This week’s academic spotlight shines on our Lansing Middle School teacher, Thomas Cretors, and the engaging stock market activity that he does with his 7th-grade students! He was kind enough to invite me to watch what was happening, and it was an absolute blast!
“I chose to do “The Stock Market Game” with my 7th graders to help teach how the stock market works and relate it to the events we are covering in Kansas History,” said Mr. Cretors. “Students get a chance to really pretend like they know how to strike it rich in the stock market, but in the end, they learn the risks in investing in the market and how those risks have impacted history, especially The Great Depression.”
I was thoroughly engaged, as the students were, with their activity, which was so entertaining and fun for them; as the students stated .
“It was fun feeling like I was getting money,” said Logan Jeffers.
“It was funny seeing people panicked about running out of time to buy or sell stocks,” said Mia Sanchez.
Mr. Cretors really impressed the learning that he strives for and pushes for in his class:
“Students get a chance to not just read about the stock market crash but actually experience what happens in a crash. The hope is by making connections with the things they hear about today and the history we are learning about in class, they will have greater interest in class and a better understanding of the world around them, “ said Mr. Cretors,
While learning about an essential part of our history is impressive, the excitement our students showed for the learning must be highlighted:
“My favorite part of social studies this year is all of it,” said Hunter Bates
“I liked how it felt realistic. When stocks got expensive, they eventually came down; when stocks were cheap, they eventually got more expensive. Knowing what happened in history helped know what was coming” Anthony Silva.
Ultimately, Mr. Cretors showed the most critical factor when it comes to kids learning:
“My favorite part of social studies is my teacher,” said Bella Houg.
Thank you, Mr. Cretors, for being a great teacher for our middle school students!