Teaching About Money

Financial Literacy

 Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of independence believed that in order for the fledgling democracy that was the United States of America was to survive, it had to have an educated population. Fast forward to the twenty-first century and the same is true but with a slightly different spin. In order to bring us out of the recession and to move America along a path to a more permanent financial recovery, we need a population is that has a strong foundation in economic education. That is, we need a citizenry that knows how to save, and invest, how to balance a check book, to understand how credit works and how to make prudent financial choices for both the short and long term. The question will ultimately arise in the curriculum departments of many schools as to “where do we fit this in?” Our curriculum is crowded as it is and if the topic is not on any state assessment tests, we don’t have the classroom hours to devote to it. That attitude is bringing a great disservice to our country. How many more TARPS and bailouts do we have to have? How many more foreclosures of the homes of families will we see? How many more 401K plans will be decimated? How many more small business will go bankrupt?

There a number of web sites that would make good places for classroom teachers to start students  on a  path to economic sanity. The United States Federal Reserve Bank site has a wide variety of games, simulations, lesson plans and information for all grade levels, K-12. There are even publications that can be downloaded. One example is “Benjamin Franklin and the Birth of a Paper Money Economy.” Another title available is “The First Bank of The United States- a Chapter in the History of Central Bank." You can access this information by going to www.federalreserveeducation.org.

Another useful site is http://www.councilforeconed.org/. This is the site for the Council for Economic Education. Here you will find training modules for teachers as well as available publications for classroom use. Every year this organization sponsors a Financial and Economic Education Conference for teachers. Next year, the will conference will be held on October 4-6, 2012 in Kansas City, MO.

Even the New York Stock Exchange offers education programming. There are tours of the floor of the NYSE available for student groups. There are also summer teacher training scholarships available. These, however, are quite competitive. Go to http://corporate.nyx.com/who-we-are/corporate-social-responsibility/our-community/education-teacher-training for more information.

The NASDAQ also has information about personal finance and credit. See http://www.nasdaq.com/personal-finance/credit-debt.aspx.

Finally, The National Financial Educators Council offers videos and training materials as well as curriculum materials for teaching financial literacy in the classroom. You can find a wealth of materials at this site. Go to http://www.financialeducatorscouncil.org/  There is even a link for funding sources for financial education.

According to the National Endowment for Financial Education, as few as ten hours of classroom instruction can be enough to persuade students to improve their spending and saving habits.( Source Education World Magazine)

Summer Programs for Teachers

 Summer Study – Make your New Year’s resolutions now.

With holidays approaching, it might just be the time for giving yourself a gift for next summer- the opportunity to attend a stimulating summer institute or seminar to sharpen your classroom teaching skills, obtain new useful teaching information or even earn a stipend. There are even some opportunities to earn graduate credit for completing one of these institutes that could even lead to a pay raise. Many of the applications are quite detailed and may take some time to complete. It might be a good idea to start looking and gathering materials just after New Years as the application deadlines tend to sneak up on you.

Government Agencies and Organizations

There are a number of government agencies that offer summer programs for teachers. Many offers stipends to write curriculum after the program’s completion. Some offer the option to obtain graduate credit. Since these programs are offered at a wide variety of locations, they may provide you with the opportunity to  travel to parts of the US  where you  have not previously been. You will also get the opportunity to network with other teachers and share ideas and strategies that have worked for you in the classroom.

The Library of Congress offers numerous opportunities for teachers. There are typically several five day programs offered in Washington, DC.  At these workshops classroom teachers learn how to utilize primary sources in the classroom. They then develop teaching strategies to utilize these documents and generate student interest and enthusiasm. http://www.loc.gov/teachers/professionaldevelopment/teacherinstitute/

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is another government agency that offers summer ;programs for teachers utilizing primary source documnet6s. Last summer programs were held in Washington, DC, Kansas City, MO, Chicago, Il, Abilene, KS and Austin TX. The 2012 programs have not been released yet. Check back to the web site periodically to see when the programs are announced. These programs fill up quickly and the application process may be competitive.

http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2011/nr11-97.html

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) summer program for 2012 has already been announced. The programs span a vast range of  topics from the Abolitionist Movement in the US, Berlin’s Cultural Diversity ( Program is in Germany) and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales ( in London).These programs are open al K-12 school teachers in public, private, parochial and charter schools as well as home school teachers. Some of these seminars and institutes last from 4 to five weeks.  Successful applicants do receive a stipend which can go to defray the cost of travel and books, etc. The deadline is March 1, 2012. Don’t wait!  Go to http://www.neh.gov/projects/si-school.html

The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia also  several great programs for teachers that include a stipend. They have not announced their 2012 programs yet but they also have a March 1 deadline. Take a look at http://constitutioncenter.org/ncc_edu_Summer_Workshops.aspx

There are hundreds of other programs offered by organizations, colleges and universities and institutions. Here are  just a few. We will add additional programs as they become known to us.

The Ashbrook Center of Ashland University in Ohio is offering as many as 30 one week courses that are free for social studies teachers. These seminars include room, meals, and a $500 stipend. The application deadline is usually March 1^st of each year. For more specific information and applications check out the site at www.teachingamericanhistory.org/institutes

The Exploratorium Museum of  Science, Art and Human Perception, located in San Francisco, CA  has offered summer programs for science and math teachers since the  1980s. Their 2012 applications will be posted this week with a March 1, 2012 deadline. You can learn more about their offerings as well as information about the museum it itself by going to http://www.exploratorium.edu/teacher_institute/summer/

Some final tips before applying.

1)      Be sure that your resume is up to date.

2)      If you need to secure administration approval in writing, get it in advance of your application.

3)      You may be asked as to how the program will impact your classroom teaching or how you will use the material and knowledge you learned.

4)      Be aware of the application deadlines.

5)      If the program you have selected is in another country, be sure that your passport is up to date and that you have obtained any required visas.

6)      If you are applying for graduate credits, be sure to turn in all required assignments in a complete and timely manner.

As always, your comment and additions  are appreciated.

Teachers and Moonlighting- Perfect Together ?

Should teachers Moonlight?

When  my wife and I started  public school teaching over 40 years, we both took on seconds jobs. The purpose was to save extra money for a down payment for our first house. During our careers this was a way to get ahead as in the early 70s teacher salaries were low and did not go up very much. We also had to endure the Wage/ Price Freeze during the Nixon Era. But now we are confronted with a paradigm shift. Even though the rate of inflation is low, teachers are losing ground. According to a recent Associated Press news article, as many as 20% of teachers nationwide have had to take second jobs. The percentage is even higher in Texas.  Some teachers have had to agree to salary cuts in order to keep their jobs.  In other districts teachers have been asked to contribute more to their health insurance premiums and put a larger chunk of their pay into state pension funds- (many of which are currently underfunded). As a result of this economic upheaval, many teachers have had to resort to taking second jobs, and not just for the Christmas holidays. Which brings me to the theme of today’s discussion - Should teachers have to moonlight? If we consider teaching to be a profession rather than a blue collar job, one would think that teachers, as college educated professionals (many with advanced degrees) should be adequately compensated for their work. We also need to look at the residual fallout from this situation. If a teacher works an additional 20 hours a week at a second job, what impact is it having on the teacher as well as the students in the classroom?  That is 20 fewer hours to write effective lesson plans, 20 fewer hours to grade papers, 20 fewer hours to attend graduate school classes and workshops that would serve to enhance teaching skills. Is the teacher more tired and less alert in classroom- an environment where one must be alert and on their toes at all times? In other words, having a second job may impact one’s ability to be an effective teacher. Most school districts do not have a formal policy regarding second jobs although district officials may we mindful if a teacher’s performance sags.  In order to avoid that classroom deficit, many teachers take on summer employment.

It is generally well known that teachers in other countries are more highly regarded than those in the US and as a result of that respect, earn higher salaries commensurate with their education. They are considered true professionals both in pay and stature. How are we going to convince the American people that US teachers are in the same category?  As always your comment and feedback are welcome.

Teaching about Thanksgiving

The Real Thanksgiving

What do you really want your students to know about Thanksgiving?  Should you focus on the folklore of that first Thanksgiving, The Mayflower, Plymouth Rock, Pilgrims, etc? Perhaps you may want your students to ponder about things they should be thankful for, having enough food and a safe place to live- thankful to live in a democracy. Then again you may wish to teach about the real events of 1620- the Mayflower Compact as an original document. Maybe you have students who, for one reason or another, don’t even celebrate Thanksgiving.

Somewhere out there is the current Americanized version of Thanksgiving- a few days off from school, football and the beginning of the holiday (read Christmas, Hanukah, and Kwanza).How you wish to treat the occasions is very much a part of who you have sitting in your classroom.

Elementary school students enjoy getting dressed up in costume and acting out the Pilgrim Pageant. They like making those “Pilgrim” hats and cut out turkeys to fasten to the refrigerator.

High schoolers who are serious about American history may want to delve into events that occurred in 1620-21 and what the Massachusetts Bay Colony was truly all about.

http://www.plimoth.org/ One interesting web site is that of the Plymouth Plantation. Located in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the living history museum boast replicas of what life was life in Plymouth in 1620. There is also a replica of the Mayflower for visitors.

Education World, an on-line magazine, has an interesting article about the “Real Story of the First Thanksgiving”. See http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr040.shtml.

Teachers, a web site  sponsored by Scholastic http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/collection/teaching-about-first-thanksgiving, offers  thematic lessons and teaching ideas for celebrating the holiday of Thanksgiving.

The National Museum of the American Indian, a part of the Smithsonian complex, has an outstanding site entitled “The American Indian Perspective of Thanksgiving.” The web address is http://www.nmai.si.edu/education/files/thanksgiving_poster.pdf. Be sure to pay special notice to the information about the Wampanoag Tribe. This is the tribe from which 90 members celebrated the First Thanksgiving along with the 52 English settlers.

ABC Teach, another on line resource, has a number of printable worksheet for elementary students. Go to http://abcteach.com/directory/seasonalholidays/thanksgiving/.

No matter how you choose to present the material in the classroom, take the time to make your discussion of Thanksgiving a meaningful one. Remember, Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday and is a part of American culture and tradition.

Have a Happy and bountiful Thanksgiving.

2012 Presidential Elections

Countdown to Election Day. - November 6, 2012

The 2012 Presidential Election may be one year away but there is ample time for teachers of social studies and civics to gear up for what promises to be a crucial election.  The issues are quite divisive. The candidates are confrontational. There are teachable moments all over the place. It is an exciting time.

My interest in presidential politics stems from my seventh and eighth grade social studies teacher, Naomi Satchell. The year was 1960, the upcoming was election between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. We discussed the issues in class. We had mock debates and made campaign pins and posters. On Election Day, Mrs. Satchel gave each of us an outline map if the United States and told us to color in which states went for Kennedy and which for Nixon. You may recall that this was one of the closest elections in history which wasn’t decided until the next morning. My mother made me go to bed at eleven o’ clock, despite my protests that I hadn’t finished my homework. We need today’s teachers to ignite that kind of interest in their students. It not just a good civics lesson, it is a lesson in responsibility and the democratic process. There are numerous debates this fall.  Then, starting in January come the Primary Elections.  This will be followed by the two nominating conventions next summer as well as several debates prior to Election Day. The Republican National Convention will be held in Tampa Bay, Florida (http://gopconvention2012.com/), while the Democratic National Convention will take place in Charlotte, North Carolina (http://charlottein2012.com/)

NARA, The National Archives and Records Administration, has an excellent web site about the Electoral College. It explains how it works, how electors are selected and its role in a presidential election. You can readily pointy out that it is possible to win the popular vote, lose the electoral vote and thus lose the election. Just ask AL Gore.

http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/about.html

The National Constitution Center is located in Philadelphia across the street from the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.  If you and your students are fortunate enough to live in the vicinity, a field trip would be an outstanding experience. There is a brief orientation play and a myriad of interactive activities for school students. In absence of an on site visit, there are a number of useful and effective lesson plans for teaching about presidential elections. While the activities of the site were originally geared for the 2008 election, teachers will find relevant materials for elementary grades, middle school, as well as high school. The web site is http://constitutioncenter.org/ncc_edu_Election_Lessons.aspx.

The Office of the Secretary of State for the State of New Hampshire in Concord is the place where presidential candidates go to register for the New Hampshire Primary. This primary election is one of the earliest and can often be a bell weather of what American voters may be thinking. What is unique about this event is the fact that this is an open primary and anyone can plunk down the $1000 registration fee and get their name on the ballot- as long as they meet the Constitutional requirements to be President of the United States. (Natural Born US citizen, at least 35 years old and have been a US resident for at least 14 years. Article II. Section1). This web site will give you a list of all of the men and women, many you have never heard of, who have registered to run in the New Hampshire Primary (http://www.sos.nh.gov/Candidates.pdf)

 No matter which approach you take, be sure to get your students plugged in to the election. Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, believed that in order for our democracy to survive, we needed to have an educated population. As teachers we can be guardians of our democracy by educating our students as to their civic responsibility and teach them about the election process.

Veterans Day 2011

Remembering Veterans Day

One of my favorite television programs was The West Wing. It chronicled the lives of a current but mythical president and his staff- how they dealt with each other as well as the important social and political issues of the day.  One of the most compelling episodes dealt with the discovery of a homeless veteran of the Korean War who had died on a park bench at the base of the Washington Monument.  One of the key players in the President’s administration arranges for a military funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. The very poignant message is that we should never forget our veterans and what sacrifices they made for their country. There are still many homeless veterans out there. “Homes for our Troops" is a project that accepts donated construction equipment and helps build housing for homeless vets. This organization can be reached at www.homesforourtroops.org.

This year Veterans’ Day is 11-11-11 making it unique in many ways. We as educators should make it special by doing something for a veteran. Perhaps visit an area Veterans Home and spent some time with the residents.  Why not start a school project for holidays collecting clothing, food and toiletries to be sent to our troops deployed around the word. The Disabled American Vets organization (DAV) is looking for volunteers to provide transportation for disabled vets to their appointments are area VA medical centers. The web site is www.dav.org/volunteers.

We are losing World War Two veterans at a rate over 1000 a day. Soon there will no survivors left to recount their deeds acts of heroism.  Invite a veteran to come to your school and speak to the students. You may wish to have your students to write letters to servicemen and women who recuperating in Veterans Hospital’s across the country from combat injuries. There is a program called “Cell Phones for Soldiers". Collect old and unwanted cell phones and they can be turned in for talk time so deployed troops can call home. The web address is cellphonesforasoldiers.com

The Library of Congress has an ongoing project to conduct interviews of veterans who served in combat. You and your students can request a kit that includes biographical data desired as well as release forms. This would an excellent project for both social studies and creative writing classes. For more information go to www.loc.gov/vets.

There are numerous opportunities for schools to participate in Veterans Day programs and projects.  Students need to realize that Veterans Day is not just a day off from school or a sale at the local shopping mall. Our veterans are the backbone of what has made us a great nation. We need to let our veterans know that.

Remembering Kristallnacht

Kristallnacht- The Night of Broken Glass

November 9 and 10^th, 1938 marked the beginning of a series of cataclysmic events that were to evolve into the Holocaust which was no less than a systematic effort to eradicate the entire Jewish population. On those days, a systematic pogrom led by Nazi Storm Troopers along with elements of the Hitler Youth and local thugs targeted Jewish houses of worship as well a Jewish owned businesses in Germany and parts of Austria. Thousands of buildings were ransacked and burned. Innocent people were murdered. Jewish life in Europe would never be the same. These horrific events have become known as   “Kristallnacht,” the Night of Broken Glass.

This coming week, ceremonies and memorial services will be held in churches and synagogues around the world to commemorate this event. Teachers around the country may want to use the event to discuss the Holocaust and its worldwide repercussions. You can link this discussion to bullying in schools, in accepting students of other cultures with other customs, of tolerance and diversity in our society.  You can discuss the Constitutional issue of Freedom of Religion.  In 1790 President George Washington wrote a letter to the members of the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island where he stated that the new US government was “a government which grants bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.”

You also wish to share with students the amazing story of the “Paperclips Project” started by the students of the Whitwell Middle School in Tennessee. www.imdb.com/title/tt0380615. The students produced a book about their project entitled “Six Million Paperclips” which is available from Amazon as well as other booksellers. There are study guides and lesson plans that compliment this program. IN retrospect this the ideal “perfect storm” for teachers where students, faculty, parents and the community at large all worked together on this scintillating venture.

There are a number of other excellent web sites that that can provide you with resources and teaching materials. One of the best is United States Holocaust Memorial and Museum in Washington, DC.

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005201

PBS also has a film that was part of its America and the Holocaust Program. You can obtain more information at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/holocaust/peopleevents/pandeAMEX99.html

The Library of Congress also maintains archives of documents relating to the events of Kristallnacht. Go to http://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?q=kristallnacht%201938

I recently had the opportunity to facilitate a screening of the documentary, “ Imaginary Witness; Hollywood and the Holocaust.” This is an outstanding  two hour film suitable for high school students, college students and adults. This film presents a unique view how the Hollywood film moguls  dealt with (  or did not deal with) the Holocaust on screen.

There have been numerous books written about Kristallnacht and its aftermath. Below is a short list of books that are currently available.

Further Reading

Bard, Mitchell, Phd. 48 Hours of Kristallnacht: Night of Destruction/ Dawn of the Holocaust .  c.2010

Deen, James. Krsitallnacht: The Nazi Terror that Began the Holocaust. C.2011

Gilbert, Martin. Kristallnacht: Prelude to Destruction. New York: HarperCollins, 2006.

Pehle, Walter H., editor. November 1938: From "Reichskristallnacht" To Genocide. New York: Berg, 1991.

Read, Anthony. Kristallnacht: The Nazi Night of Terror. New York: Times Books, 1989.

Schwab, Gerald. The Day the Holocaust Began: The Odyssey of Herschel Grynszpan. New York: Praeger, 1990.

Steinweiss, Alan. Kristallnacht  1938. C.2009

Photo courtesy -Holocaust Museum  and Education Center of Southwest Florida