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When I first started teaching elementary school in 2014, I researched the appropriate standards I would need to teach my students.

As someone with a long-standing interest in government and politics, I was excited to see that I would be responsible for teaching my third graders about the roles and responsibilities of citizenship. My mind turned to thoughts of debates, discussions, mock elections, and current event lessons.

And then 2016 happened.

I talked to fellow teachers and friends at the beginning of the school year, and many expressed reluctance to discuss the presidential election with their students.

I don’t blame them.

Broaching topics such as sexual assault, racism and immigration are daunting in any classroom but especially in elementary school. At the same time, pretending the election did not exist would do a disservice to the students.

So I decided to incorporate the election into our civics lessons. My class read articles written specifically for children about both presidential candidates. We talked about the requirements necessary to vote, the role of the Electoral College and the two major parties.

I also let my students ask any questions they wanted, from the silly (Why is Donald Trump’s hair like that?), to the serious (Will I have to leave school if he wins?).

The questions needed to be answered with honesty and tact. As a teacher I have no desire to stoke fear in my students, but I also cannot hide the truth from them. I was hopeful that many of their worries would be allayed immediately after the election. Oh how wrong I was.

I stayed awake election night, planning what I would say to the class and how the day would go. What should I say? What if a student comes in crying? In the end, I decided to begin the day by asking the class a simple question: “So, what happened yesterday?”

It was here that I was reminded of the awesome ability of our students to rise to meet the expectations we set for them. Before I even had the chance to ask the question, a student raised his hand and said, “Mr. Pike, did you see Donald Trump was elected president yesterday?”

That launched us into a discussion that reminds me how lucky I am to work with kids every day. Questions were floated and answered, both by me and my students. Our conversation reached a pinnacle around this question: “I don’t like Donald Trump as President. What are people going to do now?”

As any teacher can tell you, the classroom environment can change so dramatically in a matter of seconds that you may need to scrap any lesson plans you had for that chunk of time. It was here that I continued my class’s lesson in civics education and democratic participation.

We talked about protesting and letter writing. We talked about speaking your mind without silencing or intimidating others. We talked about how the president and our elected officials need to listen to everyone, not just the people who voted for them. And we talked about how, even as 8- and 9-year-olds, their voices matter.

In the following weeks, we discussed the issues as they came up. We talked about the presidential transition and what would happen to President Obama. We watched part of the inauguration and Skyped with my friend who lives in D.C. We talked about the protests going on, and I was proud to hear from some of my students who joined the Women’s March in Kona.

Most importantly, I left my door open for students to ask questions and share their thoughts with me.

These things are hard to discuss, but unfair to hide. If we shield our kids from reality, how can we expect them to participate as well-informed citizens in our democracy?

The key is to ensure that the information reaches them in a way that they can understand and process. An open conversation about President Trump’s ban on Muslim immigrants may be appropriate for a 12th grader but impossible for a first grader.

As teachers and parents we must not conceal our political views but also be careful that we don’t force an ideology on a student. When asked by my class what I thought about Donald Trump, I was honest. I told them I don’t like his inappropriate talk, I don’t like his plans for immigration, and I did not want him to be President. I never made a statement akin to “Anyone who likes Donald Trump is …”

As adults we act as guides for our children, but we do not force them down one path or the other. If you have not had a conversation about President Trump with the children in your life, I encourage you to do so if you feel they are at an appropriate age.

There are a multitude of resources online to help start and process conversations. Let them ask questions. Hear their thoughts. Share your own. It doesn’t matter whether you support the president or not, everyone can benefit from a civics lesson (including the new administration.)

To shy away this issue from our kids is to teach them that disagreement with others is shameful, that it is okay to treat this as a trivial issue, that their voice does not matter.

Empower the kids in your life to speak their mind and let them know that their voices deserve to be heard too.

I leave you with a quote from a student. This was written on a reflection paragraph the day after the election. “I didn’t want Donald Trump to be President. But I know the President has to listen to everyone in America. I hope he listens to me, because I have a lot to say to him.”