My Students

Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education." The ultimate goal of education is to prepare our students to be active, informed, productive citizens.

I teach in a school with a diverse population in South Carolina.

My class consists of 21 first graders this year. Our school has a diverse population with students from varied socio-economic groups. We have students from varied backgrounds, including a large international population. I find that many of my parents learn right along with their kids when they come home to share what they have learned in my class regarding American History and Civics. My students are eager to learn. I have had former students that tell their parents they are "history experts" because of what they learned in my class. I was very thankful to receive a message from one of my former teachers because one of my students was teaching her about all the history you can learn from the coins in your pocket. I am passionate about American History and Civics Education. My classroom is decorated in red, white and blue and I call my students my Super Stars.

My Project

I cringe when I watch TV and see stories where reporters ask people to answer questions about our government. It saddens me when people cannot identify our elected officials but can name many facts about celebrities. I am in need of more books focusing on Civics. I am requesting books from the "Know Your Government" series from Weekly Reader publishing. They cover topics such as citizens' rights and responsibilties and the roles of different elected leaders. I have asked for 6 copies of each book so that I can use these books when teaching my reading groups. In first grade it is difficult to find time to cover Social Studies adequately so I integrate it into other academic areas such as reading. With these sets of readers, I will be able to teach my students to read while I teach them about our form of government. These books will enrich my ability to prepare and motivate my students to be active, informed citizens. Hopefully their enthusiasm will transfer to their parents as well.

The essential role of public education is to prepare our students to be active, informed, productive citizens.

Students need to understand how our representative democracy works as well as understanding that with our rights come great responsibilities. These books will not only play a role in my students learning to read, but also help them to understand our form of government and the rights and responsibilities of our citizenry. My current and future students will benefit from these books.