One of the courses I teach is World Studies; a class where my sophomores (15-16 years old) spend a year learning about various regions of the world.  I have many goals for my students, but the two I feel are most important are increasing global awareness and introducing them to the idea of civic engagement.  The past two years I have developed two activities of which I am particularly proud along these lines, and I wanted to share them with you.

Iran
Since the issue of Iran’s nuclear program has been a major news story the past number of years, I decided to have my sophomores write a letter to President Obama with their thoughts on the situation.  To teach the students first about the issue, we watched a Frontline documentary, “Showdown with Iran.”  After that, we read an article from CQ Global Researcher, “Rising Tension Over Iran.”  Most of our time, however, was spent going over the Council on Foreign Relations’ excellent interactive, “Crisis Guide: Iran.”  All of this took us about three weeks to analyze, and once we finished, the students each wrote a letter outlining what they thought was the appropriate course of action for the US to take in regards to Iran;s nuclear energy program.  The only major constraint they had in their opinion was that it had to be based on those they learned about from “Crisis Guide: Iran”- diplomacy, covert action, sanctions, preventive strikes, opposition support, public diplomacy, and do nothing (allow Iran to gain nuclear energy).  For most of my students, this was their first time writing to an elected official, and even though their letters may have reflected that they are not international relations experts, I was very proud of them.

Millennium Development Goals
This year I decided to try a new project with my sophomores- a regional summit at the end of each region we study (Europe, the Americas, Sub-Saharan Africa, MENA, and Asia).  Basically, students worked in pairs representing a different country within the region and had to research that country’s position on our two topics.  For our summits in Europe and the Americas, our two topics were the role of women in development, and protecting the global climate.  For Africa, we will be addressing agriculture development and food security, as well as controlling and eliminating malaria.  All of these topics fall under the realm of the Millennium Development Goals, which we covered for a week at the beginning of the year.

Each of those topics also have an actual UN Resolution, which students used as a starting point for their research.  The first step was to gain a general understanding of the topics.  This entailed analyzing other UN resolutions, visiting NGOs’ websites, and reading up on current events.  Next, they researched their country’s position on those topics. For this part, I had them start with their assigned country’s websites for the ministry of foreign affairs and the permanent mission to the UN.  Finally, they typed up proposed solutions to the problems within those topics based on their country’s policies.

During the summits, students used parliamentary procedure and worked towards creating a resolution (similar to a UN resolution) per issue.  The entire time, they had stay “in character” as a representative of their respective country.  I emphasized that since the goal of each summit was to reach an agreement, then they needed to be prepared to listen to ideas that are different from their own and compromise to create solutions.

It was a great exercise for them to learn how different countries viewed the same problem.  The project gets students to see global issues through multiple perspectives and teaches them about point of view.  For example, during our upcoming Africa summit, they should be able to see the difference in how industrialized countries and less developed countries approach the same issue.

As a culminating assessment for their semester final, students had to pick one of the two topics about women or the global climate and write a letter outlining their personal proposals to either UN Women or the UN Environment Programme.  I thought that this was appropriate for two reasons- 1) they had to show me what they learned about the two topics during our first two regional summits, and 2) it was a lesson in civic engagement.  This was a chance for my sophomores to think about global issues and ways to address some of the problems associated with those issues.  I sent off the letters to the two bodies, so now we wait, hopeful for a response.

If teachers around the world taught their students to become more globally aware, to see local and global issues through different points of view, and encouraged them to get involved in their community (school, local, state, etc.), then perhaps we could break down some stereotypes of other cultures, improve international relations, and begin to make the world a better place.

Thanks for reading.

A colleague and I were recently talking about our “Plan B’s” if we ever decided to leave teaching and got into a discussion about the types of jobs for which social studies teachers are qualified.  I have thought about leaving teaching for the past two years, and in the process of looking for jobs (and even applying for some of them), I’ve reached some interesting conclusions.

1. Just because I’ve learned a lot and can teach courses on global issues, politics, history, etc., not having “the right degree” has been a stumbling block.  Due to the nature of my interests, most of the jobs I’ve looked into require an advanced degree in something to the effect of international relations, political science, social science, international studies or a related field.  My Master’s Degree is in Curriculum and Instruction with a Professional Development emphasis, which means that of the 36 credits, 12 are in education and 24 are in history.  Since then I’ve taken courses in history and politics at the local university.  The problem is that when HR staff see “Master’s Degree is in Curriculum and Instruction with a Professional Development emphasis,” it does not give them the whole picture.  To try and rectify that, I’ve decided to enroll in the International Politics and Practice Capstone Certificate program at UW-Madison.

2. Along those lines, while I started this blog as a place for me to write down my thoughts on what I read, I’ve since also thought about using it as a sort of e-portfolio for possible employers.  I would like to think that I can write intelligently about global issues, domestic and foreign policy, social media, etc., even though I don’t have a degree specifically in those areas.  I’ve also tried using my Twitter feed for the same purpose.  Perhaps sharing interesting articles and brief thoughts on them will lead somebody to notice that even though I’m “just a teacher,” I still follow developments in the above areas.

3. Teachers need to show possible employers that we are more than babysitters who know a thing or two about some subjects.  Many of us belong to professional organizations so we can read journals and articles about the latest research, developments, and trends.  For example, I belong to the American Historical Association, the Organization of American Historians, and the American Political Science Association.  Teachers can also conduct their own research (my blog for example) and work diligently to become masters of their content.  We work under extreme pressure and in a stressful environment while simultaneously providing guidance to both students and new teachers.  We take pride in our work and achievements, and even more so when it comes to our students.  Educators speak and write clearly and effectively for a variety of audiences; if we do not, it makes the learning process difficult.  We enjoy sharing what we know, but we also know how to ask the right questions so that our students get to a deeper understanding of the content.  Planning is inherent in the job, but teachers also know how to “go with the flow” if they see that it could lead to beneficial outcomes.  Finally, social studies teachers in particular are quite adept at identifying change and continuity over time, comparing and contrasting ideas, and seeing various viewpoints through different lenses.

4. Teaching a variety of courses has led me to be interested in many topics, which can be burdensome when looking for jobs.  Right now I teach US history, US government and politics, US foreign policy, and a world studies course.  In the past, however, I’ve also taught European history courses, world history courses, and even a course on ancient civilizations. (If you click on the “About” page, you can see a list of the courses I’ve taught on my CV).  Teaching at the secondary level requires teachers to become content specialists, which means I’ve learned a considerable amount during the past twelve years.  Obviously, I became a social studies teacher because I really enjoy learning about and discussing history and politics.  The problem is that for me, I can’t get enough, and I always want to know as much as possible.  As such, I’m interested in jobs in a variety of areas- domestic and foreign policy, communication, global issues, and international organizations and NGO’s.  Having a wide variety of interests can be problematic, however, when trying to narrow down a job search.

To close, I leave you with a request (and I’m really putting myself out there with this, but I’ve got to try it).  If you, or someone you know, is looking to hire a professional who is passionate about politics, policy, and social media and wants to use that energy to make a difference in the world, please feel free to contact me.

Thanks for reading.