On January 6, 2021, insurrectionists breached the capital building while Congresspeople were still inside, and the nation burrowed in fear. Five people died during the attack, including two capitol police officers. The attack sent shock waves of fear and confusion, and many people leaned on social media to educate themselves and others. Within minutes, many were aware and discussing the catastrophe, one which will go down in U.S. history.
The riot created questions regarding the police force, our democracy’s stability, and what caused the event. Many of these questions were addressed by RHS teachers in history classes. They helped to clear up confusion and distributed a sense of comfort to students. RHS expects its students to be up-to-date with the events that occur in society, so there were full class periods dedicated to discussing this topic. Office Hours were helpful as well since students had the ability to pop into Zooms or Google Meets and ask any other questions involving the Capitol.
History teachers tried to make classes be as positive and comfortable as possible. RHS junior Devrim Yesilyurt, said, “I feel like the teachers properly explained this issue to their students. My teacher gave us very enticing and detailed articles to read. I learned a lot from them.” Similarly, Danielle Molloy adds “I think that teachers did a good job addressing the events at the Capitol because we discussed why this happened as well as what it means for our country. We even discussed possible impeachment and the 25th Amendment.” Even though teachers tackled the case differently, they still have satisfied the students with the information they deserved as the future leaders of this generation.
Alisha Dave & Musarrot Chowdhury
Staff Writers
Graphic: Isabella Harelick