We had an amazing set of guest speakers today from the Center for Cartoon Studies, promoting their cartoon This is What Democracy Looks Like. What a treat! This cartoon is a simplified version of what our democracy really is; not what you see/hear on the television. It is a step by step guide for people to get an understanding of how our government is supposed to work.
Our presenters had a really good system set up. One would talk the kids past the difficult concepts and work out an issue with them. The other would draw what we were talking about. It was a really cool one-two system.
Below are some of the notes they ended up drawing as we discussed what Democracy looks like locally and nationally.
The beginning part of our discussion. We focused on what Democracy looked like…starting with an issue we can all relate to: bad cafeteria food. If the food is bad, what percentage of kids will do something about it?
Our second part of the conversation centered around who you would go to get help to solve a problem. As we added in people, we started to create a tangled web of connections; which quickly became overwhelming. Once you unravel the web though, it is easier to see what you need to do and how to solve your problem.
Our tangled web of who we would talk to in order to solve our problems.
The comic that everyone received. It is an awesome read and I recommend it to all!
A drawing from one of our students; showcasing how they felt about some of the issues related to their existence. Future professional comic book artist in our midst?
Really cool opportunity for our kiddos!
It was an awesome event…hopefully they come back.
I have had a few students in the past come back to help out at St. Ben’s, even after they graduate.