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Teacher instantly regrets assigning students to watch presidential debate

No one should've been forced to watch that spectacle.

 

Austin Powell

Internet Culture

Posted on Oct 11, 2016   Updated on May 25, 2021, 8:01 pm CDT

A high school teacher in Kentucky assigned his students to watch one of three presidential debates between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. The students were supposed to discuss the moderation, primary issues discussed, and candidates’ performance. 

Halfway through Sunday night’s tirade of insults and accusations, he realized he made a terrible mistake. 

Trent Ashcroft, who teaches history, government, and economics, tweeted an apology to his students. 

One of his students, Jake, took his own screenshot and shared the image on Twitter, where it was retweeted nearly 3,000 times. 

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“It was mostly as a joke, but there was a lot of truth to it,” Ashcraft told New York magazine. “I’ve always had students watch debates for president, senator, governor, et cetera, because they are wonderful learning experiences. There was very little educational about tonight’s display. Rather than learning about important issues, students got to see a man who wants to be president behave in a fashion that would have had him sent to the principal’s office.” 

At least there was a teachable lesson:

H/T New York magazine

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*First Published: Oct 11, 2016, 1:13 pm CDT