Practice What We Teach

Tomorrow, as you all know, is Election Day; polls open at 6:00 AM and close at 7:00 PM.

Due to redistricting in the General Assembly, some polling locations have changed.  You should have received a new voter registration card in the mail earlier this month.  If you are unsure where you should vote, you may find your polling location here:  https://www.voterinfo.sbe.virginia.gov/PublicSite/Public/FT2/PublicPollingPlace.aspx

In 2007, the last local election for School Board and Supervisors, only 25% of registered voters cast ballots.  Think about that: 75% of the people who could have had a say in the management of our community chose not to.  Were you part of the "silent majority?"  I truly hope not!

As educators, we are the foundation for a working democracy; we show young people how to access and evaluate information to make the best choices from among what is known (not to mention understanding what is knowable in the first place).  And while schools are no longer the gateways to information access that they were before the electronic information revolution, they continue to be the guiding authority on information usage.  The critical thinking skills taught in our public schools are more important than ever with the widespread availability of information.  Since misinformation can be spread just as easily (and sadly, just as intentionally), the ability to discern useful information, relevant information and even truthful information from among the literally millions of individual pieces of data that can be called up at the push of a button at practically any time and place is paramount to having an educated citizenry capable of making meaningful choices for the betterment of their lives and community.

So please make the time to vote tomorrow.  We would not accept 25% as a demonstration of high quality and "best effort" from our students, why would we model such apathy in our civic responsibility?  And when you vote tomorrow, please keep in mind that the CEA-endorsed candidates have all been vetted through a process including written and face-to-face interviews, and have expressed agreement with and support for CEA's positions on improving public education for the families of Chesterfield County.