The annual State Social Studies Conference of the Tennessee Council for the Social Studies (TCSS) will be held on Friday, March 11, 2011 at the Marriott Cool Springs in Franklin. 

TCSS members who present will register for a significantly reduced rate. 

Presenters may choose to present on any social studies-related topic.  You might consider teaming up with another teacher and doing a co-presentation of one topic or a two-part presentation on related topics.  Presentations should be 45 minutes long.

If you wish to give a presentation, please complete and return the form (download like below)  postmarked no later than November 15, 2010.  Send it to the Tennessee Geographic Alliance, 304 Burchfiel Geography Building, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-0925, ATTN: Kurt Butefish.

The following teachers were recognized for their excellence in teaching at the 2010 Annual State Social Studies Conference in Memphis.

Secondary Teachers of the Year

William Freddy Curtis, U.S. Government and Sociology teacher at Cannon County High School in Woodbury, Tennessee.

He begins each day with a "Life Lesson" - A quote regarding education or life in general. then he presents a "government headline" from the Nashville Tennessean or another on-line newspaper.  He requires his government students to attend local government body meetings and to question why those political bodies acted in a particular way and why they exist in the first place. Students may observe an actual court case. Various elected officials are frequent visitors to this teacher's class. He is a member of several professional organizations and is involved in many professional development activities.  He is also  a member of his School Improvement Team.  

Cynthia Sellers McGuire, World Geography, Psychology, and Sociology teacher at Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport, Tennessee. 

She has served in several leadership positions within her school and in education related organizations.  She has served as Social Studies Department Chairperson, Beta Club and Yearbook Sponsor.  She belongs to the National Council for the Social Studies as well as the Tennessee Council for the Social and frequently attends their conferences. She says, "In ninety days, I cannot possibly cover everything that I want students to know about the world.  I can, however, create an interest that will make them want to learn more across their lifetime."  A bumper sticker on this her wall reads, "Your ignorance is their power."  Students are taught to access accurate information.   They learn to evaluate sources.  Technology is a key tool in the classroom. 

Michael Robinson, teacher of World Geography, Facing History and Ourselves, Contemporary Issues, and Advanced Placement Human Geography at Houston High School, Germantown, Tennessee.

According to his vice principal,  "In addition to his expertise in his discipline, he possesses the ability to create a classroom environment that consists of an exact combination of academics, structure, and creativity to enhance student achievement. To keep his students from losing their attention, this teacher tries to plan three or four fifteen to twenty minute instructional activities from an interactive lecture to a short video clip to a short reading. He  has developed an extremely successful AP Human Geography Class. He has served as Mock Trial sponsor and statistician for the school's varsity basketball teams.  Above and beyond excellence in his own classroom, he generally shares his teaching strategies by being department chair and a master mentor for new teachers. Most recently, this teacher received the 2009 NCI and Nostrum Geography Award for the nation's best lesson plan.  Not only did he receive that award, but presented the lessons entitled "Starbucks Geography" at a national conference in Puerto Rico.  Last fall, he was a presenter and participant at the "South Korean Symposium on Geographic and Territorial Issues" in South Korea.  He also received the 2009 Tennessee Geographic Alliance Geography teacher of the year award. 

Middle School  Teacher of the Year

Rob Kuban, 8^th grade American History Teacher at Maryville Middle School.

He wants history to come alive for his students so he had his students create their own imaginary colony and write a governmental compact (Mayflower Compact), create a travel brochure for the 13 colonies, make fake newspapers convincing Europeans to come to America, make movies/multimedia presentations on the importance of basic rights in America, make a propaganda war poster for the American Revolution, write a Civil War journal, etc. His principal describes him as an instructional leader and mentor who is very skillful at integrating technology into the 21^st century classroom. His effectiveness is evident in his students' high performance on standardized tests. His students have won several awards.   He serves on the School Leadership Team and the Parent Advisory Committee and was selected East TN. Historical Society Teacher of the Year (2009).

Elementary Teacher of the Year

Connie Lawson, Teacher at Richard Hardy Memorial School in South Pittsburg.

Connie, fourth grade, self-contained classroom teacher believes that education focuses on the individual child and his/her ability to succeed in life as well as education. You might find her implementing  "We the People. . .Project Citizen," a program that focuses on state and local government roles in the American federal system.  The curriculum engages the entire class in a series of  structured cooperative learning activities.  Using the "Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources", this teacher used past documents, photographs, manuscripts, and authentic artifacts to enhance the curriculum and motivate student learning.   She has attended and presented at several Core Knowledge National Conferences and has a "Lewis and Clark Expedition" lesson plan published with the Library of Congress.   She has been selected Teacher of the Year several times at her school.