Educator Spotlight of the Month: March 2022

Author: Junior Achievement of Southwestern Indiana
Community Involvement
Published: Tuesday, 08 Feb 2022

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Image caption: March 2022 Spotlight: Matt Carey

Junior Achievement of Southwestern Indiana gives a spotlight to a local educator every month by publishing an in-depth interview about their JA experience.

JA: What grade do you teach & where?

MC: I teach 6th, 7th, and 8th grade social studies at Good Shepherd Catholic School.

JA: Are you a Junior Achievement Alum. If so, tell us about your Junior Achievement experience when you were a student.

MC: I am not a Junior Achievement Alum.

JA: How long have you hosted Junior Achievement programs in your classroom/school?

MC: I am not exactly sure. I have been teaching for 26 years and I suspect I have been involved with JA in some capacity for the better part of my career.

JA: Why did you initially choose to have Junior Achievement programs in your classroom/school?

MC: I think it provides kids a great opportunity to hear adults witness to them about real life experiences that will undoubtedly be a part of their lives at some point.

JA: What do you enjoy most about having Junior Achievement programs taught to your students?

MC: It’s really a great marriage between the professional community and our students. Both the kids and the guest teachers gain a lot from the experience.

JA: What reason would you give to another educator on why they should have Junior Achievement programs in their classroom/school?

MC: The programs are real world applications, and they add layers to the curriculum that would otherwise be very difficult to add with conventional methods.

JA: How do you feel JA relates to what you/other educators teach in the classroom?

MC: Bringing in a professional from the business community validates the concepts being taught and allows the kids to witness the application of these concepts in real life.

JA: What value do you feel a JA volunteer provides you and your students?

MC: The value for me is being able to see kids make connections between the curriculum and the real world.

JA: What is one of your favorite JA moments?

MC: I really don’t have a favorite JA moment but for me my favorite JA activity has always been the Job shadow opportunities my students have had over the years.

JA: In what ways has the pandemic changed how JA is being taught in your classroom/school?

MC: It has unfortunately been halted altogether. I have not been able to have my kids participate in JA since the spring of 2019. However, I do have plans to get things up and running again this spring.