The Answer - A blog about Education, Preparation, and Commitment.

Teaching Middle School Social Studies at YES Prep

January 31, 2010 by Jeremy Jones

When I was in college (at the University of Notre Dame), as a political science major and peace studies minor. I fell in love with international relations and desire to learn as much as possible about the world. As an undergrad, this passion led me all over: to Washington D.C., London, and Nigeria. Four years later, I find myself in Houston, Texas.

Luckily, I get to teach about my desire to create change in the world every day to a room of students who are just as passionate as I was to learn about these things. My students have debated the merits of immigration policy, discussed the responsibility of the United States to assist those in Darfur, contemplated issues related to unlimited power in government, and learned the basics of microeconomics.

At this point, you may be wondering, what students do I teach? Well, not seniors taking economics or government, nor sophomores in an Advanced Placement class. In fact, it’s not even seventh or eighth grade. I teach the smallest of all YES Prep students- the sixth grader.

You might be wondering: “isn’t sixth grade social studies just the basics, you know, geography and map skills?” The truth is, it starts out that way. At the beginning of the year we spend several weeks catching students up on the social studies knowledge and skills they missed while in elementary school. I distinctly remember a day in September when I cringed as one of my students couldn’t tell me the name of the city, state, and country in which he lived. We quickly filled those gaps and moved into much more complex and interesting topics.

By December my students are in a heated discussion about refugees and the situation in Darfur. As many of his classmates explain that America needs to go into Darfur and stop the killing, the same student who struggled to orient himself in his town, state and country in September starts to speak. I’m nervous about what he might add to the conversation. Then, I hear his comment. “That is easy for us to say:  that we need to send the military into Sudan. But we are not the ones being asked to make that sacrifice. Maybe it is not that simple.” I can’t help but beam. This is what teaching social studies is all about. Not memorizing facts, but learning how to think about the world.

And that’s what I love about teaching social studies, and more generally, while I love teaching at YES Prep. Most places would look at me like I’m crazy for what we attempt in the 6^th grade. It’s certainly not how I was taught in middle school. But for every bar I’ve set for my students, they far surpass my expectations. And hopefully, they go on to the rest of middle school, high school, and eventually college more aware of the world around them, and ready to make their contribution.

So as I plan out my next unit, religion and culture, I am thinking about how I can make sure my students are pushed and challenged. Throughout this unit we’ll study five of the world’s major religions, but I want it be much more than memorizing beliefs and understanding timelines. Our unit project will focus on where religions conflict today, and how to create compromise. Students will attempt to mediate various conflicts around the world, such as the Arab Israeli conflict or issues surrounding China’s presence in Tibet. The project will culminate with students creating and presenting a solution they believe would be acceptable to both sides. And maybe, it also ends with my students thinking about how they can change the world, too.

Laura Feeney is a 2006 graduate of Notre Dame where she studied peace and politics.  She teaches 6th grade social studies at YES Prep North Central and is the 6th Grade Level Chair.  Laura is a Leading Excellence (YES Prep's Leadership Pipeline) candidate.  She is a 2006 Teach For America Alumna.

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