1992
Every second Monday, after leaving the wild exuberance of the lunchtime playground and returning to the dark confines of the classroom, my third grade class would find a magazine waiting on each of our desks. We universally loved these magazines. Not only did they interrupt the monotony of our regular lessons, they were the only printed words available to us in school that didn’t come from a textbook, worksheet, or classroom reader. The magazine was exotic; it looked like something adults would read. And, being in 3rd grade and nearing adulthood ourselves, we felt certain we should be reading more grown-up material. The magazine contained four pages and was titled “Keeping Up With Current Events (2nd/3rd Grade Edition).”
Here’s a modern version of a school news magazine, not unlike what we had 25 years ago
Each student took a turn reading one paragraph aloud until we finished the magazine, becoming well-versed in society’s vital issues in the process. The last page contained five questions which we answered on a separate sheet of lined paper using cursive handwriting and complete sentences. With the questions completed, we submitted our work and forgot the world existed outside our own ten-foot radius until two weeks later when the latest issue of “Current Events” arrived.
Then came the day when the cover of “Current Events” piqued my interest far beyond the bi-weekly novelty of reading a magazine in school. Apparently, the United States had a presidential election in the works. Being too young to remember the previous election four years prior, here was my introduction to presidential politics. Despite my ignorance, I knew this much: presidents were important. Inspired by the gravity of such an event, I decided it was high time I got involved. (more…)
Brohemia 