New York Times: "Inauguration Is Inspiring Classrooms Nationwide"

Twenty-four hours from now, Barack Obama will be the President of the United States.

Young people around the United States seem more interested than ever in politics; many will witness the historic inauguration in school tomorrow.

From The New York Times:

The inauguration of America’s first African-American president has captured the imagination of students and educators with an intensity that surpasses previous ceremonies, and schools from New Hampshire to Florida to California are working to bring the excitement and pageantry, the sheer history of it all, to life in the classroom.

After millions of students watch Barack Obama take the presidential oath on television, some will recite poetry, many will hear brass bands play patriotic music and not a few will debate whether Mr. Obama’s oratory equaled the eloquence of John F. Kennedy.

Read more: Inauguration is Inspiring Classrooms Nationwide.

How will you celebrate the inauguration with the young people in your life? How can you help to spark their interest in history and current events?

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Tomorrow at school, I will be watching the inauguration on television during art class. My school is suburban but heavily liberal, with Obama earning more than 80% of the votes in our mock election. For many of the seniors (class of '09), the 2008 election was one of the defining moments of our four years in high school. Most of us were stuck in the awkward position of being just too young to vote, but old enough to understand the significance of what was happening. We enter adulthood just as Barack Obama enters the presidency; we all have high hopes for the next four years.

-Colleen, NCBLA intern