WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Each year before Election Day, students in Oakton’s Senior Seminar watch campaign ads and analyze what’s positive, negative, effective and ineffective. Eliot Waxman, the Advanced Placement government teacher who team-teaches this course with me, worked for political campaigns and was a public opinion pollster in a previous life.

Campaigns and elections might seem the purview of government and not English classes, but Eliot and I find numerous connections — most of them made by our students. The primary connection is that campaigns use language to create a desired effect. Phrased differently: Campaigns manipulate the public through carefully chosen words.

Anyone who has followed the acrimonious ads of Jeannemarie Devolites Davis and Chap Petersen for the Virginia Senate assumes there’s a story behind each verbal attack. The Washington Post illuminated what’s behind many of those accusations in a recent Metro section story, confirming that each distorts the other’s record for their own purposes.

Welcome to politics.

“There’s nothing new here,” you may be thinking. But for our 150 seniors who are either recently eligible to vote or within months of that privilege, this is all new. Most have not followed campaigns and press the “mute” button during political advertising. They admit to changing channels when candidates debate and during news commentaries.

So giving them an opportunity to discuss these ads has the effect of transforming their view of political campaigns. They become simultaneously more appreciative of the craft involved in packaging a candidate and wiser (perhaps more cynical) in recognizing the realities of political rhetoric.

Last week, students watched 10 ads twice each and then divided into groups to scrutinize one ad before sharing their analyses with the entire class. Some were from former presidential campaigns going back to 1960. Four of the ads were contemporary: one each from Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Each class became one big focus group, putting Eliot, the former pollster and focus-group moderator, in his element. Students debated whether Romney’s ad stressing his humor (his wife teasing that he “wasn’t funny” at all) made him seem more human or was “too staged.” They noted that we all refer to Clinton as “Hillary” yet hesitate to call Obama “Barack”; that led to a lively discussion of whether that had to do with Clinton’s sex, or the fact that there are two Clintons in politics.

We found ourselves longing for more televised discussion of the issues, but then got bored when Giuliani spent several minutes on his Web site discussing 12 of his positions. We admitted our inconsistency.

In short, it was Politics 101 for three hours, the week before a local election. One participant had the most telling comment of all, just before we broke for the weekend.

“These ads are just like our college essays,” she observed. “Political candidates have 60 seconds to reveal their views and their personalities, and college candidates have to reduce themselves to 500 words. Both tasks are impossible.”

Lessons stay with students when they see personal relevance, so Sezan is now ready for Politics 102 in college. Eliot and I don’t care who gets our students’ votes; we simply aim to produce wiser voters. Mission accomplished.

Erica Jacobs teaches at Oakton High School and George Mason University. E-mail her at ejacob1@gmu.edu.

Comments from Examiner Readers

6:44 PM MST on Mon., May. 12, 2008 re: "What happens after the test?"

Examiner Reader said:
Nothing and everything -- sounds fun!

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7:53 PM MST on Sun., May. 11, 2008 re: "Short-order food for thought"

Erica Jacobs said:
To the last commenter: I can tell you are a teacher, and I am flattered you read my column. Thank you. And start a Typepad web blog! It's quite easy, and very reasonable. Good luck....

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8:41 PM MST on Sun., Apr. 6, 2008 re: "Teachers R� Us"

Examiner Reader said:
I love your column, and I know that if it weren't here you'd never hear from me and I'd never hear from you. I'm happy that you have this column and that I'm able to chime in every once in a while. You're always thoughtful and interesting. You're an inspiration too. I will eventually have a web log... some day. Thanks.

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3:52 PM MST on Sat., Mar. 29, 2008 re: "Where are teachers� voices?"

Examiner Reader said:
Now that the internet has made it possible to do things like you suggest, it only seems inevitable that sharing with parents via web-logs, etc. will become more the norm. You set a great example and provide real leadership as a teacher.

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2:55 PM MST on Tue., Mar. 18, 2008 re: "Why don�t teachers talk with parents?"

Examiner Reader said:
I am a teacher of 28 years and a parent. I would like to think that I am innovative and open-minded about teaching, but I am also outspoken when a teacher is poor, noncreative or simply ineffective. Public schools are not open to change and many suburban and urban schools are simply too big and too short staffed. The middle school and secondary environments are very unwelcoming to parents who would like to be involved. Communication about expectations are nonexistent in many classrooms and the whole notion of being "proactive" is foreign to many despite email and phones. Smaller schools would alleviate many issues and allow us to get to know each other and to nurture relationships and thus deliver education and discipline more effectively.

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2:14 PM MST on Tue., Mar. 18, 2008 re: "Why don�t teachers talk with parents?"

Examiner Reader said:
Just go to any Baltimore City School classroom on Parent Night, where parents can talk to their child's teacher. Then stand there for an hour and count on one hand how many parents show up. I will five you a hint. Use one finger, if that.

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9:21 AM MST on Mon., Mar. 17, 2008 re: "Why don�t teachers talk with parents?"

Examiner Reader said:
Why is it up to each individual teacher to reach out to anywhere from 60 to 300+ families? Parents need to accept what "Raising Kids" is all about. The same lack of parental ownership is passed down to their children in the form of B's, C's, and D's. Turn off the TV for dinner each night and ask your kids what they did today. Dinner should take at least an hour. All of my children's classes get a syllabus. I know whats going on. If you truely have so much to do you can't spare them your evenings, then work side by side at night. Then blame the teachers for not pushing your kids far enough, fast enough. School should be challenging and exciting and that comes from home!

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11:15 AM MST on Tue., Mar. 4, 2008 re: "Picturing America"

Erica Jacobs said:
I was not bringing the kind of critical scrutiny to the event the commenter would have brought. Most of the schools receiving the art are elementary schools, and only one or two of the works are familiar to these students. (I had only seen about half of the forty before.) I would agree that the Bushes are perhaps not our most intellectual White House occupants, but they are supporting a wonderful effort--one I know will expose many students to art they wouldn't otherwise see. The photographs alone make the whole thing worthwhile. The photo of the migrant mother and children is one I have used in the past to teach students and teachers about art analysis--and it teaches history in the bargain.

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10:31 AM MST on Tue., Mar. 4, 2008 re: "Picturing America"

Examiner Reader said:
Re: Picturing America -- Ms. Jacobs, I'm surprised at you. The transcript of this event is on the White house web site. While Ms. Bush may have exhibited poise while speaking in her own home, and spoken at length without notes, she said absolutely nothing of substance or value. The so-called iconic pieces of art are clich�s of American culture; children already know them though pop culture parodies. The public programs component of NEH has itself become a parody during the current anti-intellectual administration. It is a wonder that any level of meaningful scholarship is still supported by the Endowment, and a tribute to the few remaining NEH professionals with integrity.

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10:15 AM MST on Mon., Mar. 3, 2008 re: "Picturing America"

Examiner Reader said:
After all these years of supporting and defending G.W. Bush, I have finally come to a point that I see what everyone else has been seeing. Bush is not the MAN I thought he was. He is his daddy's idiot son. Reason 1 of why I now hate Bush: Gas prices when he took office was $1.65...today $3.15, even after Iraq. Reason 2: He wants to give illegal immigrants a free ride and reward them for the crime of entering the US illegally. Daddy's boy does not respect the laws of the nation he claims to lead. Reason 3: Not only does he not respect US law, he no shows the same lack of respect for international law by supporting the illegal declaration of independence of Kosovo. Reason 4: He really IS a dumb ass.

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10:08 PM MST on Fri., Feb. 15, 2008 re: "Why my students will vote in the primary"

X said:
So now we have to read the book to find out what happens? I say that political assylum would depend on whether the dictator broke the law of his own country by leaving. If he did, he should be sent back, with efforts made to insure his safety (including any immediate health issues). Also, consideration would need to be made regarding the fairness of impending "the trial". If the trial wasn't up to certain fairness standards, his trial (if there really is a need for one) should be tried in a court that could guarantee a certain level of fairness. We could also send the military to stop the people from taking hostiges. Yep, that's what I'd do.

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9:11 PM MST on Mon., Jan. 28, 2008 re: "Students on the brink of flight"

Examiner Reader said:
We need to pay more for the people who have to educate our kids. When My kids were in school years ago, the new incoming teachers from out of state had to leave due to the cost of living here. One teacher went back to the state of South Carolina who told me the parents in Fairfax were a bigger issue than the kids. I say she was telling us the truth

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10:16 PM MST on Fri., Jan. 11, 2008 re: "Is reading dying?"

X said:
The last book I read was Steve Martins' autobiography, "Born Standing UP," which I thought was pretty good. He's funny and tells his story pretty well. You can see how his parents influenced him. It didn't change my thoughts very much, but I did come away from it feeling like I had communed with Steve Martin. I recommend it.

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10:12 PM MST on Mon., Jan. 7, 2008 re: "Is reading dying?"

Reply from Dr. Jacobs said:
Thanks, Gigi. I appreciate your comment. I hope that most teachers currently go that extra distance to help students. That's what our job is all about!

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2:42 PM MST on Mon., Jan. 7, 2008 re: "This teacher has guaranteed overnight essay service"

Gigi said:
Dr.Jacobs- After reading most of your essays I realized that most English teachers that I had during high school/college did not go the extra mile for students the way you do. Some teachers dont even like to read papers unless the student has gone first to another source for help. I admire for the work your doing for your students, it is teachers like you that one will remember for a lifetime not only because you were a great teacher, but also because you cared.

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7:32 PM MST on Mon., Dec. 31, 2007 re: "For students in '08, gray is in"

X said:
I got 35 "disagree" votes within a short time after posting my comment from below, which tells me that someone voted more than once, appearantly because my criticism was upsetting. So, I just want to clarify that I love what Dr. Jacobs strives for in this essay. It's just that I think the analogy to color could be expanded to include peach, orange, green, etc. I don't really fault Dr. Jacobs for keeping it to shades of gray. It just struck me as ironic that the color she used as an alternative to black and white can be produced on a black and white TV. That's it. And by the way, I'm a fan of Dr. Jacobs, even though I like to pick on her.

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4:13 PM MST on Mon., Dec. 31, 2007 re: "For students in '08, gray is in"

X said:
Happy New Year Dr. Jacobs! Here's to you. ;-)

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11:14 AM MST on Mon., Dec. 31, 2007 re: "For students in '08, gray is in"

BNP said:
I hope this will be part of a growing trend. There really seems to be too much dichotomy in Western culture.

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7:01 AM MST on Mon., Dec. 31, 2007 re: "For students in '08, gray is in"

X said:
Hi Dr. Jacobs. Very interesting, but possibly flawed. I'm slightly perplexed, because although I know that the binary feature of your argument is important, you - Dr. Jacobs - appear to be thinking in only black an white. Where is the rest of the color spectrum?

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6:44 PM MST on Thu., Dec. 27, 2007 re: "This teacher has guaranteed overnight essay service"

Reply from Dr. Jacobs said:
I will be delighted to read them, Emily. I consider it a privilege to help seniors attain admission into the very best colleges.

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9:36 AM MST on Thu., Dec. 27, 2007 re: "This teacher has guaranteed overnight essay service"

Emily said:
I love Dr. Jacobs! I'll have some essays for you after the break. I hope you had a happy holiday!

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8:12 AM MST on Mon., Dec. 24, 2007 re: "This teacher has guaranteed overnight essay service"

Examiner Reader - ACL said:
What a great idea for a teacher to provide this kind of assistance to her students. Although some may think that the students would not gain anything more from this essay correction support, but I disagree. By providing this assistance, students will not only have "another set of eyes" reviewing their essay material, thereby increasing their confidence in their writing, but also when they go about editing their essays with the markups. They can better see and understand their errors, make the corrections or even add additional ideas that come to mind. Chances are some of this will "stick". What a novel way to influence these young adults and provide some form of additional support structure that is needed at the this critical stage of their life. I applaud her efforts as a teacher.

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8:46 PM MST on Fri., Nov. 30, 2007 re: "Thanks to students, staff"

X said:
I wish I could just pick on you, and you wouildn't have a defense because my criticisms would all be obviously correct. Does that make me a strange? Wierd? I doubt it.

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8:54 AM MST on Mon., Nov. 19, 2007 re: "Where are the scary parents?"

Examiner Reader said:
I taught for 6 years at the high school level and then for 35 years at the college level. Parents are more likely to engage beginning teachers who are often unsure of themselves. Some can get downright abusive. The 15 years of college teaching freed me forever from having to deal with parents. It was heaven.

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8:49 AM MST on Mon., Nov. 19, 2007 re: "Where are the scary parents?"

Examiner Reader said:
Oakton has a wonderful English department with teachers who really push the students to learn classic literature and not just Harry Potter type stories. They are huge role models for seniors in particular and the Senior Seminar Parent Night was a wonderful idea to bring parents together one last time before graduation. Loved it!

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2:50 PM MST on Sat., Nov. 17, 2007 re: "When essays tell a story"

X said:
Something else. Not all stories are easily shared, and English class isn't always the most appropriate place to share. Boundaries can be invaded, reputations can be damaged, and feelings can be hurt. For every story that's shared there are more that aren't, and probably shouldn't be - at least in English class.

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7:29 PM MST on Fri., Nov. 16, 2007 re: "When essays tell a story"

X said:
I think you're right on the mark when you say that students should be encouraged to share their stories. I also think you set a good example when it comes to sharing. My only after-thought is that really great stories can also be found in the mundane, as I'm sure you know. It reminds me of something Frank Zappa once said, "Art is in the framing."

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5:33 PM MST on Mon., Nov. 12, 2007 re: "When essays tell a story"

Reply by Erica Jacobs said:
Of course there are exceptional essays on relatives who are veterans. I should do a future column related to that--perhaps next Veterans Day. Thanks for reading the column--even when you disagree!

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5:23 PM MST on Mon., Nov. 12, 2007 re: "When essays tell a story"

Examiner Reader said:
On Veterans Day there was not mention of an exceptional essay regarding a US war hero in anyone's family? If you see sarcasm in my words that is your interpretation.

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4:47 PM MST on Mon., Nov. 12, 2007 re: "When essays tell a story"

Reply by Erica Jacobs said:
Only one of these four students is an immigrant. The other three were born in the U.S., as were their parents. And please shelve the sarcasm ("adorable immigrant tale") when speaking about children. I do.

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4:28 PM MST on Mon., Nov. 12, 2007 re: "When essays tell a story"

Examiner Reader said:
Please note that the "exceptional" essays cited in todays Examiner exclude those of any students who do not have an adorable immigrant tale to tell. I wonder if a student essay describing the bravery of a military veteran relation would have evoked such gushing praise.

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6:52 PM MST on Mon., Nov. 5, 2007 re: "Teaching students Politics 101"

Examiner Reader said:
keep in mind how many democrats also voted abuser fees and what Governor sign this bill into law The same governor who said he did not know the consequences , then got caught in the lie when They said NJ and Michigan told him NOT TO do this....

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6:10 PM MST on Mon., Nov. 5, 2007 re: "Teaching students Politics 101"

Examiner Reader said:
Keep in mind when voting, Jeannmarie voted FOR the Abusive Driver tax.

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7:29 AM MST on Mon., Nov. 5, 2007 re: "Teaching high schoolers Politics 101"

Examiner Reader said:
how about teaching them finance 101 or free market economics 101?? cut to the root of the problem.

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4:39 PM MST on Tue., Oct. 30, 2007 re: "In education, the seasons are all good"

X said:
You're probably right. Most teachers probably don't improve significantly in the ways you mention (helpfulness, kindness, flexibility, etc.) but these traits can be nurtured, I believe, and making the effort is admirable. Also, "public perception" sounds like politics. I hope teachers are more interested in nurturing helpfulness, etc. than they are in tweaking public perception. Thanks for indulging me. :-*

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2:32 PM MST on Tue., Oct. 30, 2007 re: "In education, the seasons are all good"

X said:
OK, but then do students "improve"? Also, what word would better describe what talking about, if not "improve"?

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3:24 AM MST on Tue., Oct. 30, 2007 re: "In education, the seasons are all good"

Reply from Erica Jacobs said:
I was referring to public perception of a teacher--rarely dependent on a teacher's having tweaked lessons based on their successes in the past. Those whom students call "good" teachers tend to be approved of based on a combination of what they do in the classroom, and how they treat students generally--and I think it's a fair standard. To get back to your original point, I think teachers learn from the repetition of what they do year after year, but it's not clear to me that they "improve." Our lessons may get better, but we are measured by much more than our lessons: helpfulness, kindness, flexibility etc. And those traits rarely change.

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3:06 AM MST on Tue., Oct. 30, 2007 re: "In education, the seasons are all good"

X said:
Hi Dr. Jacobs. I don't think that a teachers' improvement "depends on whether students like (you) in the first place". Popularity surely isn't the measure by which teachers rate their performance.

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1:55 PM MST on Mon., Oct. 29, 2007 re: "In education, the seasons are all good"

Reply from Erica Jacobs said:
Teachers do certainly change what they do based on successes and failures of the past. We try to provide better lessons. Do we actually "improve"? That depends on whether students like us in the first place. Often, student opinion is not based on our lessons, but on less tangible measures of our teaching abilities. Students generally like me but I think it's based less on the value of my lessons and more on the fact that I like them right back!

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1:24 PM MST on Mon., Oct. 29, 2007 re: "In education, the seasons are all good"

X said:
Nice column. For teachers the cycles are more pronounced than they are for the students, because teachers keeps repeating, whereas the education of a student continues to move forward. I suppose this gives the teacher many opportunities to improve from one year to the next. Good luck.

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6:05 PM MST on Mon., Oct. 22, 2007 re: "When life and the classroom meet"

Reply from Erica Jacobs said:
Thanks, Dan, and other readers who liked the column. I make my columns available to my students but, truthfully, many of these life-lessons will only hit them years from now. But that makes high school teaching even more challenging since student appreciation often arrives when they are no longer in touch with their teachers.

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12:44 PM MST on Mon., Oct. 22, 2007 re: "When life and the classroom meet"

Dan said:
I really liked your article. I hope that all of your students get a chance to read it. Thanks, Dan

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8:40 PM MST on Thu., Oct. 18, 2007 re: "Should exceptional students get exceptional treatment?"

Examiner Reader said:
Talent deserves recognition, but encouragement is for everyone - especially those that need it. Being exceptional doesn't equate to needing encouragement.

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6:06 PM MST on Tue., Oct. 16, 2007 re: "Should exceptional students get exceptional treatment?"

Examiner Reader said:
The students who should get the most encouragement are the ones that face the greatest obsticles and are also the most receptive to encouragement, but for some reason the exceptionally challenged yet receptive are not placed in the spotlight. It bothers me.

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3:48 PM MST on Mon., Oct. 15, 2007 re: "Should exceptional students get exceptional treatment?"

GAB said:
Yes, and no. Students who excel in a skill or talent should be encouraged to carry it out as far as they can. However, they should also be expected to not assume that they are superior beings because they have one superior talent; the latter is why so many athletes end up in jail or sued, and why so many actors and singers end up in jail on in rehab. The spirit should be the Greek 'excellence in all things.'

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7:48 PM MST on Tue., Oct. 9, 2007 re: "The ripple effect of a teacher's legacy"

Examiner Reader said:
I wish I could vote to agree or disagree with the agreements and disagreements.

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6:33 PM MST on Mon., Oct. 1, 2007 re: "The meaning of a teacher�s legacy"

Reply from Erica Jacobs said:
I'll keep writing if you keep reading! And I will still be at GMU, part of the educational scene...Thanks for your comments.

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6:01 PM MST on Mon., Oct. 1, 2007 re: "The meaning of a teacher�s legacy"

Examiner Reader said:
I hope you continue with your column beyond two years. I enjoy your writing. I enjoy commenting too. Thanks.

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11:26 AM MST on Mon., Oct. 1, 2007 re: "The meaning of a teacher�s legacy"

Examiner Reader said:
A teacher who has done his or her job well knows the satisfaction that brings. Occasionally ex-students looks me up to convey their thanks personally. That is frosting on the cake.

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9:53 PM MST on Tue., Sep. 25, 2007 re: "College essay paranoia rears its head once again"

Examiner Reader said:
I thought this was about the thesis that caused Hillary's brain to warp Socialist. It was made secret by Wellsley College. The friend guy recently outed represents sum total of Hillary's friendships/love life during col