JACKSONVILLE, Fla. —
Terry Parker High School teacher Elwood Thompson teaches social sciences to both virtual and brick and mortar classes.
He is asking his students questions to get them involved as much as possible in the presidential inauguration of Joe Biden.
They are discussing the major differences between Wednesday’s inauguration and ones in the past.
“This will be the first inauguration in modern history in anyone’s lifetime where the outgoing president who is living and healthy is not attending the inauguration,” Thompson said.
The high school teacher wants his students to understand that the only way for our government to succeed is to transition peacefully from one government to another, and he’s sharing that message with over 200 of his students.
Thompson has been an educator for 30 years and he said there’s three key points he teaches all of his social science students.
“We judge things based on three ways: our prejudices, our bias, our rule of law. This is about rule of law,” he said.
This year with COVID-19, the inauguration won’t have as many people as we traditionally see in the past.
He said there will be masks, temperature checks, and mandatory COVID-19 testing for those participating, and unlike previous years, his students will notice added security measures.
“They’ll be a lot more security here. We’re talking 25,000 U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force, National Guard troops. They’ll be coordinated by secret service,” he said.
Thompson also modified his lesson plans after the violence that took place on at the U.S. Capitol building earlier this month.
He told Action News Jax reporter Alicia Tarancon it’s also the first time in U.S. history where the Confederate flag actually made its way into the Capitol building.
Thompson was an elector in 2009 and participated in former President Barack Obama’s inauguration.
Cox Media Group
