KIRBY SWANSON

U P P E R S C H O O L

T E A C H E R

E D U C A T I O N

Western Washington University

Bachelor of Arts, Education

Minor in History & Political Sciences

At the start of each class, I begin with current events across various media outlets for students. Here are events in the real world that individuals and nations must handle. The war in Ukraine, inflation, and the debt ceiling debate are all problematic, but creative individuals can change the world around them. History shows that many of these problems have been around for a long time. We looked at inflation and debt in the Roman Empire and race relations in the United States from its inception. The questions to my students are how do you see the world? What makes these events important to you now? How will you handle them today?

Some classes were involved in decision-making episodes. Here groups had to come to an agreement when placed in an event in history where a course of action had to be chosen. This has been good practice in collaborative decision-making.

Students’ curiosity and creativity come out when studying aspects of a civilization’s myths and beliefs in what guides life and death. One project that stood out after studying Greek gods was for students to create their own Greek god with unique powers and abilities.

In my teaching, I also convey the values that I find essential in my life, such as kindness, respect, light-heartedness, and humor.

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