“Civics” is a word most of us recognize, but when pushed, we would be hard pressed to offer more than “learning about government” or “being a good citizen.” These are skills we used to have but as Washington lawmakers, educators and community leaders have noted, they’ve fallen off.
To help fill the gap, TVW, the state’s nonprofit, nonpartisan broadcaster, created a series of expertly edited videos that feature someone local describing a specific civic skill, for use in classrooms as part of its Teach with TVW series. (Or really, anywhere you’d like.) Video topics include organizing; agency and leadership; union bargaining; and local history, which features local legend Knute Berger.
I was honored to be asked to contribute a little chat about writing op-eds, or guest essays, for a newspaper as a civic skill. Few U.S. papers publish opinions from outside writers; The Seattle Times is proud to be one of them and we publish one almost every day, every week, all year. We think you, our readers, care what others think, and you aren’t afraid to learn something. We hope what you read in our pages will stimulate discussion and encourage you to take action. Something to note: We don’t accept AI-generated pieces; we want your writing and your thoughts.
Our guidelines for submitting are here.
