http://econ4u.org/blog/2009/02/20/the-right-idea-the-wrong-follow-through/ Wed, 21 Dec 2011 04:03:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 http://econ4u.org/blog/2009/02/20/the-right-idea-the-wrong-follow-through/comment-page-1/#comment-23 K. Joyce Mon, 23 Feb 2009 02:17:13 +0000 http://econ4u.org/blog/?p=191#comment-23 The question is whether some instruction in economics by social studies teachers is better than none at all; the likelihood that school districts will be able to hire economists, even supposing any have secondary credentials,is virtually zero. When I attended the University of California, I could graduate with a BA in history without a single course in econ; however, I did take an upper division course which was fortunate because as a student teacher I was assigned to teach econ for a 12th grade college prep course. I have rarely worked so hard in my life but the fact is, I taught a solid--and useful-- course. I suggest as one possibility, students at the college level "adopt" a high school class in econ/financial affairs just as the UC Berkeley math department, one of the best in the world, requires its majors to do, to the benefit of both teachers and students. The question is whether some instruction in economics by social studies teachers is better than none at all; the likelihood that school districts will be able to hire economists, even supposing any have secondary credentials,is virtually zero. When I attended the University of California, I could graduate with a BA in history without a single course in econ; however, I did take an upper division course which was fortunate because as a student teacher I was assigned to teach econ for a 12th grade college prep course. I have rarely worked so hard in my life but the fact is, I taught a solid–and useful– course. I suggest as one possibility, students at the college level “adopt” a high school class in econ/financial affairs just as the UC Berkeley math department, one of the best in the world, requires its majors to do, to the benefit of both teachers and students.

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