The economics class was about as enjoyable a class as I’ve ever taken. I really liked more than anything else the times when Dayle talked about the economics of the country and the activities that we started each day with. Jon and Tom were helpful in putting together our lessons. I think I am comfortable with the lessons I’ve chosen and I enjoyed looking through the CD to see how many concepts I can infuse into classes I am currently teaching.

   I think you three work very well together and I would recommend this course to any of my colleagues.  Excellent!!!  (high school math teacher)

  This was one of the most beneficial classes that I have ever been a part of. The mixture of classroom time and computer/work time was a key to keep my attention. I hate going to a class for a week then having a ton of things that I need to do on my time. I really liked this method. I felt more comfortable being in a class with other people that are not economists. The questions were more basic and comprehensible for me. I am going to encourage other teachers to participate in this class. I learned more than economics, also. The delivery of the staff and other presenters will enhance my classroom. I would like to thank all three of you for your time, energy and effort to make this class what it was.  (high school social studies teacher)

Dayle, I really enjoyed the class. Tom, Jon, Brian, and you have made learning economics both interesting and fun. I loved the way you all work so well together. I think it’s great how, at times you question each other. It makes me, as a student, feel comfortable enough to step out of my comfort zone and ask that question that I may not have asked in a different, less comfortable atmosphere. I hope your group can find a way (or the time) to continue offering this workshop to other teachers in the future. I would highly recommend it to my colleagues. Thank you for going above and beyond in presenting to us. I look forward to seeing you in Phillips if you come to observe/participate in teaching one of our newly created lessons in economics. (kindergarten teacher)

  I am glad that I was able to take this class. I was a little intimidated when we started [Week 1] but I would encourage all elementary educators to sign up. After completing the two weeks I have come to believe that all students need to be presented with the economic information that I gathered this week, and it needs to be introduced at a very young age.  (third grade teacher)

   This class has been an extremely rewarding experience for me. I have enjoyed the time spent with all three of you and the greater FTF crew. I hope that time and logistics will allow our paths to cross in the future. Week 1 was wonderful. It was a week of questioning, researching, and finding answers. It was intriguing and exhausting. Both of those attributes kept my attention all week. I enjoyed that variety of media you used, everything from Play Dough to Weird Al. Week 2 was a nice combination of laughs and lesson plan work. I feel strongly that I will be able to go into my class and infuse economics well. Not because I am forced to, but because it works well with the content of my courses as well as its ability to explain some of the motives to the world around my students and the world as it was before them. You have all inspired me to teach better.

 (fourth grade teacher)

When I first saw the course title and description, I had no idea how fun and awesome a choice this would be. While the course description interested me, I will be honest, my thoughts also included, “Well, I need credits, and the stipend sounds good...” Upon finishing the class, the credits and stipend are the least of the benefits I have gained from this class. I have a wealth of ideas to take back to my classroom and to offer students in the teaching of economics. I am so excited. I really enjoyed all the discussions and the way we viewed things through an economic way of thinking.

   I gained so many ideas and am so grateful for the resources that have been provided for us through NCEE. The history and math lesson examples Tom and Jon provided to us early got us inspired as to how we could bring economics into our classes in a variety of ways. Dayle’s presentations of economic topics were very interesting and brought enjoyment and enthusiasm to the learning of economics.

   It was a great group of fellow educators to work with for the two weeks. We all seemed to get along great and enjoy working together. There was a great camaraderie and love for learning fostered in this course and group.

   I think this has been one of the best classes I have taken, I have gained so much for what I feel has not been a laborious effort. It was all so valuable.  (high school business and information technology teacher)

  I would have to say that this course was balanced, well-paced, thoughtful in its planning, and simply a lot of fun.  It met my needs as a 20 year professional educator with numerous experiences in attending workshops and taking graduate classes. I felt that every activity presented to us had a very practical application for me.  The pace of Week 2 offered me time to really accomplish what was expected of me without feeling rushed. I feel like the time given to work on my plan allowed me to do good quality work. I can now use my work in the classroom with little advance preparation.

  I also feel that good classroom practices were modeled during the 8 days we have been together. I have adopted the unit lesson design template as my own for this year.

   Thank you for offering this class!  (high school math teacher)

 What I really appreciated this week [Week 1] is the access to materials, discussion and time to investigate. I have found that many of the CD lessons can supplement my history lessons. For example, when I teach about the evolution of tobacco as the main crop of the 19^th century colonies, I can use information about capital and labor. I have acquired some great ideas for unit development and I will be able to get more in depth with economic concepts.

   This has been an awesome experience and possibly the best group I have ever worked with. Everyone was positive, friendly, and willing to participate.

   One of the things I really liked about the workshop was that it was geared to developing meaningful lessons for the classroom. I did learn economic concepts and I have lessons that will improve my classroom instruction. I also liked that we were all active participants. Usually there is one instructor doing all of the talking/teaching - this course promoted group teaching/learning. I will be recommending this to colleagues for next year.  (High school social studies and English teacher)

The two weeks I spent at Facilitating the Future were quite productive. Not only did I learn about some economic concepts and principles, but I was given the time to create a unit I could use in my classroom this fall. The instructors worked well together and did a good job facilitating and providing us with whatever we needed. The resources we were provided (folder and CD-ROM) will serve to be great resources for instruction. The lessons and multimedia clips are going to work well together. Thank you to the instructors for their accessibility, hard work and historical and economic expertise which fueled our discussions. (high school social studies teacher)

I get economics more than I thought I did/would. The reason it was accessible in class was through the use of so many tangible examples. Those illustrations by the instructors really helped to clarify the principles and during the test I tried to put examples along with the questions. Sometimes it worked.

   Also, I appreciated the freedom to ask questions and join in on the conversations and demonstrations while they were in progress because that, too, clarified many points on the spot.

   The disk and websites will be nice to have on hand, and I plan to show them to a couple of other teachers when I tell them they should sign up for this class next year.

   I appreciate the amount of preparation that went into this workshop on the part of the presenters. That is what made this class so rich, varied, and fun.

   I can’t wait to tell the other music teachers on our staff that this has been as much fun as a music workshop (more fun than some!).  Thanks! (middle school music teacher)

It was great having another economics lesson from Dayle today (day 8). I missed that from week 1. I thought that this was a great learning community because of how many of my questions I was able to get answered personally. I became more educated about how much economics plays a role in our everyday lives. I had been looking for a way to incorporate this type of material to tie math into real life experiences. I am excited about trying these out. It was nice to hve a lot of work time to get the work done and not have it hanging over my head. (middle school math. teacher)

…We had a nice overview of what economics is all about. We had time to think, digest, and discuss many economic topics. We had an opportunity to think about how economics can be integrated into other subject matter. It was a very beneficial course that gave me the content and development time to create a very nice economic curriculum component. We also received some very nice curriculum aids for future economics projects. It was a very good experience. (high school social studies teacher)

I think the story about the boy and the trip to Costa Rica will actually help me in making decisions in the future. I’ve got to weigh the additional costs against the additional benefits. …It was great to browse through lessons on the CD – having the time to do that is really helping me feel comfortable with navigating my way through it. I find myself thinking about ways to use economic vocabulary with my students on a daily basis – kids have so many decisions to make each day and they often don’t like deciding. I want to help kids realize that decision-making is an integral part of life and that there will always be benefits and costs or consequences. …Great discussion on positives and negatives of Alfie Kohn’s presentation from yesterday. It’s always great to have a dialog like this – especially now that we are all getting more comfortable as a class. The work time again is truly invaluable. So often, in a class, you wind up with a ton of resources – but no time to look through them. The CD is now very easy to use. I’ve been able to look through and even print out a number of lessons which I can implement in the next school year. I can also see these lessons as a focus for our first grade in-service sessions – we can get the other two first grade teachers on board and come up with ways to infuse more of the economics lessons into our current curriculum.  …We started off with a discussion of recession, inflation, interest rates, etc. I even got excited when I saw Ben Bernanke on the news this morning. …Hearing how other people are going to use these economics lessons at their grade levels was really interesting. There really just are SO many ways to infuse these economic concepts into all subject areas at all grade levels. …Thank you so much for making this such a great experience. I learned a lot, I had lots of fun, and I’m leaving here with some incredibly useful information and resources. (first grade teacher)

…After retrieving our current social studies curriculum we were able to see that economics lessons were few and far between. We will be able to change that!! …Our lessons are really coming together. We (K-3) teachers from Phillips are working on integrating the lessons in economics into our current curriculum. I am very pleased with the way the lessons are coming together. I have taken or selected lessons that can fit into my regular units in social studies, language arts, reading, math, and environmental education.  Then we as a K-3 staff are developing action plans and lessons to integrate into our daily lessons throughout the school year. We hope this will get the students into using the terms and understanding the economic lessons taught. I also would like toget the rest of our staff on board thinking about how to make economics a part of our curriculum. …The design team Dayle Mandelson, Dave Riggs, Tom Bednarowski, and Brian Schultz were excellent. I really enjoyed [this workshop]. I need to admit that I was concerned about the topic and teaching it at my elementary level, but after the first day of class in June I knew it was going to be fine. I feel that I have a good handle on the topic and will be able to present it to my classroom in a fun and exciting way. The two weeks were filled with fun and energy. The amount of materials and the resources we obtained were outstanding. I can see myself using many more of the lessons throughout the school year. We, as teachers, only get a short time to fit in a lot of information. Therefore, any way we can add to or spice up our current curriculum is great. Thank you for making it an enjoyable two weeks. (first grade teacher)

Today we started off with a lively marginal analysis weighing the additional benefits (satisfying grant) with the additional costs (lost time) of post-testing. We decided that the additional benefits do not [outweigh the additional costs]. After that it was work time again. Dave and I finished our lessons. We worked together and I think it’s pretty good. …We worked hard. I have learned so much about economics. Thank you. Truthfully, I never wanted to take an econ class but I was talked into it by my esteemed colleagues. Now I am very glad I did. The presentations/discussions on the terms were very helpful.

I knew some of the terms before but I don’t think I could use them correctly or that I even had a grasp on what they really meant. After this class I know. I also liked the classroom climate. It was a place that you could have fun and learn at the same time. While we did a lot of work together, time just flew. Most important, Dayle, Tom, and Dave were great. They’re patient and caring people. I’d take a class with them any day on any subject (hey, I took on econ!). …Great job. It was a pleasure being in your group. (first grade teacher)

…This unit is coming together nicely. The lessons are piggybacking on each other – a great idea since these concepts will be totally new for our students….Worked on coordinating our lesson plans – even as a group working together, we still come up with different ways of thinking and documenting our lessons, but that’s OK. …Group presentations – it sounds like everyone is eager to infuse economic lessons into their own individual curriculums. Much was learned in the two weeks! ...As we wrap up our course on economics, I am walking away with a great feeling. First, I have learned about some econ principles that are necessary to be taught to my students. I have acquired some fabulous materials to help me infuse those concepts into my curriculum.  Also, I had the opportunity to meet and network with some wonderful educators from different parts of the state. It’s great to hear about what others are doing in the field of education. I also feel that by participating in this workshop with five of my coworkers strengthened the bonds that make us better teachers. Even though we at times seemed crazy, we all truly care about what we do and put our hearts and souls into it. The class was really a success due to the commitment and love of teaching shown by our instructors. By their actions, they share our common bond of caring about and educating our children. Thank you! (third grade teacher)

…I spent time printing and writing lessons. It was an enjoyable day working hard but accomplishing a lot! I love working with this group (fun but dedicated). We worked on our K-3 overview showing our sequence of lessons. I am excited about adding this to our curriculum by infusing it into what we already teach. After looking at our K-3 social studies curriculum I definitely see a need for these economic lessons. …There was a lot of information and knowledge shared. The instructors were fantastic! The wealth of knowledge was amazing! They worked great together. Dayle could tell from the looks on our faces if she needed to simplify her information. I felt very comfortable asking questions and was never intimidated by my lack of knowledge in economics. I am very confident that I can now go into my class of second graders and teach some concepts in economics. This class gave me the opportunity to look at our social studies curriculum with basic economic knowledge, and see that in K-12 we are lacking in this area. Dayle, Tom, and Dave were great to work with and helped where and when needed. I hope that other teachers have the opportunity to work with these great educators! (second grade teacher)

   What I really appreciated this week [Week 1] is the access to materials, discussion and time to investigate. I have found that many of the CD lessons can supplement my history lessons. For example, when I teach about the evolution of tobacco as the main crop of the 19^th century colonies, I can use information about capital and labor. I have acquired some great ideas for unit development and I will be able to get more in depth with economic concepts.

   This has been an awesome experience and possibly the best group I have ever worked with. Everyone was positive, friendly, and willing to participate.

   One of the things I really liked about the workshop was that it was geared to developing meaningful lessons for the classroom. I did learn economic concepts and I have lessons that will improve my classroom instruction. I also liked that we were all active participants. Usually there is one instructor doing all of the talking/teaching - this course promoted group teaching/learning. I will be recommending this to colleagues for next year.  (High school social studies and English teacher)

   This class has taught me the importance of teaching students of all ages about economics! I’ve discovered many activities that cover the economic concepts I’m required to teach (according to the Wisconsin Economic Standards). I also see that I’ve already taught many of the concepts - I just need to use the correct labels.

   My goal for next year is to include these economic terms and concepts in lessons I already teach. Fourth graders love “hands-on” activities, so I’ll use “Play Dough Economics” for many of the concepts. I’ve ordered the [Kids Econ] poster sets that I’ll refer to. I’m expecting to use may interactive sites in the computer lab with my students - they’ll love it! Setting up a production line when we make holiday gifts for parents and teachers will help them see the difference in time spent and quality of their gift made individually for a parent in comparison to the assembly line production results for the teacher gifts.

   I am someone who usually chooses to avoid conversations about money and numbers. Doing the math is fine, but soon after using my math skills, I choose not to give it much thought. I never would have dreamed that I could have opinions about economic issues and gain enough knowledge about it to actually teach lessons on it. I’m anxious to teach those lessons and to notice the economic concepts and vocabulary that creeps up in my everyday teaching position.

   I noticed and appreciated the teaching strategies that you used. Most beneficial to my learning style was any activity that broke us up into small groups. I will use the strategy of “Save the Last Word for Me” to encourage my students to really read and comprehend the subject matter and the strategy of marking a reading with +, -, and !.

   I am encouraged to keep using music in my classroom, but I will now add the idea of playing music with a particular theme.

   The networking with other teachers at my grade level was wonderful...there’s so much that we can and did learn from each other.   (fourth grade teacher)

   I have to admit that when I first heard of this class I thought it would be “just put in my time and get credit.” I never thought I would bring anything out of it. However, this has proven to be quite worthwhile. Even if my post-test didn’t prove it, I felt as if I learned quite a bit. As I mentioned before, I never realized economics was so dynamic. I notice a lot of parallels with my main subject, physics.

   The CD we received is a very nice resource. I have to say it’s the most valuable one I’ve received in quite a few years. It will definitely be used, and in more than the three units we had to come up with.

   I enjoyed the eight days in this class and plan to recommend it to my fellow teachers next year. Don’t be surprised if you see a high Spooner turnout again. Thanks!!  (high school physics and math. teacher)

   This was a very beneficial class. Particularly because I was teaching some economics already, but now I will know the correct terminology and how to use it. The disk is excellent with all the plans. Our instructors were great. Thank you! Great lessons for all of us. I have some wonderful new ideas from Elvis, Name That Tune, and other activities. The instructors were also very helpful with ideas and our lessons we were making up. No stress involved at all. This FTF (Facilitating the Future) class will be highly recommended to other Park Falls teachers. Sometimes I wish school started a little sooner, just because it is all fresh in my mind and I am excited to teach it to my students.

   Brian was also very helpful with the disk and helping me find geography lessons.

   I was nervous at the start of the first week about the whole idea of economics, but it was extremely fun and educational.  (middle school English and social studies teacher)

   I would have to say that this course was balanced, well-paced, thoughtful in its planning, and simply a lot of fun.  It met my needs as a 20 year professional educator with numerous experiences in attending workshops and taking graduate classes. I felt that every activity presented to us had a very practical application for me.  The pace of Week 2 offered me time to really accomplish what was expected of me without feeling rushed. I feel like the time given to work on my plan allowed me to do good quality work. I can now use my work in the classroom with little advance preparation.

  I also feel that good classroom practices were modeled during the 8 days we have been together. I have adopted the unit lesson design template as my own for this year.

   Thank you for offering this class!  (high school math teacher)

   This has certainly been the best class I’ve taken. The material could have been tedious but Jon, Tom and Dayle all did a great job of directing discussion yet at the same time giving participants pretty much free rein to ask questions and pursue areas of interest to them. Dayle was exceptionally good at bringing discussion back to focus on economic issues and motivations without cutting off discussion.

   Basically I learned a lot, came away with lots of things I’m actually going to use in my classroom, and had fun. I met some interesting people I hope to see again in the future. I will highly recommend this experience to my long-suffering colleagues. (high school math teacher)