I'm Just a Bill

    The show "School House Rock" aired a clever cartoon segment about how a Bill Becomes a Law.  It first aired as an educational short film during Saturday morning television programming on ABC for children in 1975, but the process presented in the video is still valid today.  The topics of the other School House Rock videos included grammar, history, science, civics, mathematics, science, and economics.

    To this day, it amazes me how incredibly effective these videos were in properly informing children in an educational manner.  I still remember watching these videos with catchy tunes as a child growing up in the late 80's and early 90's! Now we have many technological advances, such as the internet (for videos we have YouTube!) that can sometimes be educational, but can also be a huge hinderance to a child's education.  Many feel that these technologies are actually impeding their child's growth in knowledge. The blog article posted in 2010 on Education Week Teacher talks about how we, as teachers, have to embrace all of this changing technology, without forgetting the classics like the School House Rock videos.  We also have to accept that technology is there to be the support to the foundation that we are giving in the classroom.  That is why I have created this website!

blogs.edweek.org/teachers/leading_from_the_classroom/2010/12/

    The "I'm Just a Bill" video was originally developed just before the 200th birthday of the United States.   The video shows the sample process of proposing a law requiring school buses to stop at railroad crossings.  That bill was never actually approved by Congress at a national level, but it became a law in several states, including Connecticut.   Now you know why your bus driver stops at all railroad crossings and opens the bus door!

        For more information on the video "I'm Just a Bill", please visit the website below!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_Just_a_Bill

    Watch this famous video directly from our classroom website! The link in the section below will open the embedded YouTube video right on the classroom page.  It is a real classic!  It is very well-known and is used widely to help voters and future voters to understand the legislative process. 

    Once you have viewed the video, take the poll at the bottom of the page.