Daniel Jordan

I have been teaching history in grades 6th-8th for the past 17 years. I pride myself on creating lessons that invite students to be a part of what is ultimately “their” story. When it's done wrong, history can feel tedious, monotonous, irrelevant, unnecessary, and all of those other frighteningly stereotypical, but not altogether unfair, labels that often are associated with the discipline.

When it's done right, however, history becomes the foundation on which all others things are built and that of course is anything but boring. I'd like to think that I've been doing history right for the better part of my tenure as a teacher. Chief among my reasons for being able to accomplish this feat is my ability to recognize the moment when someone is becoming disengaged (as you might imagine, this has proven to be quite useful in my personal life as well).

Though at times this can feel like a bane, for the most part it has been a blessing. Whether teaching in the classroom, coaching on the playing fields, or just hanging out with friends and family, being able to listen and appropriately read the room has always come quite naturally to me. And since this is where every path to learning begins (can you find or meet students where they are and bring them in as active participants on their journey to becoming a lifelong learner), it is the skill that I've called upon most often as a teacher.

I very much look forward to discussing other things I might bring to your company in a follow up interview:)

I've taught history in all middle school grades 6-8th for 17 years. I've also coached hundreds of students aged 6-18 in soccer for the better part of 25 years.

I spent 4 years studying history as an undergraduate at the College of Charleston and 2 more years pursuing a MAT in Social Studies at the Citadel — both in Charleston, S.C.