I'm Harold Osei. Twelve years teaching students that government, economics, and history aren't settled stories — they're systems you're already inside of.
I've spent twelve years convincing teenagers that the news isn't boring — it's just badly explained. I came to teaching after a short first career in local government policy work, which is probably why I still can't teach a unit on civics without bringing in whatever's actually happening in the news that week.
My classroom treats every current event as a live case study in the systems we study all year: government, economics, geography, and the human decisions behind all three. I'd rather a student leave my class able to argue a position well than able to recite a date.
Outside of class, I coach debate, run our biennial mock election from the ground up, and am — most years — the person who ends up moderating the staffroom's own arguments about current events.
Social Studies · 2011
National Civics Assoc. · 2017
National Forensics League · 2015
State Elections Board · 2019
A full campaign cycle — candidates, canvassing, real ballots, and a certified count run entirely by students.
Mock court arguing real constitutional case studies.
Handling-safe historical document replicas.
Inter-class tournament judged on argument structure.
Students interview and transcribe community elders.
My son ran a whole campaign for the mock election and now actually wants to vote when he turns 18.
The civics tribunal was the first time I understood why constitutional arguments actually matter.
He made the news feel like it was actually about us, not something happening far away.
What changes when students read a primary source first.
Three years of mock constitutional cases in one classroom.
Turnout, campaigns, and the value of losing.
Debate coaching, project check-ins, or a progress conversation.