The Social Studies Department
The Social Studies Department at Dallastown Middle and High School taught differently in the past. There were different subjects. Mr. Rick Kehr was faced with the question of what types of subjects they taught and he replied. "With the past 32 years I taught, it was one year of Pennsylvania History and the other 31 it was World Cultures." Mrs. Carolyn Shultz was put up with the same question and said,"When I first started 25 years ago It was American History and Social Studies. Now however, I teach World Cultures."
The had different sorts of supplies to inhance the learning ability. Mr. Kehr says, "We used the things in the library. For the last 10-15 years we used videos and VCR's because there are all sorts of information on tapes. It usually depends on the level actually." When asked Mrs. Shultz chuckled by saying, "All of the above. We used books, encyclopedias, slides, show and tell, posters from foreign countries, relics from countries I visited that are symbolic of the way it was. I use a lot of stories such as how they cracked heads of rats open during Vietnam and then skinned and ate them."
The types of students these teachers delt with were, "I think each year is different because sometimes the students are more motivated, and the personalities differ as well. You reall can not predict them because they are unpredictable", Mrs. Shultz stated. Mr. Kehr tells, "They were more on the small size because there were less students and there were less teachers that had to teach."
So here is the burning question, is it better to get an education now or back then? Mr. Kehr replied, "Now, because the things the can get are much better. There is a bigger variety of ways to tell the kids the way things are, and you may show them things on videos that you would not of been able to back them. On the other hand Mrs. Shultz thinkz, "Back then, because there were less interferences such as us keeping adding to the sports and in school field trips. I am not against that, but students miss class because of these things and missed things such as notes. Telelvision and working are other factors, and all of them come together causing less focus on academics, it's still there, but it's less than many years ago."
An environment is very important to learning. Mrs. Shultz's environment was, "A furnished room with murals painted on the walls by the kids representing different cultures I was teaching. We had movie projectors in it. It was a permanent room."
Mrs. Shultz went on field trips but not Mr. Kehr. Mrs. Shultz tells where she went, "It usually depended if they have a special display down in Washington Smithsonian or even in Baltimore at the Walders Gallery that is directly related to what I teach then I would take them. Also at the end of the year I took them to New York at the Metropolitan museum of art."
Now how has the Social Studies department changed over the years Mr Kehr? "WE have more levels now than back then because there was jut one level, yet now we have three and sometimes four depending on the group. We also have a bigger amount of electives than before." Mrs. Shultz says, I think there is less discipline and less back up to discipline. There is less motivation of the students."
So the Social Studies department has had many changes. Some are changes that needed to be done and were for the better. Some of the other changes are not so good but not technically bad either. Yet there were some that were bad, but do they outweight the good? So it's all a judgement call.
