South Junior High School may be grooming the next generation of politicians and lawyers. Honors language art students spent the last trimester of school writing legislation to hold a Mock Congress.
Students in Sarah Good’s language arts class have learned to write legislation, prepare and present speeches, debate and challenge thoughts and ideas.
“What you’ll see,” Good addresses the crowd of spectators at the Mock Congress, “is the result of students’ logical reasoning, research and writing skills being put to the test.”
Each student was tasked with choosing a topic, concern or issue to write legislation. They researched their topics, came up with solutions and formed their ideas into a bill. Each bill was then voted on by the class. The top three bills that made it to the floor: Raise the Hourly Minimum Wage to Lower Poverty Rates in the United States (to $12 an hour), Increase Minimum Buying and Smoking of Tobacco Age From 18 to 21 and Protect DREAMers from Being Deported from the United States.
Those three bills were sent to a committee (larger group of students). The minimum wage bill was sent to the Committee on Fundamental Rights. The buying and smoking of tobacco age increase bill was sent to the Committee for Health and Safety while the protection of DREAMers was sent to the Committee for Justice in Immigration Policy.
The committees polished the bills and readied them for presentation and debate on the floor.
Each student prepared a speech in support of the bill or against it.
The day Congress convened, students had to be the first to stand in order to speak for or against the bill. The day became very competitive.
Students addressed themselves as senators while Good, the moderator, was addressed as Speaker Good during the Mock Congress. Senators were given just a few moments to give their speech and then the floor was open to debate and questions.
Senator Julene Granberg spoke for the bill stating Congress has only passed a bill to increase minimum wage three times in the last 30 years with the last one in 2011.
“The CEO of Walmart makes $2.2 million a year,” stated Granberg. “And a person working in the store makes nine dollars an hour which is the equivalent of $18,000 a year.”
Granberg was challenged with questions like, “How do you propose the increase?” and “How will you pay for the increase?”
She responded, “By increasing the product prices, there will be enough profit to increase wages.”
Senator Laudenbach also challenged the bill stating that the increase would cause an economic strain and force small businesses to close which would create fewer job opportunities and cause inflation.
Senator Abigail Brown spoke for the bill.
Brown explained, “A single mom, working as a cashier, earns $16,000 a year. Costs are estimated at $146-286 per week for a family of four for food. It costs an estimated $10,000 a year for childcare if one of those children is a baby.”
Students quickly verified data on their iPads as Brown stated her statistics looking to challenge, question or inform.
The debate continued with Senator Starren opposing the bill with concern that larger companies would move to use more technology to replace the human workforce as cheaper labor. Senator Jordan favored the bill stating 9.5 million people who work are under the poverty line.
The day continued with other examples of the use the Earned Income Tax Credit as an alternative to increasing minimum wage by Senator Deans with Senator Jordan disputing the fact that baby boomers will be leaving the workforce creating more job opportunities.
Senator Scheskie continued in support of passing the bill.
“One-third of college students skip meals and fear becoming homeless,” stated Scheskie. “Washington raised the minimum wage and the economy boomed. Over half the states raised their own [minimum wage] and their economy boomed.”
Scheskie was confronted on a state to a federal level comparison. Remaining confident, Scheskie retorted that states that implemented the wage increase give the best example for the federal level to follow.
As each bill came before the floor, students contested one another, gaining life skills of critical and creative thinking, public speaking and research. But, to them, it was just fun.
Scheskie, looking to be a lawyer in the future, described the experience. “It was fun doing this Mock Congress. It’s good skills for debate and marketing.”
Who knows? Scheskie, along with his classmates, just might be on the ballot in the next decade and could very well be the next generation of legislators thanks to the experience in Good’s honors language arts class.
