MCSD March 2024 Golden Apple Award -Sausha Christensen
MONTROSE, Colo. (KREX) — From learning the geography of the world to deciphering the mysteries of global cultures, our next Golden Apple winner is 7th grade social studies teacher, Sausha Christensen, at Columbine Middle School.
Social studies covers ancient civilizations. In Mrs. Christensen’s class, they start in Mesopotamia, go to Egypt, ancient Greece, and then Medieval times. Right now, they’re learning about the different contributions in today’s society that came from ancient Greece. Mrs. Christensen said, “Seeing all the things today we still use from ancient Greece, and helping them see that decisions that are made now — laws, traditions — that they can last centuries. Even millennia. Helping them tie that back into them is something I like doing.”
Social studies is all about human connections, how people from the past are not that different from people now. It’s the connection with the kids that motivates her, and she especially enjoys teaching the middle school age group. She told us, “A lot of people feel like middle school is the hardest age, but I feel like it’s the most important. They are making big decisions in terms of who they are going to be as adults, and helping them make good decisions, and form good habits, and see value in themselves is why I like middle school.”
Mrs. Christensen operates her classroom on a social contract the students helped create during the first week of school. It fosters a positive, safe, and inclusive learning environment. Here’s what the kids came up with. “They came up with respect, kind, honest, calm, golden platinum rule, patient, helpful, supportive, empathic, treated equally, safe, effort, reliable, listen, personal space, no put downs, and compromise.” Those expectations from the social contract are implemented in the classroom everyday, and hopefully the kids carry those values with them the rest of their lives.
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