To: John B. King, Jr., Secretary of Education
Red/Blue State Pen Pal Kids
Before the Obama administration ends, please open a pen pal exchange where students in red and blue states can send and receive emails or letters. Teachers all across the country could use this opportunity to engage their students in learning about how people in communities all across this nation live and think.
Why is this important?
I have noticed, going door to door during this election season, that too many people are getting their "news" from sources with no regard for the facts. Even in my own area, Brookhaven Town, there is a deep divide between the majority and the intellectuals who work at Brookhaven Lab or Stony Brook University. By getting to know kids in communities other than their own, the next generation of voters will be exposed to information and opinions outside their own familial and local biases.