A few winters ago, as a viral petition calling for a snow day circulated, Christian Pensiero recognized some of the names attached to it.
As a fifth-grade teacher at Veterans Elementary School in Ellicott City, Maryland, Pensiero noticed that not only had she taught several of the students who signed the document, but several of her former students were among those who helped create it.
They helped the petition gain traction, she said, and motivated their peers to get involved.
The students’ advocacy struck Pensiero, who uses her classroom to motivate students to create change and address things they think should be fixed.
“That was really cool to see them carry that with them as they moved up through middle and high school,” Pensiero said.
Earlier this month, Pensiero was one of three teachers to be recognized with this year’s American Civic Education Teacher Award. The honor is given to educators who motivate students to become engaged citizens and learn about the U.S. Constitution and government.
“Anything I can do to just get them loving social studies is my goal,” Pensiero said. “And just know that they have a voice and they can fight injustices, and teach them about people who’ve done that before.”
Whenever students approach Pensiero with a problem or complaint, she said she encourages them to take action and address it.
That could mean staging a peaceful protest, or in other cases, creating a petition. Some of her previous students have successfully given petitions to the school principal, explaining why they wanted access to the field to play a certain game during recess.
“I’m doing what I can on a scale right now to change the future for the better,” Pensiero said. “And I think that there are so many places across our country and the world too where people don’t know what their rights are and they don’t know how to exercise them.”
With the November election approaching, Pensiero said she’s urging her students to go with their parents to a polling place when they vote.
Because younger students may not always be interested in historical context, she strives to make it relatable and keep them engaged.
“I want them to, especially if they see something wrong, they can make a change to fix it,” Pensiero said. “They know that they have some avenues of their rights, and they know what their rights are.”
Pensiero’s reach also extends beyond the classroom. Parts of the curriculum are aligned with the U.S. citizenship test, so some of her students have been able to help their parents prepare.
“For me, it’s really just getting to know them individually,” Pensiero said. “Then, I’m able to help them connect with why civics are important and why they should care about our government, how it’s run, who’s in charge, and how to get those people in charge, or how to make change if we are not happy with what the people in charge are doing.”
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