Story by: Macy Sonius and Photo by: Lia Hanchett
Not long ago, students were restricted in their learning of history. There was not a lot of emphasis on the whys behind historical events.
Now, social studies teachers at ThunderRidge have taken matters into their own hands in order to further acquaint their students with the reasons behind the historic and modern events that still affect our society today.
One class new to the upcoming 2016-17 school year is a Contemporary World Issues class. Intro to Positive Psychology was introduced to juniors and seniors the previous year and is being taught again this year.
“I pretty much freaked out last year because my freshman had no idea what caused 9/11 or anything about the current conflict in the Middle East,” explains history teacher Matt Paisley about why the new Contemporary World Issues class was being introduced.
Over time, there have been an increasing amount of options for social studies classes that have opened doors for students to learn about a wider range of interesting and beneficial topics.
“There’s no totally new classes, they just haven’t been offered here in several years. For instance the Contemporary World Issues has been in the district for years but it just hasn’t been offered or there hasn’t been interest in it,” explains social studies teacher John Ameen.
The new classes are based on not only what the students wish to learn, but also on what the teachers are interested in teaching.
“I think the students should be able to select classes they are passionate about,” says Paisley.
The new classes will enlighten students and open their eyes to another side of the world.
They will be much more educated on life in other cultures and topics including human rights struggles, foreign exchange policies, and Colorado’s political and economic issues.
“Learning the history of the Middle East is pretty important in our current situation. Students will be more successful when they are able to judge less and empathize more. I think it’s about understanding other cultures and less about judging those cultures. We can’t understand the Middle East until we understand their history, culture and traditions,” says Paisley.
The new history classes are helping to set students up for success by giving them more opportunities to learn about something they are interested in while still earning the mandatory credits to graduate.
“I think this will benefit students by allowing them to have a better chance of finding a class they enjoy or would want to take over other options,” says sophomore Jolene Stille.
The history teachers at ThunderRidge are passionate about their subject and it shows through their introduction of new topics.
They want their students to leave ThunderRidge with a deep understanding of significant historical events and why they happened so that students can grow into adults that will not make the same mistakes their ancestors made.
Now, social studies teachers at ThunderRidge have taken matters into their own hands in order to further acquaint their students with the reasons behind the historic and modern events that still affect our society today.
One class new to the upcoming 2016-17 school year is a Contemporary World Issues class. Intro to Positive Psychology was introduced to juniors and seniors the previous year and is being taught again this year.
“I pretty much freaked out last year because my freshman had no idea what caused 9/11 or anything about the current conflict in the Middle East,” explains history teacher Matt Paisley about why the new Contemporary World Issues class was being introduced.
Over time, there have been an increasing amount of options for social studies classes that have opened doors for students to learn about a wider range of interesting and beneficial topics.
“There’s no totally new classes, they just haven’t been offered here in several years. For instance the Contemporary World Issues has been in the district for years but it just hasn’t been offered or there hasn’t been interest in it,” explains social studies teacher John Ameen.
The new classes are based on not only what the students wish to learn, but also on what the teachers are interested in teaching.
“I think the students should be able to select classes they are passionate about,” says Paisley.
The new classes will enlighten students and open their eyes to another side of the world.
They will be much more educated on life in other cultures and topics including human rights struggles, foreign exchange policies, and Colorado’s political and economic issues.
“Learning the history of the Middle East is pretty important in our current situation. Students will be more successful when they are able to judge less and empathize more. I think it’s about understanding other cultures and less about judging those cultures. We can’t understand the Middle East until we understand their history, culture and traditions,” says Paisley.
The new history classes are helping to set students up for success by giving them more opportunities to learn about something they are interested in while still earning the mandatory credits to graduate.
“I think this will benefit students by allowing them to have a better chance of finding a class they enjoy or would want to take over other options,” says sophomore Jolene Stille.
The history teachers at ThunderRidge are passionate about their subject and it shows through their introduction of new topics.
They want their students to leave ThunderRidge with a deep understanding of significant historical events and why they happened so that students can grow into adults that will not make the same mistakes their ancestors made.