Newman Teachers Present at Social Studies Convention

[FULL STORY]

Newman teachers Melanie Krob and Stephanie Davis recently traveled to Marksville, Louisiana, where they attended the Louisiana Council for the Social Studies Annual Convention. There they presented talk entitled “Teaching Panama: A Nation at the Crossroads of the US and the World.” The talk was well received and helped highlight not only the importance of their presentation’s subject, but also the impact Newman can have on the state curriculum.

But why exactly should Panama and its Canal be studied in an upper school curriculum? In Louisiana, it is much more than a footnote in history or an interesting component of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency – it has a huge impact on Louisiana’s history and economy. Moreover, the continuing operation of the Canal plays a key role in Global trade. Here are some impressive facts from Krob and Davis’s presentation:

According to Davis and Krob, Panama’s complex history and global importance earn it a place in a wide range of curricula for grades 9 – 12, including world history, US History AP World History, Latin American Studies, and Geography. To illustrate this point, the two presented a sample lesson plan that covered everything from the origins of the canal plan to the country’s independence, to its civil rights movement, which occurred in the same time period as in the U.S.

Each of these teachers includes the Panama Canal in her own curriculum at Newman. Because new Orleans is a major port city, its fate is intertwined with the Panama Canal. Its economy, and that of the United States’, will be affected by the improvements that are underway and the increase in shipping over the next several decades. Newman students, who will be among tomorrow’s leaders, will be well informed on this vital link between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.