Teaching During the Election 

You may find it helpful to at least acknowledge the election (and/or its results) without having a class discussion. 

Template Email to Acknowledge Election and Share Resources

I’m writing because the upcoming election may be weighing heavily on members of the class and the community. There may be deep feelings of hope and promise as well as uncertainty, anger, and flat out exhaustion. It’s okay if you are experiencing a variety of feelings, and it’s okay to be silent for a moment to process. 

I sincerely hope that everyone in this course has opportunities to process, on your own or with others, your reactions and experiences. Please remember to take care of your physical needs (eating, sleeping, connecting with others), and please try to consider how you are feeling. 

Campus Resources

• ECC Center for Civic Engagement

  • The CCE, Room F116, will be open for students to drop-in on 11/06 & 11/13 from 12:30-1:30PM

  • The CCE can also be reached via Facebook-ECC Center for Civic Engagement or Instagram @ECC_Civics

• For all students, ECC has a group of trained Wellness Professionals who are available to help support mental and emotional well-being. To schedule a free appointment with an ECC Wellness Professional

  • Schedule online by logging onto your Access ECC Portal and under “Schedule an Appointment,” select "Wellness Services."

  • Or call 847-214-7390

  • And/or email them at studentwellness@elgin.edu. 

• ECC provides support for specific student populations, such as 

  • Support for Undocumented Students 

  • Support for Veterans

  • Students for Wellness, Acceptance, and Non-discrimination Society (SWANS)

Office Hours 

Finally, my Office Hours times are:  INSERT OFFICE HOURS INFO 

You are welcome to check-in and discuss any topics, course related and non-course related topics. 

You may find it helpful to at least acknowledge the election (and/or its results) without having a class discussion. 

Template In-Class Message to Acknowledge Election and Share Resources

Note:  If you’re teaching on Tuesday evening and/or during the day on Wednesday (as election results are being tabulated), you may want to establish at the beginning of class some guidance for students on whether or not they may check their phones for updates during class and if you’ll be setting aside any class time to allow students to check for election updates. 

I want to share that I recognize the upcoming presidential election may be weighing heavily on members of the class and the community. There may be deep feelings of hope and promise as well as uncertainty, anger, and flat out exhaustion. It’s okay if you are experiencing a variety of feelings, and it’s okay to be silent for a moment to process. 

I sincerely hope that everyone in this course has opportunities to process, on your own or with others, your reactions and experiences. Please remember to take care of your physical needs (eating, sleeping, connecting with others), and please try to consider how you are feeling. 

Campus Resources

• ECC Center for Civic Engagement

  • The CCE, Room F116, will be open for students to drop-in on 11/06 & 11/13 from 12:30-1:30PM

  • The CCE can also be reached via Facebook-ECC Center for Civic Engagement or Instagram @ECC_Civics

• For all students, ECC has a group of trained Wellness Professionals who are available to help support mental and emotional well-being. To schedule a free appointment with an ECC Wellness Professional

  • Schedule online by logging onto your Access ECC Portal and under “Schedule an Appointment,” select "Wellness Services."

  • Or call 847-214-7390

  • And/or email them at studentwellness@elgin.edu. 

• ECC provides support for specific student populations, such as 

  • Support for Undocumented Students 

  • Support for Veterans

  • Students for Wellness, Acceptance, and Non-discrimination Society (SWANS)

Office Hours 

Finally, my Office Hours times are:  INSERT OFFICE HOURS INFO 

You are welcome to check-in and discuss any topics, course related and non-course related topics. 

If you choose to discuss the election with your students, it is helpful to set parameters to maintain a respectful and productive environment:

1. Goals and Rationale: Set goals for the discussion. Share why you’re choosing to discuss it in class and what your goals are for the discussion. This can help keep the discussion focused and relevant.

2. Ground rules: Encourage students to listen respectfully to different perspectives, speak one at a time, and avoid personal attacks or inflammatory language. 

3. Non-partisanship: If appropriate, frame the discussion around issues, policy, and the democratic process rather than specific candidates or parties.

4. Participation: As with all potentially sensitive topics and events, participation may be voluntary rather than expected. Make it clear that students are not required to share their views or disclose personal information.

*Note:  As with any class discussions on sensitive topics and events, it’s helpful to have an “exit strategy” in mind if needed, and it is okay to decide to stop or pause the conversation if doing more harm than good. Additionally, be ready to pivot if it seems that students would prefer not to discuss or if the discussion is no longer productive. 

Possible Discussion Questions May Be:

• How do you think the outcome of the election might impact the issues you care about? Remember to focus on the issues and not the candidates.

• What are some key differences in the platforms of the candidates? How do you see these reflected in your community?

• What are the benefits of voting? What might keep some people from voting?

• How do media outlets and social media shape our views of the election?

• How do elections impact college students and the local community?

Additional Resources on Course Conversations 

For additional resources on classroom conversations, see the links below:

• Faculty can request to have a *Civic Leader, from ECC's Center for Civic Engagement, come to their class to facilitate a short discussion. Requests can be made via email cce@elgin.edu  (*pending student availability)

• University of Michigan Center for Research on Learning and Teaching: Guidelines for Discussing Difficult or High-Stakes Topics

• Georgia Tech’s Center for Teaching and Learning: Handing “Hot Moments” in the Classroom

• Vanderbilt University’s Center for Teaching: Difficult Dialogues