Ferkel

Ferkel

Tired of ads? Subscribers enjoy a distraction-free reading experience.
Click here to subscribe today or Login.

SWOYERSVILLE — Heights Murray fifth grade teacher Georgette Ferkel decided she wouldn’t go to vote alone. She brought along her students as she stood in line to cast her ballot in Swoyersville.

“I thought, why not take them with me?” the veteran teacher said in a Zoom interview after the experience. “I figured they could see Democracy in action, and what it’s like to actually go and vote.”

Wilkes-Barre Area School District is in full-remote mode due to the local increase in COVID-19 cases, so most of her students are attending classes live via Google Classroom, so she connected with them on her phone while waiting in line for her turn at the voting machine.

“I went live once I was standing in line, and I was just talking to them, explaining to them that there was a large line, showing them the legs of people in line, because we do keep in mind voting is very private,” Ferkel said. “I was just explaining to them the process as I was approaching the process.”

Considering some of the longer waits reported by voters in the area, Ferkel’s lesson didn’t last all that long. She was in line about 40 minutes. “Two o’clock in Swoyersville, it’s a slow time, guess,” she said with a chuckle.

The virtual visit to a polling line was combined with a social studies project. Students were given a link to look up where they would vote if they could, and to tell their parents of the proper location for their ward. They also held a mock election. “While I was voting, they were voting in Google Classroom, and we will discuss those results tomorrow.

“there were also some discussions with the adults in their households, if they voted today. If they did not vote, why did they not vote?

“Of course, they are not allowed to ask the person they are interviewing who they voted for, because that is a very private matter.”

Ferkel had considered taking the live session through her actual vote, contacting the borough and Luzerne County elections service, but after all that and some research she opted to play it safe and end the live stream as she entered the building to vote.

District Social Studies Coordinator Sean McLaughlin said he watched the live stream and knew that some students said the adults in their family were not going to vote, so it was a great chance for students to see how the process works “through their teacher’s eyes now. That really helps to get them engaged and hopefully inspire them to vote some day when they’re able to.”

Heights Murray Principal Melissa Meyers tried to join the Zoom meeting with Ferkel and McLaughlin but had connection problems, so she texted a comment noting Ferkel “has an excellent rapport with her students and always seeks real life and hands-on experiences to engage her students and bring learning to life.” Ferkel’s live-stream allowed students to see the process in real time while learning about it.

Ferkel said when she told the students about the plan last week “They were so excited.” Remember, they were being told this while learning at home, and one boy eager to share the news smiled and called for his mom to “hurry up and come here!”

While this election was a “very unique situation” with the students already on line for their daily lessons, Ferkel believes she will “absolutely” use the technology in the future to share learning experienced with students once back in the classroom.

Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish