Dec. 19, 2024
Teaching Beyond Borders with Joel Miller
Uncover the path that led Joel to his current role as Curriculum Development Manager at the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE), where he continues to fuel his passion for economics by crafting resources for teachers nationwide. From his beginnings as a sixth-grade teacher in Forsyth County to shaping young minds as a high school social studies instructor, Joel has inspired many students, including many new to the country, to overcome cultural and linguistic hurdles. Listen as he recounts heartwarming success stories and the privilege of watching his former students flourish both academically and personally.
WEBVTT
00:00:01.820 --> 00:00:09.787
This podcast spotlight for success is our way of highlighting the incredible success stories happening in education right here in our home state of Georgia.
00:00:09.787 --> 00:00:16.990
Today, we're thrilled to be joined by Joel Miller, who has made a significant impact in the field of social studies.
00:00:16.990 --> 00:00:22.835
We'll explore his journey, insights and the positive changes he's creating for students and teachers.
00:00:22.835 --> 00:00:24.036
So let's get started.
00:00:24.036 --> 00:00:27.077
Joel, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
00:00:27.660 --> 00:00:29.379
Yeah, thank you, Devin for this opportunity.
00:00:29.379 --> 00:00:40.012
I was a Georgia educator for 14 years in Forsyth County, Georgia, just north of Atlanta, Started out as a sixth-grade teacher after the Great Recession.
00:00:40.012 --> 00:00:47.524
That was the first teacher job that was offered to me and graduated quickly to where I was intended to be.
00:00:47.524 --> 00:00:57.396
I believe in the high school level teaching history, all the histories, world, US, ESL and economics, where I really found my jam.
00:00:58.680 --> 00:00:59.566
That's wonderful.
00:00:59.566 --> 00:01:07.093
Can you tell us some of the success stories, or maybe a special milestone, that you encountered during your teaching career?
00:01:07.414 --> 00:01:08.861
Yeah, you know.
00:01:08.861 --> 00:01:14.933
So success stories, I think the best ones are those that kind of resurface, right.
00:01:14.933 --> 00:01:20.012
So emails from former students and communications running into them.
00:01:20.012 --> 00:01:26.278
Actually, we were out last night here in Athens just grabbing dinner and I was like, okay, a couple of those guys look really familiar.
00:01:26.278 --> 00:01:37.587
And as we were eating, moments later, a group of guys came up and three of them had been former students of mine and I was just like wow, like you know, it's really cool.
00:01:37.587 --> 00:01:42.284
What are you guys up to, what are you studying, and things that they remember from your class.
00:01:42.284 --> 00:01:44.909
Like you know, those are success stories.
00:01:44.909 --> 00:01:47.634
Seeing them out in the world, you know really, that's the success.
00:01:50.019 --> 00:01:51.552
It's like get out there now and do something with yourself.
00:01:51.552 --> 00:02:06.593
But, yeah, lots of students as an ESOL teacher in Georgia I mean I had, you know, kids that had been in the country weeks, you know, learning what it's like to navigate the culture, the language you know.
00:02:06.593 --> 00:02:17.618
So really just having a chance to work alongside students for the year that I taught them or the semester I taught them, those are the real privilege of being a teacher.
00:02:17.618 --> 00:02:21.549
Right, being an educator is seeing the growth and getting to walk alongside students in their journey.
00:02:24.415 --> 00:02:25.298
That is wonderful.
00:02:25.298 --> 00:02:27.848
Tell me again what was the name of the school system you were with?
00:02:28.230 --> 00:02:29.415
Forsyth County Schools
00:02:29.437 --> 00:02:29.657
Forsyth
00:02:30.199 --> 00:02:33.004
That's right up near Lake Lanier a water source for Atlanta.
00:02:33.004 --> 00:02:35.651
Wonderful yeah, come up and visit us, okay.
00:02:35.670 --> 00:02:36.772
Yeah, it's a great area.
00:02:36.772 --> 00:02:37.473
I love Lake Lanier.
00:02:37.473 --> 00:02:41.002
Can you tell me a little bit about your experience when you segued Now?
00:02:41.002 --> 00:02:43.983
When you segued now you're with Georgia Council of Economic Education, is that?
00:02:44.043 --> 00:02:44.203
Right.
00:02:44.203 --> 00:02:49.165
So actually the Georgia Council was instrumental in developing me as an economics instructor.
00:02:49.165 --> 00:02:58.474
Okay, and so I work now with the Foundation for Economic Education, which is in a similar space economics, education and curriculum development.
00:02:58.495 --> 00:03:05.300
So I'm the curriculum development manager for FEE, as we're lovingly called, foundation for Economic Ed, based in Atlanta.
00:03:05.300 --> 00:03:14.877
But we have a teacher network now that's growing really rapidly all 50 states, I think 20-something countries, using our weekly resources.
00:03:14.877 --> 00:03:22.033
So that's been a really cool thing and, honestly, I was watching the guys at the Georgia Council do their thing.
00:03:22.033 --> 00:03:35.038
That ultimately led me to learn that I myself have a gift, an ability to write lessons and then demonstrate those for teachers, and it's a very rewarding role that I'm in now.
00:03:35.599 --> 00:03:36.200
Wonderful.
00:03:36.200 --> 00:03:38.334
Are you working with?
00:03:38.334 --> 00:03:53.163
Is there a special partner or a special experience you've had doing this kind of work, and how was that segue from being in social studies to deciding on really focusing on economics as your field of special studies?
00:03:53.365 --> 00:03:53.745
It's great.
00:03:53.745 --> 00:04:14.682
Being here at the Georgia Council for the Social Studies Conference is a lot of fun because I'm reminded of where I began, right like just the journey of being kind of a history nerd, getting invited into a classroom and being responsible for the instruction for these kids you know who are just all over the place.
00:04:14.682 --> 00:04:22.944
And the journey of getting into econ, I think, started with some workshops that I had gone to.
00:04:22.944 --> 00:04:23.771
I wanted to go.
00:04:23.791 --> 00:04:30.038
I think the first Georgia Council workshop I ever went to was on trade and it was paired with a book.
00:04:30.038 --> 00:04:40.713
We got to read a book called the Travels of the T-Shirt in a Global Economy, and I remember as part of that workshop, we actually had to agree to write a lesson and so we read the book.
00:04:40.713 --> 00:04:44.362
We talked about trade, we got a bunch of free resources, and then we agree to write a lesson, and so we read the book.
00:04:44.362 --> 00:04:53.242
I was like, wow, economics, unlike history, it's every day, it's everything.
00:04:53.242 --> 00:04:55.370
It's really about, you know, making choices.
00:04:55.370 --> 00:05:13.653
And so the things that I was into individually, such as being outside, hiking sports, global news I could integrate that really easily without the constraints of the standards that you have to teach explicitly in a history course, which have their place.
00:05:13.653 --> 00:05:23.615
But for me personally, as a creator and someone who likes to be entrepreneurial, innovative, I'm an idea person.
00:05:23.615 --> 00:05:25.718
Idea aiding is a hobby.
00:05:25.718 --> 00:05:29.778
I really found my niche in econ.
00:05:30.259 --> 00:05:30.982
That's awesome.
00:05:30.982 --> 00:05:37.449
So how do you integrate all of those kind of outdoor activities with your work with the Foundations for Economic Education?
00:05:38.151 --> 00:05:44.867
Well, so one connection just this Monday I wrote an assignment on really the tragedy of the commons.
00:05:44.867 --> 00:05:49.882
But if you're familiar, this is peak leaf season in New England.
00:05:50.850 --> 00:05:55.603
And particularly in the White Mounds of New Hampshire, where I do have a family connection.
00:05:55.603 --> 00:06:03.103
There are lots of economic lessons being learned by locals who are being overrun by tourists right.
00:06:03.432 --> 00:06:04.649
Oh, I've heard about that!
00:06:04.790 --> 00:06:11.882
yeah and so it's become a problem, like certain neighborhoods have even hired police and sheriff's officers to close roads.
00:06:11.882 --> 00:06:24.901
But people are producing externalities negative externalities on the environment, on the communities and so on, and so the lesson was really about hey, how could we rein in these externalities?
00:06:24.901 --> 00:06:36.923
And so I challenge students in the lesson to think about how private property ownership actually gives a lot of empowering, choice and decision-making to individuals.
00:06:36.923 --> 00:07:10.363
One thing I learned while I was researching the lesson was that 80% of New Hampshire's trails ATV trails are privately owned, but through agreement, voluntary agreement these property owners are able to allow tourists from all over the world to come and enjoy the public spaces or the private spaces, right, but in a public way the beautiful spaces, and so it's just a really it's a cool lesson, and so that was a lot of fun writing, because I'm visualizing myself, you know, hiking through the mountains and being there, but that's just one example.
00:07:12.050 --> 00:07:14.435
One thing that we try to do with our platform, teachers.
00:07:14.435 --> 00:07:14.435
fee.
00:07:14.435 --> 00:07:35.815
org, which is a free resource online for educators, online for educators is to write timely assignments, lessons, resources linked to news stories, because that is the most challenging thing is really relevancy, right, like you can hit rigor, you can hit the relationship piece, but making things current and relevant.
00:07:35.815 --> 00:07:44.115
Like teachers usually don't have time to do that, right, I mean I never, rarely, did I ever have time to wow the students with like oh my gosh, I just heard about this on the radio yesterday.
00:07:44.115 --> 00:07:46.380
Um, and so we try to do that every week.
00:07:46.380 --> 00:07:49.463
Provide classroom ready resources for for teachers to use.
00:07:49.463 --> 00:07:52.012
I mean we have a lot of really exciting products at teachers.
00:07:52.012 --> 00:07:52.012
fee.
00:07:52.012 --> 00:07:55.939
org so I would encourage teachers who are listening to check that out.
00:07:55.939 --> 00:07:58.447
So that's my pitch.
00:07:59.271 --> 00:07:59.935
That's awesome.
00:07:59.935 --> 00:08:02.120
Yeah, I got to get those plugs in, joel.
00:08:02.120 --> 00:08:04.889
Let me ask you what are you hoping to get out of the conference here?
00:08:05.821 --> 00:08:07.788
Well, honestly, Devin, this is difficult.
00:08:07.788 --> 00:08:12.151
As an exhibitor, I have a product that I know benefits lots of teachers, right?
00:08:12.151 --> 00:08:14.226
Yes, so I would love to be in sessions right now.
00:08:14.226 --> 00:08:17.750
Oh okay Learning some of the innovative approaches.
00:08:17.750 --> 00:08:18.882
I'll get a chance to do that.
00:08:18.882 --> 00:08:24.533
I'm leading a few sessions as well on our personal finance inquiry lessons this morning.
00:08:25.201 --> 00:08:29.690
And then later today on the significance of the national debt on your personal finances.
00:08:29.690 --> 00:08:35.052
Oh, and I have a guest speaker coming on from DC, actually for about 10 minutes, so it's going to be really exciting.
00:08:36.162 --> 00:08:36.243
Wow.
00:08:36.263 --> 00:08:47.451
And tomorrow we're talking about AI and how it's a tool to leverage the process of creative destruction and, ultimately, how individuals can be empowered through the use of this new technology that's on the horizon.
00:08:47.451 --> 00:08:53.105
So seven things that are changing in the world and three things that are not going to change, so I think it'll be a fun talk.
00:08:53.639 --> 00:08:55.086
Wow, that sounds fantastic.
00:08:55.086 --> 00:09:02.572
Sounds like a great program and I'm sure you're going to learn a lot by interacting with the educators in those presentations.
00:09:02.653 --> 00:09:05.118
That's the favorite part of my job now.
00:09:05.437 --> 00:09:06.038
That's awesome.
00:09:06.058 --> 00:09:06.822
Being in the room with teachers
00:09:07.243 --> 00:09:07.926
That's awesome.
00:09:08.226 --> 00:09:15.855
Well, Joel thank you so much for your time Foundations of Economic Education, and we look forward to working with you in the future.
00:09:16.277 --> 00:09:16.498
All right.
00:09:16.498 --> 00:09:18.022
Well, thanks for putting on this podcast.
00:09:18.022 --> 00:09:19.004
Devin's a great idea.
00:09:19.004 --> 00:09:25.466
It would be a great way to highlight all the wonderful exhibitors and educators here who are trying to help teachers do their job.
00:09:25.927 --> 00:09:27.049
All right, thank you, joel.
00:00:01.820 --> 00:00:09.787
00:00:09.787 --> 00:00:16.990
00:00:16.990 --> 00:00:22.835
00:00:22.835 --> 00:00:24.036
00:00:24.036 --> 00:00:27.077
00:00:27.660 --> 00:00:29.379
00:00:29.379 --> 00:00:40.012
00:00:40.012 --> 00:00:47.524
00:00:47.524 --> 00:00:57.396
00:00:58.680 --> 00:00:59.566
00:00:59.566 --> 00:01:07.093
00:01:07.414 --> 00:01:08.861
00:01:08.861 --> 00:01:14.933
00:01:14.933 --> 00:01:20.012
00:01:20.012 --> 00:01:26.278
00:01:26.278 --> 00:01:37.587
00:01:37.587 --> 00:01:42.284
00:01:42.284 --> 00:01:44.909
00:01:44.909 --> 00:01:47.634
00:01:50.019 --> 00:01:51.552
00:01:51.552 --> 00:02:06.593
00:02:06.593 --> 00:02:17.618
00:02:17.618 --> 00:02:21.549
00:02:24.415 --> 00:02:25.298
00:02:25.298 --> 00:02:27.848
00:02:28.230 --> 00:02:29.415
00:02:29.437 --> 00:02:29.657
00:02:30.199 --> 00:02:33.004
00:02:33.004 --> 00:02:35.651
00:02:35.670 --> 00:02:36.772
00:02:36.772 --> 00:02:37.473
00:02:37.473 --> 00:02:41.002
00:02:41.002 --> 00:02:43.983
00:02:44.043 --> 00:02:44.203
00:02:44.203 --> 00:02:49.165
00:02:49.165 --> 00:02:58.474
00:02:58.495 --> 00:03:05.300
00:03:05.300 --> 00:03:14.877
00:03:14.877 --> 00:03:22.033
00:03:22.033 --> 00:03:35.038
00:03:35.599 --> 00:03:36.200
00:03:36.200 --> 00:03:38.334
00:03:38.334 --> 00:03:53.163
00:03:53.365 --> 00:03:53.745
00:03:53.745 --> 00:04:14.682
00:04:14.682 --> 00:04:22.944
00:04:22.944 --> 00:04:23.771
00:04:23.791 --> 00:04:30.038
00:04:30.038 --> 00:04:40.713
00:04:40.713 --> 00:04:44.362
00:04:44.362 --> 00:04:53.242
00:04:53.242 --> 00:04:55.370
00:04:55.370 --> 00:05:13.653
00:05:13.653 --> 00:05:23.615
00:05:23.615 --> 00:05:25.718
00:05:25.718 --> 00:05:29.778
00:05:30.259 --> 00:05:30.982
00:05:30.982 --> 00:05:37.449
00:05:38.151 --> 00:05:44.867
00:05:44.867 --> 00:05:49.882
00:05:50.850 --> 00:05:55.603
00:05:55.603 --> 00:06:03.103
00:06:03.432 --> 00:06:04.649
00:06:04.790 --> 00:06:11.882
00:06:11.882 --> 00:06:24.901
00:06:24.901 --> 00:06:36.923
00:06:36.923 --> 00:07:10.363
00:07:12.050 --> 00:07:14.435
00:07:14.435 --> 00:07:14.435
00:07:14.435 --> 00:07:35.815
00:07:35.815 --> 00:07:44.115
00:07:44.115 --> 00:07:46.380
00:07:46.380 --> 00:07:49.463
00:07:49.463 --> 00:07:52.012
00:07:52.012 --> 00:07:52.012
00:07:52.012 --> 00:07:55.939
00:07:55.939 --> 00:07:58.447
00:07:59.271 --> 00:07:59.935
00:07:59.935 --> 00:08:02.120
00:08:02.120 --> 00:08:04.889
00:08:05.821 --> 00:08:07.788
00:08:07.788 --> 00:08:12.151
00:08:12.151 --> 00:08:14.226
00:08:14.226 --> 00:08:17.750
00:08:17.750 --> 00:08:18.882
00:08:18.882 --> 00:08:24.533
00:08:25.201 --> 00:08:29.690
00:08:29.690 --> 00:08:35.052
00:08:36.162 --> 00:08:36.243
00:08:36.263 --> 00:08:47.451
00:08:47.451 --> 00:08:53.105
00:08:53.639 --> 00:08:55.086
00:08:55.086 --> 00:09:02.572
00:09:02.653 --> 00:09:05.118
00:09:05.437 --> 00:09:06.038
00:09:06.058 --> 00:09:06.822
00:09:07.243 --> 00:09:07.926
00:09:08.226 --> 00:09:15.855
00:09:16.277 --> 00:09:16.498
00:09:16.498 --> 00:09:18.022
00:09:18.022 --> 00:09:19.004
00:09:19.004 --> 00:09:25.466
00:09:25.927 --> 00:09:27.049
