A Teacher's Journal 33: Stay Current with Your Kids

"My beef is that the government of Venezuela is criticizing the United States unfairly."

"My beef is that the majority of citizens in South America live in extreme poverty."

"My beef is that Muslim citizens in Paris are being discriminated against because of their race and religion."

"You've got to be kidding?" I thought, "My students have been paying attention?!"

I think it was that moment that convinced me of the importance and value in daily current events as a part of classroom instruction. You see, Mike Hutchinson, a colleague and a friend, had been pressuring me to incorporate current events in my classroom for years. "It's one of my favorite activities," he's always said.

It took some time for me to warm up to the idea, though. "Kids aren't interested in world events," I argued. "Besides, I have too many other things to do!"

The thing is, kids are interested -- incredibly interested! Every day, my students dart to the world map hanging in the back of my room to see what our current event is going to be. Interesting titles start them talking long before the morning bell rings. "Vampire bats attack," "Camel farm planned for Norway," and "Brazilian town passes ban on dying," sparked interesting conversations. We've even got our favorite world leaders -- Evo Morales of Bolivia and Hugo Chavez of Venezula -- because of their unpredictability…and interesting choice of clothing!

Better yet, every time that I teach a current event, I'm directly teaching one of our social studies objectives! My students have begun to understand how various countries choose their governments and how natural resources have made the world increasingly interdependent. They've learned how wars have caused people to migrate and how newcomers shape cultures. Most importantly, they've learned that in many ways people living thousands of miles away really aren't that different from the people who live just down the street.

So how can parents learn from my discovery?

Make current events a regular part of your family's life. Pick up a newspaper on the way home from work each day and choose an article to share with your child. Find a website that provides current event coverage and let your child select the headline that is most interesting to them -- we get our articles from the BBC and CBBC Newsround (which provides a children's version of world events). Visit the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's website and review the social studies goals that have been set for your child's grade level to help shape the conversations that you have.

I think you'll find -- like I did -- that staying current with your kids will become one of the best parts of your daily routine!