Econ Grade Improvement Opportunity – Fall 2020

Hello, all. As discussed in class and sent out to the parents, take a look at the following grade improving opportunities for Economics. They are as follows:

  1. Thanksgiving Break Test Retake: Students can retake both the Fundamentals and Microeconomics exams for a maximum score of 75%. There were opportunities to retake these exams after they were assigned earlier in the Economics course. The exams have been assigned in Quizizz. The student needs only to access their account in Quizizz. The students can take each exam a maximum of 2 times. The highest score will be posted. If the highest score achieved is below the original test score, the original test score will stay. This opportunity is meant to improve, not hurt, your student’s grade. The retake exams will open Friday Nov 20 at 3:30PM and close Sunday Nov 29th at 11:45PM. No retake opportunities after the Thanksgiving break will be provided for these two exams.  
  2. I have opened a Digital Session in CTLS named Past Due Work – Assignments. The session is open until Sunday, December 13. I will accept all past due assignments and will give credit up to 75% for the grade achieved. This is an opportunity to improve grades. NO PAST DUE ASSIGNMENT FOR ECONOMICS WILL BE ACCEPTED PAST SUNDAY DECEMBER 13th.

Additionally…NO assignment, unless specially requested, will be accepted via email. All must be submitted via CTLS. The students are aware of this and it is clearly stated in the CTLS Digital Session.

I will be checking EVERFI and Marketplaces for completed modules from the Financial Literacy unit as well as the assignments completed via Google Forms. There is a time stamp on all Google Form submissions. The 75% maximum credit will be in play for the late assignments and the grades will be entered into Synergy twice weekly with all grades to be entered by Dec 14.  

Please have conversations with your student often as I will be providing additional opportunities to improve grades between now and the end of the semester.

Do not hesitate to email me if you have any questions. Have a great Thanksgiving Break.

Coach Searcy 

Ga Voter Student Registration

Campbell High School posted in 12th Grade     Ga. Voter Registration Deadline  

Hello Seniors,

The Georgia voter registration deadline of October 5th is today! Here at Campbell High School, we work to create a community that engages meaningfully with each and every student, and a large part of that work is ensuring that every student has the tools they need to be civic minded individuals. It only takes 5 minutes to register to vote for the first time, attached is a very easy to use tool designed for students that you can use!

You can register for the first time right here at StudentVote.org! When it asks for your school, please select “Other” as our high school is not on the pre-selected list.

We know many students have recently turned 18. If you need to register for the first time, you can do so right here at StudentVote.org! 
Once registered, you will receive a voter registration card in the mail confirming your registration status within several weeks. You can also check your registration status and view your sample ballot here. Go Spartans!    

Past Due Assignment Announcement – September 9, 2020

Past Due Assignments:

The opportunity to turn in past due assignments for units 1-3 is open. Assignments due from Units 1, 2, or 3 can be submitted up until Friday, September 18. There will be a 15% grade reduction penalty on all late submissions.

All assignments are to be uploaded into CTLS. Please ensure the assignments are complete and visible when linked, attached, uploaded, etc… DO NOT EMAIL ASSIGNMENTS.

NO assignments from units 1-3 will be accepted past 9/18. The Unit 3 Supreme Court Case Analysis Assignment will re-open for submission on Friday 9/11.

NO ASSIGNMENTS FROM THIS POINT WILL BE ACCEPTED PAST ITS DUE DATE.

IMPORTANT: The Bill of Rights Assignment has been removed and is no longer due. The students that completed the assignment ON TIME and submitted it have been contacted via Remind message from me.

CHS Virtual Learning Resources and Information & Econ-Gov Session Plan

CTLS Login and Access Information & Resources

CHS Digital Learning Parent Login Information

CHS Virtual Learning Plan

View the learning plan, it provides a good overview and information.

CHS Digital Learning Days Login Information

 

Government/Economics Session Plan

We will start each class in CTLS. I will open a live Zoom session through CTLS.  Students: start in CTLS.

I will start the live sessions before the actual start of class:

2nd Blk – 9:00   *  3rd Blk – 10:30  *  4th Blk – 12:00

If for some reason CTLS does not work, we will use the Zoom sessions I have created for each block.

If you haven’t watched the welcome video, it is linked here: https://youtu.be/jorBg9LOoA0

Lastly, I have posted the assignments for Units 1 & 2 on the Government assignments page as well as in CTLS. I want to make sure you have what you need.

Email me with any questions – jeffrey.searcy@cobbk12.org

See you in class!

Coach

The Power of Messaging, Media, and the Potential Economic Impact – Collective OpEd

As we wrap up the semester, hopefully the realization that you have been knee deep in Economics since you were 2 years has been made abundantly clear. Economics is all about choices. When we consider what influences our decisions, you begin to see a much bigger picture of the overall. REMEMBER: IF YOU CONTROL THE MESSAGE…YOU CONTROL EVERYTHING. We talked extensively about that as it has significant economic, as well as societal, political, and cultural impact. We also talked about my 3 P’s pf Information: Position (from what position am I viewing this) Perspective (what filter/bias/belief etc based on my experience am I using when I view/hear the information) and Purpose (what am I going to do with this information? And/or why is this information being shared? What is its purpose? Also…What is the intent of the sharer of the information? – of course, you must consider the 3 P’s when thinking about the sharer. Whew…much to consider). If we don’t truly apply and consider the 3 P’s, we will likely not apply or consider the information critically, with discernment, or effectively.

When we begin to view and/or accept information critically, using the 3 P’s as a basis, guide, we are able to see it in multiple levels, purposes, and through various lenses. This IS thinking critically. It enables us to get closer to the truth. Believe it or not, there is an element of truth (the level of truth always varies) in every message, news story, statement, etc… However, if we are not able to recognize the see through the layers of bias, intentions, agendas, etc…we will be at the mercy of the message’s deliverer. Remember: If you control the message…you control everything. I can’t say that enough.

Here is what I want you to do. I want you to think about the state our country is in. I am not going to share my perspectives, thoughts, or lead you in any direction. However, believe me…we could write countless volumes and volumes and volumes on what we are looking at. I don’t want you to do that. But, I do want you to look at this at as many levels, through as many lenses, and from as many societal aspects as you can think of.  I want you to really dive in, think well below the surface, and provide some insights…drawing your own conclusions and thinking critically.

I am going to provide some questions that I want you to consider and provide a short, but thorough and thought out response, citing sources where possible and appropriate. More so, I want YOUR perspective and what brought you to that perspective. DO NOT SHARE OR BORROW ANOTHER’S PERSPECTIVE BASED SOLELY ON THE FACT THAT YOU DON’T BELIEVE YOURS IS VALID OR RELEVANT. You are smart, intelligent, capable of thought and thinking critically. Your perspective matters and is relevant. NOTE: There are really no right or wrong answers here when we talk about perspectives. There may be some factual inaccuracies, skewed data, etc…that help to influence your perspective or that you may have or be sharing. We all deal with that every day. But, the purpose is to begin building your perspectives, developing your lenses and critical thinking tools…to get you to THINK and THINK CRITICALLY, questioning everything as well as your own viewpoint. Questioning is good. It is how we learn and how we form and establish ownership of perspectives. It also adds depth and strength to our opinions.

For this to be effective and worthwhile, we must have and exhibit intellectual courage. Intellectual courage is when we honestly consider viewpoints and perspectives that differ from our own. We seem to have lost the ability to have honest discourse or opinions on this country. If someone doesn’t think like we do, we dismiss them, their perspectives, which maintains our tunnel vision slavery to a messenger.

Intellectual courage does one of three things:

    • 1- solidify and/or strengthen our perspectives and opinions…especially because we have seriously considered those that we don’t agree with and thus know opposing positions and viewpoints well as ours (which is key to winning any debate – more on that later).
    • 2- causes us to change/alter/re-evaluate our perspectives and opinions through honest consideration of opposing or previously unknown perspectives or information.
    • Or, 3 – hits a nerve in us causing us to have a desire to find out more or to dive deeper into an area, perspective, subject matter, discipline, etc…

Regardless, we learn something. More importantly, our perspectives and opinions have substance and can be substantiated and defended by…well…us. When we borrow someone’s perspective or opinions, we will have a difficult time explaining them and defending hem when they are questioned. This is, in my opinion, the biggest reason why young people do not think their viewpoint is relevant or important, outside of apathy (which is prevalent in every age bracket) is because they really don’t know why they think the way they do, not sure if they can explain it, or cannot defend it when challenged.

Here we go…

The filter we are using for this exercise is Economic Impact.

Below are links to four sources gathered from the weekend of May 2-3. Additionally, there is an image of where all of the states stand on reopening their economics. Spoiler Alert: each of them provides a different number of corona virus related deaths. One states 60,000 have died, another states 50,000, another 57,000, and another just over 37,000. Before you read through the articles, write down the source below that you think it associated with each total. After you read through them, see if you were right.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/states-reopen-map-coronavirus.html –

https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2020/us/states-reopen-coronavirus-trnd/

https://www.foxnews.com/category/health/infectious-disease/coronavirus#&_intcmp=corona_trkr

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid19/index.htm

Link to NY Times Image & Interactive Map  

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are two questions I want you answer. Consider scarcity, broad social goals, types of economic systems (global), and the interconnectedness of the US and global economies. One will be using the reopening map and the other will be a combination of it, the four sources, and your own deep level thinking.

Short-term
  1. Using the map from a simple visual perspective and the interactive map within the NY Times article, 1. What are some of the positive and negative aspects of the re-opening of state economies and 2. What could be some of the barriers, both short and long term?
Longer-Term and Broader Lens (include as many “lenses” mentioned above as you wish. Trust me, the more the merrier!)
  1. Considering the map, the four sources and the overall messaging surrounding the corona virus pandemic, What do you think the impact of the messaging provided will have on the current and future US and world economy, and why?

Think about the following when you answer:

  • Apply the 3 P’s t the messaging and messengers – this should open up and reveal multiple layers and spark quite a bit of questions.
  • Some questions to consider:
    • Given the stark contrast and difference in stated numbers of corona virus related deaths, who do we listen to and/or believe?
      • What might influence that decision?
    • With much that has been made of media inaccuracies and sensationalism, from both conservative and liberal outlets, does this influence believability and/or tustworthiness?
    • What might we assume about readers or viewers of the sources and how might that impact the response?
      • Why, if at all, is this question relevant?

****************************************************************

Now…this exercise has the potential of being an ideological powder keg. If you don’t know what a powder keg is, look it up! What we need to do is to remember this is an academic exercise that is intended to spark thought, expand perspectives, and prompt an interest and give application to critical thinking and deduction. This is not an exercise to attack or demean. Let’s be the example of how varied perspectives can be shared respectively: Respect the Perspective.

I look forward to great responses and comments.

Feel free to post your comments below or send them to me directly by emailing me at jeffrey.searcy@cobbk12.org 

Coronavirus Quarantine Reading List

Hello, all. In this crazy time of quarantines and shelter in place orders, we find ourselves with an opportunity of relative “downtime”. With that, we have a few choices. One of those is to make some investments into our intellectual and human capital. With every generation, we seem to digress a bit in our intellectual courage…in our ability to think critically, analyze, have civil discourse. Most importantly…we seem to be losing our ability to have our own opinion, our own perspectives…one that we can defend because it is ours, not borrowed.

We live in the greatest country in the history of the world. Despite all that is going on, we live in the greatest time in the history of the world. We have access to more information than ever before. We also live in the most destructive and challenging time in the history of the world. Why? Because we have access to more information than ever before.

What has made America the greatest country in the history of the world, despite everything, are the principles on which it was founded, the systems that enabled it to become the greatest creator or wealth and philanthropy ever, and most importantly, the people that came here to live the dream. It was those principles and systems that enabled people, ordinary people, to achieve extraordinary things.

I could stay on my soapbox of American idealism for hours…days…years. I won’t. But, I do want to pass along a list of must reads, reads the EVERY American should read, that can easily be tackled before the order is lifted.

Below is the list. I have provided pdf and web access to all but one. I don’t want any barrier to exist to read them.

 

The Constitution

  1. The Constitution of the United States 

 

 

2. Declaration of Independence

 

 

3. Democracy in America by Alexis De Tocqueville

 

 

 

4. The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek

 

 

 

What Coach is reading right now:

Statecraft by Margaret Thatcher

 

 

 

If you have the desire to dive a bit deeper into the US Constitution, here is a must read:

A Familiar Exposition of The Constitution of the United States by Joseph Story

 

 

There you have it. I am glad to expand on this reading list and provide some more great reads on topics across the spectrum. Learn much. Think critically. Challenge yourself. Develop YOUR perspective…YOUR opinion…YOUR ideology. Own it. Don’t borrow it.

H1N1 Virus Vaccine Recipient Poll

All right…here it is. When you guys complete the H1N1 Virus Vaccine assignment, go to the poll and mark the three you chose.

If you have any comments, feel free to make them as I would love to hear your thoughts. However, remember that they are viewable by everyone. As such, do not use any offensive language or make offensive comments. Be respectful. Any comments that even remotely fit the above criteria, I will remove. Sorry.

 

Welcome New Econ Classes…the Online Version!!!

Hello, all. I know things are crazy with this coronavirus and such. Rest assured, everything is going to be okay. Make sure you stay up to speed on the assignments. Don’t allow yourself to get behind.

The Economics page is where you should hang out when you can. Any and all resources can be found there, to include instructions, links, study guides, videos, and so much more. It is your friend.

I will be using Google Classroom while we are out. Your particular class code can be found on the Econ page.

Don’t hesitate to email me if you need anything or if you have any questions.

Enjoy!!!

-Coach Searcy