Scott+McAnally+-+September+7th+Prompt


 * (A) Describe and post your favorite memory from a social studies class from middle/junior/senior high school. **

One of my favorite high school teachers decided to build a new course on philosophy and implement it my senior year. While I don't remember a lot of specifics from the class, I do remember being very impressed that this teacher went out of the way to create a class that he thought students would find interesting. The class size was small and I remember having thought-provoking discussions every week that went far and above the types of things we discussed in my other social studies classes. I was inspired by him to become a teacher because I didn't realize there could be that level of discussion and interaction in a high school setting.


 * (B) Describe and post your worst memory or experience from a social studies class from middle/junior/senior high school. **

I have two. My 'government and civics' teacher thought it would be a good idea to spend a month watching Helter Skelter, a film about Charles Manson and his trial, to learn about the US legal system. Where do I begin with this one? I think the only thing we learned was to fear communes and the 1960s. I actually thought a lot about that experience when I took a political science class at MSU and realized how much content was missed in high school. A wasted opportunity if you ask me.

The second observation I didn't make until recently about how little is taught in high school economics about personal finance. It blows my mind that the MDE content standards for high school economics focus more on macro principles instead of practical information every high school graduate should know. We covered supply and demand and the causes of unemployment but never discussed how taxes work (or how to do them), how insurance works, credit cards, personal finances, student loans and the cost of college. My high school only required one semester of economics and given the current financial climate in the US, I don't think it would hurt to make it a full year course. To put it simply, I realized after the fact that my high school economics class was poorly designed from a practicality standpoint. Business classes should be the electives, not personal finance.


 * (C) Describe and post your rationale for why you want to teach social studies and what particular reasons you find compelling for having students study and learn social studies in schools. **

I could write for days on this one but I'll keep it short. I want to make a career out of teaching social studies to young adults because, if done well, it can have a positive lasting impact regardless of where people end up in life. History, government, the economy - these are all things that surround us in our daily lives and we can't avoid. I believe it is our responsibility as social studies teachers to make the understanding of these topics exciting for students. History is not complete, we don't know all of the answers. The controversy surrounding individuals and events in history is what makes it exciting. Teaching students to question one-sided explanations in the past and present is an invaluable skill and I'm excited to be a part of the learning process.