Capitol Classroom:
Read about 2014 Evergreen High School students and dextromethorphan legislation
“The legislature is an extremely confusing and frustrating place when you don’t know what’s going on. A program like this would be of tremendous benefit to citizens who want to understand how issues go from being simple ideas to the law of the land.”
–Former Senator Craig Pridemore
Washington State Legislature
“Being involved in the legislative process is a great civics lesson for students. Capitol Classroom is a program I’m excited about and one in which I’m happy to participate.”
–Senator Linda Evans Parlette
Washington State Legislature
“Democracy depends on an involved and engaged citizenry. We must find ways to interest the next generation in the process. I can’t wait to advocate a class’s point of view to the legislature.”
–Vicki Christophersen
WRRA Lobbyist
“The concept of Capitol Classroom is clearly bringing the legislative process alive from my student clients. They are thoroughly researching our issue before the Legislature, and thanks to TVW, will be active participants in the debate that surrounds the bill.”
–Denny Eliason
Alliances Northwest Lobbyist
“Capitol Classroom will be an exciting way to help students understand the legislative process and to inspire them to become active, engaged citizens.”
–Patti McMaster, M.Ed
Evergreen High School
“As a civics teacher, I’m always looking for better ways to educate and involve my students. I’m looking forward to introducing Capitol Classroom next semester.”
–Scott Benner
Dept. Head, Teacher–Social Studies
Wenatchee High School
Teach With TVW:
“Educators across Washington are looking for imaginative ways to ensure that all students have opportunities to become engaged, informed citizens. To help these educators meet this goal, Teach With TVW provides two valuable services. First, it provides engaging multimedia to help local issues and civics instruction come alive. Second, it provides powerful examples of the creative ways in which the state’s master teachers are helping students become active participants in our society and political system. We are very fortunate to have this resource in our state.”
Caleb Perkins
Former Social Studies/International Education Program Supervisor
WA State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
“In addition to providing helpful video resources related to state government, the Teach With TVW website showcases best practices and actual stories from the classroom that enhance and extend civics education. Teach With TVW is a very valuable tool for educators in preparing young people to assume the highest office of the land-citizen.”
Paula Thompson
Teacher, Stevenson Elementary School
Former President, Washington State Council for the Social Studies
“TVW offers us the opportunity to take the kids right into a meeting. It gives us the chance to connect with real issues – for example, about what’s going on with the budget, where the cuts are coming from, and where they’re going. The best way to engage them is on a level that is very visual, and that gets them right into what’s going on. They’re not going to get that from the newspaper or from me. Teaching government with TVW gives them what they need. Students say, “Just reading it in a textbook, it’s not going to be real to me.” Making it real to them is how you promote that engagement; it’s more powerful, it comes alive. All you really need is your projector and your computer.”
Mike Sando
History and Government Teacher, Enumclaw High School
On using TVW’s Supreme Justice video: “I’ll use the Gardner case when I’m teaching about the Court System in anticipation of our Classroom Based Assessment “Constitutional Issues.” For that project we write Supreme Court Legal Briefs and perform a mock court hearing. The video helps students understand how a case climbs the ladder and what a court of appeals is all about.”
Brent W. Conklin, NBCT
8th Grade US History Teacher
Oakland Bay Junior High School
Shelton, WA
“We use TVW to look at the budget meeting, and to watch it on the floor, and have a real life understanding of what’s going on. It was easier to understand watching it. I would definitely use TVW in the future, it would be a great source, unlike some TV where they cut certain things out, they don’t let us know the whole story, I can go online and watch the whole thing right there. It doesn’t cut anything out. You can find what you want instantly.”
Richard
Student
“We used it for what are called visitations, which is watching a Supreme Court case and writing what we thought about it, what side we are on, etc. I think using TVW was really helpful because I am a more hands-on learner, so if I was just learning it from a book it would kind of be a hassle because I wouldn’t really understand the full way that the Supreme Court works. So I think using TVW was pretty cool. I like that I actually got to see what’s going on, and got to visualize and hear the arguments instead of just reading about them.”
Megan
Student
“Instead of being a summary, it’s all right there. If other news were to cover it, it has the potential to be more bias, because they’ll not show you the whole Supreme Court case, they’ll show you what they want to show you. Versus when you go on the TVW site, you’ll see everything, and there’s nobody telling you what to think. You can decide for yourself.”
Kyle
Student
“You got to see all of it, you got to see the whole thing – you need all the information to understand the [Supreme Court] case.”
Nicole
Student