Ged Class Visits The Capitol
On February 18th, Spring Institute’s GED class visited the Capitol in downtown Denver. We were excited to be guests and learn firsthand how our state government operates. The House and Senate were in session so we were able to visit both, take a tour, and visit a committee in session that was reviewing a bill. Here are some excerpts of thank you letters written by students:
“I learned that the House of Representatives and the Senate have approximately 120 days to pass all of the bills. This is why the reader of the bills talks so fast. I thought he was talking in French because I could not understand a word he was saying. I did not know that for a bill to become a law it takes many steps. I love the fact that Mr. Mildy saved places for our class to sit in the House of Representatives for the reading of the bills.”
“The House of Representatives and the Senate are very different. The House of Representatives looks like no one is listening to what the bill reader is saying. The Representatives wander around but in reality, everyone is listening to what the bill reader is saying. The House of Representatives is noisy, they have fun, and act like a big family. On the other hand, the Senate is very serious and down to business. Everyone is focused on what’s going on. All the Senators are all sitting down and the room is very quiet.”
“On another note, a bill will be coming to the house and Senate soon. This bill is about adult education and how Colorado is one of the last states to fund it. It is House Bill Number 14-1085. This bill will not only help, me but it will help a lot of people who want a good education. Thanks for your time, and I hope you consider this bill carefully.”
The Capitol trip seemed to really solidify some of the concepts we learned in our Social Studies class and gave the students a personal look at what government means in their own lives. A big thanks goes to our volunteer, Chuck Nichols for organizing this trip with Representative Max Tyler and his assistant, Zach Mildy.