Steven B. Knudsen Chair, District II | Gwinnett County Public Schools
Steven B. Knudsen Chair, District II | Gwinnett County Public Schools
A recent event at Osborne Middle School provided a unique learning experience for students in Mitch Herman’s 8th-grade Social Studies classes. State Representative Chuck Efstration visited the school to observe an activity called “Bill to Law,” which simulates the legislative process.
In this exercise, students formed committees representing the legislative branch and discussed potential changes they wanted to see in their community or state. Using a model from Herman, they crafted bills, shared them with classmates, debated their merits, and sometimes vetoed them. Each class ultimately voted on one final bill to represent their group.
Following the activity, Herman emailed the classes’ final bill to Representative Efstration and invited him to visit. Representative Efstration showed interest in the assignment and agreed to speak with the students. Herman expressed gratitude for both the assignment's impact on his students and Representative Efstration’s visit.
“Anytime I can connect what we teach to the real world and [students] see that it actually matters, that is the reason for all this,” Herman stated. “When [students] are recognized by someone we’ve studied, on a topic they took pride in, it makes a lasting impact. I really appreciate Representative Efstration taking the time out of his busy schedule to visit our school and interact with students.”
House Majority Leader Rep. Chuck Efstration engaged with Mr. Herman's Social Studies classes during his visit.
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