Especially students coming from countries where the United States is considered untrustworthy, or students who have had court involvement or incarceration touch their home. I always say I’m not trying to teach you what to think, I’m trying to teach you how to think.

Equipping students with techniques to tell if something is true is essential, and then showing them that these techniques work and they CAN know what is and isn’t true.

About Kristy

Years as Educator: 10+

School/Organization: Adult and Community Learning Services, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)

Cast Your Vote and Growing Informed Voters 

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As a middle school civics teacher, not only do I need to teach the importance of voting like my high school colleagues, but I have to do it four or more years before the students will even be eligible to register. This makes holding their interest more difficult. I have also found that while students understand the importance of making informed decisions, they do not know how to find information about the candidates in order to make those decisions. The solution?  I have students take part in the actual research, comparison, and election processes through an in-depth mock election project that kicks off with the iCivics game, Cast Your Vote.

Cast Your Vote is one of the more challenging games offered as part of the We the People program because of the amount of analysis required of students regarding candidates, including their stances on issues and voting history. Students must also identify red flags related to misinformation or bias.

In the game, the player has four simulated weeks to attend town halls, research candidates through digital news sources and campaign literature, and decide their own personal stance on issues to find the candidate who best matches. At the end of the game, students not only get a score based on voting for a candidate who best matches their decided-upon stance on issues but also on the amount of facts and red flags identified.

Once we’ve played the game in class, students are ready to try out the same skills with the real upcoming elections. I assign one race to each period, and each student gets a graphic organizer that documents the candidates’ stances or plans for at least five issues affecting our government.

After a few days of at-home research and a quick grade based on completed research, students are then put in pairs or small groups to choose one of the issues and create an informational poster contrasting the candidates on that issue. Our hallway quickly fills with research-based, unbiased comparisons using the candidates’ own stances and comments. The staff and visiting adults in the building love to comment about how helpful this research is for their own voting preparation.

Finally, it’s time for our mock election. After students have had a few days to look over other classmates’ work and see a sample ballot, I publish their mock election ballot taken from screenshots of the real sample ballots from my local election office. Students are warned to follow the directions of the ballot just like at a real polling location and, during a period, are given privacy in booths to take their ballot and vote. I have even begun buying stickers for the students who choose to participate, which is almost 100%.

During the project, the students comment that the amount of work often surprises them, and they now not only understand the importance of voting more but feel like they are better prepared than many of the adults in their households with whom they talk about the project a lot.

Erin-Merill-Headshot

Written by Erin Merrill

Erin Merrill is an award-winning educator in her 19th year of teaching middle school social studies and her 10th year as Department Chair and Middle School lead at Pennington Traditional School in Prince William County, VA. She is passionate about making her students aware and engaged in the current events around them, and thankfully, Civics provides the perfect platform for this.

Through the iCivics Educator Network, the perspectives of teachers across the country contribute to the public conversation about civic education in the United States. Each contributor represents their own opinion. We welcome this diversity of perspectives.

Amanda Donley

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On Civic Education and the iCivics Youth Fellowship

I was fortunate to get one of the best civic educations possible when it comes to the iCivics Youth Fellowship and my 8th grade “We the People” class. As a result, I know my constitutional rights and I feel very prepared to vote and otherwise engage. 

But there were 200 other students in my grade level who opted out of civics, and I’m not sure a lot of my peers understand much about what is going on in government, how they are affected by it, and how they can affect it in return.

As part of the iCivics fellowship, I interviewed two groups of students—those who got the same classes I did those who did not.. The first group gave long, elaborate answers and there was open communication between the students. But when I interviewed kids who did not get this form of civic education, they gave one- or two- word answers, didn’t seem to really be familiar with the word “civics” or what it entailed, and didn’t really talk to each other. This exercise really put into perspective how even one single class can alter a person completely.

On the State of the Nation

It’s hard to imagine that there was a time when members of opposing political parties could “agree to disagree”—or even come together on certain issues. Today, it seems our elected officials are punished for working with members of another party, yet that’s the very foundation of the U.S. Constitution. As someone who is civically engaged, such actions don’t feel like serving the community—they feel antithetical to what they teach us in civics class.

When I think about what our nation could be, the word that springs to mind is “open.” Open to differences of opinion—not always having to be right. More open to listening to each other, and not always yelling.

On iCivics

With iCivics, it’s not just about supporting a program or a website. but actively supporting the next generation of this country. What iCivics does is amazing: it helps young people find the answers to questions they’re too afraid to ask. If “the next generation will “fix it,” then we need tools, knowledge, and support systems. We need the space to meet up a few times before figuring it all out and supporting programs that provide just this—a space to try, and mess up, and try again, and succeed—it fosters a true interest in our country.It’s about supporting an entire generation that can finally find its voice, and that will want to create a better world for all.

Shari Conditt

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On the State of the Nation

If I’m being honest I’m pretty hopeful because I know, over time, things get better. As a historian, I don’t think our current struggles are any more unique than those faced during other times in our history.

Since I pay attention to politics, I know that bipartisan bills pass and that the Supreme Court is unanimous in its decisions a majority of the time. That’s not what gets covered in the media, though, because that doesn’t make for exciting news. I don’t think we are so diametrically opposed as some of the media wants to make us sound like we are, and this is reinforced when I talk to my students and their families. We are a nation that deeply loves its communities and its children.

In order to teach civics, you need to know who your kids are, their families, their needs. You have to deeply, deeply invest in where you are.

On the Value of Civic Education 

We were studying the American Revolution in my A.P. U.S. History class. There are obviously no videos from the 1770s, so I’m showing them a couple of clips from this John Adams HBO series. There’s this beautiful scene where John Adams says, “In my life I want a country. I want a country.”

I want my kids to have a country—to have a place where the virtues of who we are as a people are secured for all. They are the ones that are going to have to do it.

So, it’s about learning the skills and having the knowledge needed to engage in a democratic society—to ensure that the values of our Republic are maintained over time.  We have to ensure that the next generation has the skill set to be good caretakers of the system that so many have worked to preserve. That’s the value of a civic education.

What Civic Education Looks Like in the Classroom and at School

Right off the bat, we create classroom norms on how we engage with each other. These are built by the students, not by me. There’s more buy-in this way. We review our norms before we launch into any conversation that might become ideological. As a result, I see a lot of honoring of each other and not a lot of heated debates.

My kids want civil dialogue. I hear it routinely. They’ll say, “Why can’t people just have a conversation?” In many ways, due to social media, there’s a greater level of awareness than there was even six years ago. As a result, students share and post on issues that feel dear to their heart, but they’re also being attacked for thinking about these issues and they often don’t know how to engage with that. So I feel impassioned by this work. If I can get my kids to engage with different opinions on really serious issues, then we can move the ball forward in progressing democracy.

Largely, I lead my class from a place of inquiry. Instead of being the ‘sage on the stage,’ I want to guide my students in understanding how various groups might think about issues. I want to help them find the necessary sources to help them understand.

Beyond the classroom, we set up school governing systems in which our students feel that their voice is imperative. If the democratic process feels removed from you, then you don’t have a say and don’t feel like decisions impact you or matter to you. As the student council director, I try to create systems where student voice is part of the decision-making. Through this, students see the value in the democratic process—engaging, reading, and understanding. 

On Teaching Civics

A lot of folks probably don’t know how much effort a civics teacher has to put in outside of class. Part of my homework is paying constant attention to the news—from understanding the background of current events to making sure I know the rules of the House of Representatives in order to answer student questions. That’s a lot of work outside of school hours that has nothing to do with grading papers or writing a curriculum. It has everything to do with how I “fill my bucket with content knowledge in order to support my kids’ education.”

The amount of paying attention I have to do toward media sources is just fascinating. And then, I’m having to practice the same inquiry and media literacy skills that we’re teaching our kids, right? And I have to prepare for handling crises that happen in the middle of the day for which I don’t yet know anything about. You must be able to maneuver through tough times, and know when it’s appropriate to push and let students take the reins.

It used to be that the teacher was the expert in the room, but with kids having access to so much information with the world wide web, we have to re-evaluate what it means to learn history. A positive shift in this regard has been to teaching concrete, tangible skills that have greater longevity than content knowledge alone. For instance: 

  • How do we read graphics? 
  • How do we corroborate sources to ensure that the media we’re looking at is accurate? 
  • How do we engage people in civil dialogue? 

I also don’t think most people see the nuance of just how thoughtful I must be with my word choices. I will frequently pause with students, and think about how to express an idea without betraying my own perspective. I’m really transparent with kids about this. It’s mental gymnastics in a way that I’m not sure other professions have to do. I even ask my principal to come into my classroom to observe, as I trust her judgment as to whether I’ve taught with bias or not. I take this step preemptively to serve as a check as faith and trust are essential, and built over time. 

On iCivics

I have nothing but love for iCivics. The resources are easy to navigate. As a teacher, I need materials quickly, and iCivics’ materials are “plug and play.” iCivics is great precisely because it has educators involved in the process of developing its curricular resources.

iCivics also responds to my needs. Four years ago, I had multilingual learners that were newcomers. I was trying to build capacity for the target language but also build civics capacity, and I needed resources that could help me. So, I reached out to iCivics and told them I was struggling. And iCivics actually responded back! They told me what resources already existed in Spanish and what was to come. Having a curriculum organization answer you is amazing!

Most importantly, students enjoy—and find value—in the iCivics curriculum. The materials are phenomenal, and the team that puts the materials together are clearly hard-working. We see that as classroom teachers because the materials help the kids explore and open their eyes.

About Shari

Teaching experience: 20+ years—high school social studies, including AP U.S. History, AP Government, economics, etc.

Select Awards: 

  • 2016 Washington State History Teacher of the Year
  • 2015 Regional Teacher of the Years
  • 2013 Nancy Lyman Roelker Mentorship Award—awarded by the American History Association to honor teachers who have inspired students in a way that’s changed their lives
  • 2009 James Madison Fellow

Saturnino Pajkos

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On the Youth Fellowship

I’ve always had a passion for helping people as well as a deep appreciation for education. My previous government teacher shared with me this opportunity to be a part of the iCivics Youth Fellowship, given we’d used iCivics materials before in class. So I applied… and got in! It’s been an honor and privilege to be a part of the movement for better civic education.

Being a part of the Fellowship had a profound impact on me. In my life, I haven’t met many people interested—dare I say passionate?—about government. Through the fellowship, I finally found a group of people to connect with. We had educated conversations and tried to resolve civics issues affecting us. 

I was surprised by the amount of engagement we had within our community. We weren’t just sitting there, saying what we already thought and knew. No, we actually interviewed our peers and gathered their many different viewpoints. Learning how to do that was so valuable to me. It helped me communicate better. It made our projects better. It helped the future of civics and our country.

The people in the Fellowship all had different backgrounds, opinions and career paths, yet we shared the common goal of improving civic education to promote these ideals to keep our Republic going. I found the others to be dedicated to this cause, and willing to put their political beliefs aside in order to work together. It was relieving to see, and makes me hopeful for the future.

On the Value of Civic Education

I think a lot of young people do care about what’s going on politically. I’ve had one-on-one conversations with people who are interested. But publicly, they don’t always express that. They fear the repercussions and the social effects. Part of that is just our age group—the social dynamics, the cliques in school…

There is a trend among some young people—they think, “Why bother?” Through media, they see little getting done, and constant bickering and fighting. However, I see that once young people get a proper civic education—once they sit down and make sense of how our government works, and why these systems are in place—they get a better sense of democracy as a system to uphold…one worth fighting for. Education plays a major role in evading crisis.

On Civic Education 

In Arizona, there is just one semester of a civics course; then you have to take the Arizona state-mandated civics test and receive a 70 or higher. It’s similar to the U.S. citizenship test. What’s become clear to me is your education depends on the quality of your teacher, given the teaching requirements are loose and open to interpretation. I was very lucky to have excellent teachers in government. But I also know students who didn’t have that. And realistically, you can only learn so much about a subject in six months.

For something like civic education, learning activities should be far more “hands-on.” It would certainly make it more interesting to more students. 

When you stop to think about it, civics is a set of skills that you use—and build on—for the rest of your life. We need practice. It’s learning how to be a savvy interpreter and user of media  It’s knowing how the judicial system works. It’s knowing what your rights are. It’s playing a role in your government and fulfilling your duties as a citizen. And it includes effective communication—how to convey different ideas between different people. Honestly, it’s part of the beauty of this country too—that we can speak openly in a class or debate setting.

I also think elected officials should be brought in more. It’s inspiring for students to have those who make the laws come in and talk to them. That has a major impact. Maybe classes could take trips down to their local town halls, or the courts, or even the legislature if you’re close enough to the state capital.

Games and hands-on simulations also definitely help. To have students doing the learning sticks with students more than traditional worksheets and reading.

On iCivics

The first time I used iCivics was in 8th grade. This is when we, in Arizona, start learning the basics about American history and government. My teacher mainly used the games, assigning us to play and then send her the results. 

Now I’ve always been passionate about government, but I saw how iCivics was even able to affect students who weren’t as interested in government or policymaking. It gave the teacher an opening to pique their interest. I saw how these games engaged us all. Soon, my classmates were picking up on new ideas about government, because the topics weren’t far-fetched. iCivics opened our eyes, bringing government down to a level we could understand and touching on things that concerned us. 

Civics, as a skill set, is not easy to learn. It’s an umbrella term for so much, and it’s unique to each individual. Yet it is such a key skill for us all to have in life.

iCivics tries to tackle this issue with hundreds and hundreds of resources for students to help understand how to address the world around them—knowing about government, policy, elected officials, how to check if a source is reliable, how to form a logical opinion, how to consider other opinions with respect. iCivics allows every voice to be heard. Its work will affect generations of Americans, and guide the course of our Republic.

Michael C. Martirone

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In 2016, I was a first-year government and politics teacher looking to connect with teachers who shared my interest and passion for civic education. A friend suggested I join the iCivics Educators Network and since then, my life hasn’t been the same.

The iCivics Educator Network not only helped me develop best practices for teaching civics and government, but has allowed me to collaborate with educators from across the country. I’ve had the opportunity to engage in meaningful pedagogical conversations, share civics resources, and seek new perspectives about my content matter—all of which has made me a better teacher for my students.

The iCivics Educator Network has provided me and my students with a platform like the youth fellowship to share our passion—and elevate the need—for equitable civic education throughout the country.

I have had speaking opportunities to explain why this is the time to fund civic education and give my perspective from the classroom on other topics, as well. The iCivics Educator Network has given me the opportunity not only to teach civics, but to become a part of it.

About Michael

Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey

Teaching experience: 16 years—​high school​ social studies including AP Government & Politics and World History. Over five years teaching Social Studies Education at Stockton University.

Select Awards: 

  • 2015, NJ Teacher of the Year, Finalist.
  • 2016, Princeton University Distinguished Teacher, Finalist.
  • 2020, NJ History Teacher of the Year