“I’m taking this class because I want to be the president of the United States.”

A student told me that, with a straight face, on the first day of class in a summer session of American Government at Rutgers, back in the ’90s. I responded with something like “I’d better do a good job with this class, then!”

Probably half of the students came in with relatively clear political leanings, and several seemed intent on acting on them. My job, as I saw it, was to provide a common baseline of information and introductions to various ways of looking at issues, but also to encourage them to find their own ways to be political. The students took for granted that they were important; my goal was to help them refine their views and approaches. I didn’t see anybody switch sides, but that wasn’t the go

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