Jesse's Biography:
I have just begun my 9th year as an associate professor at Clarion University. Prior to coming to Clarion, I taught at the secondary level for 13 years. I spent two years at Bel Air High School in Bel Air, MD where I taught American Government, American Literature, Economics, and Public Speaking. I then moved to Brookville, PA and taught for 11 years in the Brookville Area School District. I taught United States History II, World History, and Advanced Placement United States History. While teaching at the secondary level I also worked as temporary faculty at Harford County Community College (Micro Economics) and Indiana University of PA (School Law and Multicultural Education). During my nine years at Clarion I have taught early childhood, middle and secondary level social studies methods. I have also taught the Secondary Social Studies Methods course for Lock Haven University for one semester. I am currently the Education Department Chairperson for Clarion University.
Upon my hiring at Clarion University, I was able to create a powerful college council, Clarion University Council for the Social Studies (CUCSS), that offers a myriad of professional leadership opportunities that included presenting at the Pennsylvania Council for the Social Studies conference. This led to a partnership with the Governor’s office on a Women’s History Month project. From there we have branched out to present at several PCSS conferences as well as the NCSS conferences in Boston, New Orleans, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Chicago, and Austin. In addition to presentations, my candidates have embarked on creating incredible opportunities for the K-12 schools surrounding Clarion University. They have created and implemented an annual geography bee, a mock UN experience, and have worked with local historical societies to benefit school districts. My candidates now have experience with writing proposals, presenting at local, state, and national conferences, grant writing, community outreach, and nation-wide networking. They have even begun mentoring in-service teachers on the many aspects that are involved in presenting at a professional conference.
I have just completed a three-year term as the College/University Representative on the National Council for the Social Studies Board of Directors. This allowed me to help guide social studies preparation for the entire nation. My tenure on the Board of Directors for NCSS was spent elevating the opportunities for pre-service teachers within NCSS. Even though my term has concluded on the NCSS Board of Directors, I was recently asked to serve on a task force to revamp the National Standards for the Preparation of Social Studies Teachers.
My schooling consists of a B.S. (Secondary Ed. Social Studies) at Edinboro University, M.Ed. (Curriculum and Instruction) at Gannon University, and a D.Ed. (Curriculum and Instruction) at IUP.
Personally, I have been married for 20 years. My wife and I have three awesome children (16, 15, and 8).
Future of Social Studies in Pennsylvania
Many who discuss the current state of the social studies lament the lack of attention and/or time that is given to the social studies. They talk about the fact that the social studies are not tested, which means less focus on our subject. What I see for the future of social studies in Pennsylvania is an opportunity to promote skill building. We need to place the focus on building the customary 21st Century skills of collaboration and critical thinking, but now more than ever we need to promote the skill of advocacy. Essentially, we need to advocate for the social studies, but more importantly we need to be advocates for what are core pieces of the social studies, advancing social justice and promoting human rights. We need to get back to “doing” social studies to demonstrate how imperative this subject truly is to our school curricula. As our world is witnessing unprecedented turmoil, the social studies can provide the tools required to create an informed and impactful citizenry.