All of our classes at TEEN DAY are now well underway. The mild chaos of the first few Tuesdays could even be called a rhythm now. Instructors have settled on a classroom setup. Participants are confident about where they are supposed to be. We are able to focus on the real reason we are all here… the classes! (Ok. And the company.)
For the next few weeks, we will highlight each of our classes to offer a snippet of what is going on at TEEN DAY this year.
One of the classes at TEEN DAY this year is Being a Citizen. This civics-meets American government-meets political science course is as interesting as it is timely. Led by Michael Smith, a professor at Ithaca College and co-editor of the book Citizenship Across the Curriculum, this class really hit the ground running.
The first several weeks of this course have already tackled:
- what government is and why we have it
- various forms of government
- what democracy is and how it works
- Declarations of Independence
We’re all still reeling after an unfortunate incident in week four, when Michael—consumed by a lust for power, 
autonomy, and the right to assign copious amounts of homework—orchestrated a TEEN DAY coup wherein the TEEN DAY administrator was arrested and carted off to jail (by the Literature instructor no less). It was an embarrassing moment in TEEN DAY history, but one from which I’m sure we’ve all learned something (like don’t ask a budding autocrat to teach a class.)
On a more serious note, the classroom discussion continues to be rich and insightful, and the tone of the course encourages participants to draw their own conclusions. As the midterm elections get closer, the opportunity to see these abstract ideas play themselves out on the national and statewide stages will afford concrete examples of what is being discussed and read about—an opportunity to experience democracy in action!
TEEN DAY Ithaca 