Two years ago students witnessed how different BLM protesters were dealt with compared to the Jan. 6th Insurrection/protest. Do you remember what you thought about the Jan. 6th Insurrection? How does this difference make you feel about your own potential voice in government?

I do remember that day. I was beginning my second semester teaching online following the winter break and I’d set up my desk so that I could see live coverage on my TV on my right. Online with my students it was just another day of robots and media, but to my right it was insanity. This was beyond sad. The high school reporter in the PBS video made note that she had been at local BLM protests and was shocked that real peaceful protests were villainized, while a violent attempt to interfere with the certification of the vote was being treated like anything except for domestic terrorism. 

Sadly my take-away is that the people on the top with bad intentions are still getting away with things that those of us without any power would already be put away or worse by now. And it’s still not over! Granted, of all of my sixth grade students, only one responded and said that it makes him sad. It’s a bit much to understand and it being already two-years in the past, depending on what they’re hearing at home, the world may forever be shaded by a president who refused to acknowledge to vote of the people but it’ll seem like it’s always been this way and it happened so long ago. It could be my own attitude, but I’m not very encouraged by the non-responses I’ve gotten to the prompt.