Virginia Educator Offers Five Ways to Discuss Midterm Elections With Children

Norfolk Portsmouth Newport News, VA, October 14, 2026 —

An educator from Virginia has outlined five steps for parents in the Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News area who want to discuss midterm elections with their children. The guidance centers on making room for conversation, communicating values thoughtfully, and treating children’s questions as part of the discussion.

The first step is to create an environment conducive to dialogue. The advice also encourages parents to prepare what they want to say, grounding their messages in their values rather than approaching the conversation without reflection.

Parents are urged to model respectful discourse while discussing elections. The educator’s recommendations also include encouraging children to assess media critically and listening actively to their thoughts and questions.

• Create space for dialogue: Make the conversation conducive to discussion.
• Prepare messages thoughtfully: Consider how to communicate values.
• Model respect: Demonstrate respectful discourse during the discussion.
• Encourage critical media consumption: Help children engage thoughtfully with media.
• Listen actively: Attend to children’s views and questions.

The steps present the conversation as more than a one-way explanation: they pair preparation and modeling with critical engagement and listening. The summary of the advice does not identify the educator by name or provide details about a particular election year, event, or specific media resources.

The recommendations are aimed at parents in the Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News area, though no further information was provided about how the guidance was shared or whether it was part of a broader program.

Story summarized from the original created by Benjamin Mullins on cardinalnews.org, see more information here.

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