House impeachment inquiry becomes teachable moment across US

Joseph Tucker watches as Makizah Cotton makes an argument in civics class at Chatham Central High School in Bear Creek, N.C., on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. The 10th-graders were debating whether President Trump should be impeached. 

The House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine has become a teachable moment in classrooms around the country as educators incorporate the events in Washington into their lesson plans.

They are using the debate in Congress to teach students about the Constitution and presidential power, provide history lessons about earlier impeachment cases and hold mock votes that mirror divisions in American politics.

In Aedrin Albright’s civics class at Chatham Central High School in rural North Carolina, her 10th graders studied the impeachment process last month. Then Tuesday they voted, with the majority opposing impeachment. The school is based in Bear Creek, which voted 55 percent for Trump in 2016.

Experts say telling students their views is a personal choice for teachers but should be weighed carefully. Albright didn’t reveal hers.