This Michigan Teacher Adapts BRI Resources For His Students
<p>Teaching is a family tradition for Aaron Simmons.</p>
<p>His father spent 37 years as an educator and introduced Simmons to the Bill of Rights Institute by posting about it on social media. Simmons, who teaches U.S. History for Muskegon Public Schools in Muskegon, Mich., also attended a Michigan Council for the Social Studies conference in 2018 and met BRI staff members Lori Rech and Joe Schmidt.</p>
<p>“I started using [BRI] resources and signed up for a 3-part series on the branches of government,” Simmons said. He also attended a BRI colloquium on equal rights and plans to attend a BRI event on women’s rights in Grand Rapids, Mich., later this year.</p>
<p>Simmons is still in the initial stages of customizing BRI’s content for his students and plans to adapt the material heavily in his classroom. Simmons recently introduced his students to <a href="https://billofrightsinstitute.org/lessons/marbury-v-madison-1803">BRI’s primary source lesson</a> on the U.S. Supreme Court case <em>Marbury v. Madison</em>.</p>
<p>Simmons also utilizes artificial intelligence in his classroom to help make his lessons easier for students to understand. However, he is aware of the risks using AI in the classroom can pose, especially when AI assumes the identity of a literary, movie, or historical figure.</p>
<p>“You have to be mindful of what’s said and ask, ‘Would they really say that?’” Simmons said.</p>
<p>Simmons visits BRI at multiple workshops and conferences across Michigan to find content for his classroom, and he does this all for his students.</p>
<p>“If we don’t seek it out ourselves, it won’t get to us,” Simmons said. He added that there seems to be more focus on teaching math and reading while the social sciences and sciences are left behind.</p>
<p>Simmons noted the content coach for his school district is part of the Michigan Council for the Social Studies and advocates for more resources related to social studies and civics. Which Simmons believes, like BRI, is crucial to living in a free and just society.</p>
<p>“A lot of the problems we have now could at least be generally fixed if we knew about our civic virtues and our rights and responsibilities as citizens,” Simmons said.</p>