Opening up about the shutdown

My morning commute always begins with NPR, so I found out about 6 hours after the initial announcement at midnight that the government is, in fact, being partially shutdown. Though, many of us, including myself, will continue to go to work and be paid, there are a number of people who won't. To even think about the stress they must be under makes my shoulders tense up. However, the simple fact of the matter is that most people will go on about their daily tasks without a second thought, since it doesn't affect them directly. Though, the reality is that we are all affected in some way. 

I realized this while checking my daily blog feed when I ran across this post by The Institute of Museum and Library Services:

"The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is closed due to a partial shutdown of the  United States Government.  As a result, IMLS is not engaged in any grant-making or other agency activities.  During this time, we will not be able to review or respond to any form of communication.  No payments for grant programs or contracts will be made by IMLS until the agency is reopened.  The agency website will remain accessible, but will not be updated until operations resume. Please refer to www.imls.gov for additional information."

This is a source I use regularly to make sure I'm up to date on the current news and trends in libraries. I, along with everyone else, will now be without this useful resource for an unknown amount of time and all work at these institutions will come to a standstill. The resources at these institutions that aren't online will not be accessible and the librarians will not be available to provide assistance or continue to maintain, add, and make resources available to the public.

Then, I decided to Google information about the shutdown and found this:

The link led to this article:

You read correctly, today is the 123rd anniversary of the opening of Yosemite National Park and it will not be visited by a single person. 

I write about this,not to give an opinion on the current events, but to present a perfect opportunity for educators to make this into a learning experience for our students. What series of events led to this point? What parts of the government dealt with this issue? What is the stance of our local and state politicians on this issue? Has this happened in the past? How can this issue be resolved?

Also, beyond the facts of this situation, teachers can bring to light the fact that this headliner is taking the spotlight from other historical events, like the roll out of open enrollment; the first phase of the The Affordable Care Act. Was this intentional? How have various news sources covered this event? What is The Affordable Care Act? How is our state dealing with the enrollment?

What a great opportunity to work on those research skills and have a hearty debate on current issues! One of my favorite news sources for kids that I recently ran across is Newsela. You can register for free as a student, teacher, or parent to access articles that are written about issues around the world that can then be read at various reading levels. There are also quizzes provided to test for comprehension and teachers can see their students' results instantly. 

Though, this is not an event to be proud of as a nation, it is one to be learned from. Our students are our future politicians, so start the discussion now. That way they will be fully prepared to discuss and compromise with the best of them when they are the ones in Washington.