Who here is a teacher?

OzzyAndy

(Also posted in World coin forum)
Have noticed there are quite a few teachers here, I'd be curious to know the following:

1. What year levels / subjects do you teach?

2. How do you use coins in your teaching? I'm always looking for new ideas.

I'll start:

1. I teach year 8-10 General Science, year 11 Chemistry and year 9 and 11 Maths (year 8 is about 12-13 year olds). My specialty is Chemistry / Physics and I also run our science department (but don't get paid for it). I'm in Mount Gambier, South Australia and the secondary part of our school (years 8-12) has about 150 students.

2. In Maths I use bulk junk coins in probability, when doing coin tosses and playing other games. Most of them end up with a texta 'H' on one side. Always gets kids asking questions about where the coins come from.

In Chemistry and year 10 science we copper plate various coins when doing electrochemistry. Usually we'll then switch the cell around and remove the plating.

In Chemistry we get modern US cent coins and file off the edges, then leave them in dilute acid for a few days, it reacts with the zinc inside and leave a copper shell.

In year 8 science and Chemistry when studying the elements, I like to get as many element samples as I can from the lab. I also bring in an ounce of gold and a kilogram of silver and pass it around the class, it really makes their day, especially when I tell them how much they're worth.

Andrew

drwstr123

I usta was.

poorguy

My wife's a middle school teacher. I wouldn't bring any valuable coins into the school she teaches at though.

jsf

My closest was as a graduate teaching assistant for several different marine science/biology classes in college, no coins there, plenty of ill-prepared young students, however. I had been a tech writer for a number of years prior to getting to return to college, so I was somewhat biased, I must admit.

astrorat

Hi Andrew-

I am a teacher, but at the university level. I teach pharmacy students (about pharmacokinetics) but have also taught two full numismatics courses for freshman students while at The University of Texas at Austin .

You may wish to contact the ANA education department (Rod Gillis, gillis@money.org) about resources for teachers. Before I joined their staff I developed and delivered program for them called "Coins in the Classroom" that showed teachers (generally grades 6-12) how to use coins as learning tools for their students. The course was NOT about teaching teachers how to get kids to become coin collectors (as so many of the "seasoned" members wanted), but about how to engage kids in learning using coins, notes, and other forms of money as the "hook."

Talking with the ANA staff at the ANA show, there seems to be a renewed interest in the program by them so there are likely new resources.

Lane

P.S. The concept of "Coins in the Classroom" was the brainchild of former ANA Education Director, Gail Baker.

PTVETTER

we are all techers in some form or another.

Education comes from more than the classroom.

The greatest teachers are called role models!

halfcentman

My wife teaches chemistry in South Plainfield, NJ High School.

I have three children, two girls in 8th grade and 6th grade respectively.

I give tons of talks to kids with coins. I have had no problem bringing in coins worth hundreds of dollars in slabs. The teacher and I watch them like a hawk, and many times I bring an assistant with me. I would not do this for grade schoolers, but middle school and up it's OK.

I am giving a talk for the 6th grade on Ancient Greek coinage (NOT my specialty). I have someone bringing in samples, which the kids will think are expensive (I do not mention what they are).

If you want to correspond with me on this, send me a PM. I will not be able to read it until tonight.

Greg

rxer

I'm a pharmacist - not a teacher but I have taken early coppers and halves to school and passed them around in US history classes- seems the kids connect better when they can match a year to an event- like rusted dies during yellow fever epidemics in philadelphia - shotages of good planchets around the time of the war of 1812- how technology improved the quality of the early coins- why coins had lettered edges ... that type of stuff -always a small class- never lost a coin

oldfolkie

I teach all areas of science but only actually use old mint copper pennies (60s) in a demo to show plating, we coat them in zinc to make "silver" pennies and then heat them to make brass, "gold" pennies. I let them have one of each when we're done. One new copper penny, one zinc, and one brass, they always enjoy that lab. My kids know I'm a coin nut and I do take in coins and collections occasionally to show them. Believe it or not I took in my UHR and told them of it's history, (they know Teddy Roosevelt is one of my heroes), I've shown them my almost complete 7070. The kids really are interested, and often bring me things they've found or received. They almost always get the new quarters before I do. Another thing I do is mix in "State quarter" trivia with "rock and roll", and "Disney" trivia questions on little quizzes. I've probably created a lot of coin collectors over the past 30 years. I teach grades 9-12, and despite what you'd think many are very interested. Buffalo nickels are still everyones favorite, except some of the boys are quite enamored by the type one Standing Liberty Quarters.

DRUNNER

Saw this early this morning when there was just one response . . .now home from school (end of term, working on grades, and evaluating 14 articles for the NFHS Publication "Coaches' Quarterly").

Have taught and coached 31 years at Bingham High in South Jordan, UT. Mainly 10th and 11th English, but I also developed a curriculum for Sports Psychology that is now in use all over the country. Coached XC and Track until last year, and now just XC (former State Champ and Pan-Am Games competitior now took over T&F and also teaches English across the hall). National XC Champs in boys in 1995 and girls in 1999. Former indoor US Record in the 4x800, and 11 National top 10 rankings in XC. Good distance kids, and I get a kick out of reading about the runners here. I am one of the 4 USATF Level III Endurance coaches in the US and do clinical presentations in most of your areas (and that sometimes lets me do a sidetrip to a new coin shop!!!).

I use coins like crazy. My own version of Lane's "Coins in the Classroom". Every novel I teach starts with a handful of slabs of the coins of the era (easier to pass around with no damage). Also gold pieces from the time of Huck Finn, pre-Colonial copper for Scarlet Letter, CWTs for Killer Angels, etc. The most fun is using period pieces as prizes for high scoring tests and quizzes. I get rolls (yes, literally) of 1900 and 1906 Indians to pass out for To Kill A Mockingbird (our own PipeStone Pete is an autograph collector and knows Harper Lee quite well), and Liberty Nickels / Buffs for anything from 1900 through 1940. 1959 Memorials in BU for Alas, Babylon (Pat Frank).

I also use coins in Sports Psych presentations. Indian Cents have been considered 'good luck' tokens, so I do a relaxation exercise for our Drill Team the night before State and give each an Indian Cent as a good luck talisman. Same with Merc Dimes (Tin Cup) for the golf team, and steel cents for softball (tough as steel). Several other teachers in our school now have developed and incorporated coins in social studies and business. It has also caused collectors (mainly teachers) to start up. Two in our school have actually gotten fairly well along in Dansco 7070s and slabbed Type Sets of decent note. I also have a couple students who stop by every day or two to just 'see' cool coins (I'll bring a few every once in a while).

Oh . . . our school started in 1908 (3rd oldest in Utah), and for our final faculty social in 1908 celebrating our Centennial, I presented all 120 faculty members and 40 classified staff (custodial, lunch) with a 1908 Liberty Nickel. Try getting 175 1908 LibNicks together . . .HA! Also drew a parallel on the copper content (Bingham is named for and was once located by, the Bingham Copper Mine) of the nickel. Few know that much of the actual metal is copper.

So, to answer the OP . . .my grades taught are above, and I use them as motivation, excitement, and enrichment.

Have fun . . . train hard . . .

Drunner
(Doily collectors teach too!)

16DMERC

My wife was a High School English teacher in a Low income, and pretty rough school here in Charlotte, up til this past January. She moved on to another job simply do to the ineffectiveness of Charlotte schools and the administrators at all levels here. Anyway, i would bring in coins that corresponded to time frame and setting of things they were reading for them to get a picture of how different life was "then" as opposed to now. They were always intrigued with $1 gold, fractional gold, 2-3 cent pieces, and things like that, that they never knew existed. Some of them actually started to collect, mostly pocket change, due to income level, but there was interest in most of them which was really cool.

crypto79

Most of my family are teachers mcollege down to middle school but to be honest I am not sure any of them could afford to collect much other than non-top pop late 20th Cen sets like Franklins or Cir Wheeties and what not unless they made it a very long term goal. With prices the way they are most traditional collections can not be completed at everyman price points. I don't know many teachers who can tie up 20k, 30k, 40k or more of their net worth in coins, maybe when they are older.

Whit

Math professor here, Trinity College in CT. There is a classic problem to which the inductive proof technique can be applied, and it goes like this: Prove that if the U.S. had only 3-cent and 5-cent coins (and no paper money), then any item costing more than 7 cents could be bought with exact change.

After we arrive at a proof, I ask, "How many of you know that the U.S. once minted 3-cent coins?" In a good year, one person may raise a hand. Then I get into the other obsolete denominations, and I cap off the discussion by pulling a two-cent piece, three-cent piece, and half-cent from my pocket (these are in 2x2s, of course). I let the students pass them around, and I let the conversation take its own direction after that. It's a good break from math, and the students seem to enjoy it.

Whit

fastrudy

Physics here

Using a silver dime and a copper cent inserted into a lemon for a battery. CHEM

Silver dollar or half dollar, suspended from the center (hole or solder) for tintinabulation(sp?) and lissajou figures using cork dust or lycopodium powder. PHYSICS

Rolled coins and coin tubes to prove that "There is not a disc in the universe that can lose a race to a hoop". ROTATIONAL PHYSICS

Heating a zincoln to show different melting points. EARTH SCIENCE

Placing two coins on the backside of your outstretched hand (one at the wrist, one at the fingertip) and throwing them up in the air and catching them in TWO seperate palm-down grabs. I was told that this is used as boxer jab practice. Nothing shut the kids up more when I did this simultaneously with both left and right hands, at age 50+. Nothing.

elmeister

I teach 8th grade science in Pennsylvania... i've been doing this for 4 years now after spending a number of years after college in the environmental industry.

I use coins for a couple lessons. As a fun intro to the scientific method and making accurate observations, I've taken a nickel out of a mint roll and given it to a group along w/ a loupe and they get about 5 min to examine the coin up close and make any mental observations about it. Most groups remember things like the date or mint mark and ignore the things that really make one coin different from the next... minor hits, scratches, etc... then i take their coin, mix it w/ another dozen that are "identical" and they need to find their coin from the group. It's a loose, fun little activity that takes us into more "sciency" topics...

I also copper plate nickels using electrolysis when teaching that process in chemistry. I've also done a melting point demo w/ zincolns (acutally, just did that yesterday)...

I've had a couple good discussions w/ kids resulting from me flipping my pocket piece Morgan while walking around the room while kids are working in groups or working on labs. The first time I broke it out, they wanted to see what it was and had questions about how much it was worth, how old it was, etc... a few days later a couple of my kids started carrying their own pocket pieces... usually an Ike or Kennedy half... I had a couple kids interested and they came in the next day saying they asked their dad if he had any coins and dad pulled out a box of of old coins and they spent a couple hours going through them all... i'd imagine most parents don't get much one-on-one time w/ their 13 year olds so I felt good that they connected on something...

Oh, and alot of my kids know how to pick pre-64 silver from a pile...

MICHAELDIXON

I teach Introduction to Business, Retailing, Marketing, Entrepreneurship and Promotional Strategy at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, WV. The only class I normally bring up coins is in Introduction to Business and that is whenever I say: "Realistically, anything can be a business." And, of coures, I bring up Legend's website to show the million dollar coins they have sold.

Unknown

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perfectstrike

Physical Science, Chemistry and Physics

I've used most of the methods already mentioned.
I find discrepant event are more fun.
I also use 1982 Lincolns and 1942 Jeffersons for mass and densify labs. In discussion, I ask students to explain how 1/2 the class can have the wrong answer.
I also use coins for an area lab. When I ask them how many pennies to cover an index card, I get several answers. Then I pull out a few large cents and show how none of the answers is even close. Dollars would also work, but that would get expensive.

David

hchcoin

I teach finance at the college level. I use coins and currency in the beginning of my money and banking class. The students spend a lot of time on the U.S. Treasury, U.S. Mint and Bureau of Engraving and Printing websites. We go through all the stuff found on the coins and the bills. The students love to learn about what is printed and minted on our coins and currency. I have also brought in gold and silver coins/bullion to discuss the gold and silver standard and fiat money. The best items seem to be articles about shipwreck coins and treasures. The students love to hear the history of these types of things and imagine if it was them finding the treasure. They also love to hear about the New Orleans and Carson City mints. I also use old stock and bond certificates as examples in my investments class. Lavere Redfield and the GSA hoards are also fun discussion topics on a slow day.

njcoincrank

I teach "Advanced US Coin Grading and Problem Coins" at the ANA's summer seminar each year

Seems so meaningless when compared to you real teachers...

njcc

hchcoin

<< <i>I teach "Advanced US Coin Grading and Problem Coins" at the ANA's summer seminar each year

Seems so meaningless when compared to you real teachers...

njcc >>



I would love to take that class some day

Barbercoin

Retired Army and now teach at a magnet high school in Louisville, KY. Computer Applications is my main course, but this year I also teach two classes of Business Management. I've talked about coins superficially just trying to find potential YN's. There have been a few here and there (state quarters only). I have not found course work that includes coins other than me creating a practice lesson or two in Excel. I'm always looking for something though.

I have brought a few older (junk coins, like old polished up large cents) and shared with US History teachers. They loved that.

Sorry-to-say though, I'm always leary some kid might get the impression that my house would be a good place to break in.

Steviewah

I'm a retired music professor and professional clarinetist/teacher. It is fun to pull out a coin from the period of music studied and demonstrate what the coins were like and anything pertaining to beauty on them.

DHeath

I'm teaching Systems Analysis and the undergrad capstone in Information Systems at UNC Greensboro this fall. I hadn't considered integrating numismatics, but I expect it would be fun to introduce the hobby using a case study.

anablep

HS Bio & Chem teacher.

Use coins for genetics "flips" of dominant/recessive traits in simulations or inheritance of random combinations of alleles.

Use oxidized cents (copper & steel) for chemistry red-ox reactions.

Keeps me entertained probably more than the kids...

kahokia

Hi ozzyandy. I teach US History at a small public school in Virginia. I use coins for show and tell throughout the year. I also use them for giveaways at appropriate times. I work in Hard Times tokens and Civil War tokens at the appropriate times. Throughout the year, I scour bargain bins for "nice" steel pennies and silver nickels to use as prizes during the WWII unit. When I first started this, the cafeteria lady enjoyed showing me the silver nickels that had come through her line on the day of my giveaways. Since then, I've placed them in capsules--seems to have helped. :-) I use fractional notes and confederate notes as props for discussing the economic situations of the day. Even gave away one each of those this year. A couple of weeks ago, I used a 100,000 reichsmark from 1923 when discussing post-WWI inflation in germany. We traced its value using the exchange rate from Jan. to Dec. of that year. Pretty amazing, at least to me. Common coinage--circulated buffaloes, etc.-- I use for prizes. I also display political items and ephemera from time to time. In fact, I gave a nice Teddy Roosevelt campaign pin to a young man who had spent a good bit of time pleasure-reading about him. I enjoy it. They seem to enjoy it. Plus, I feel a bit less like a miser when I give some away.

pocketpiececommems

Retired Elementary Physical Education--------I was in charge of the Pop machine for numerous years so I did get to look for silver. I did take several type coins that I would talk about to the upper grades in their history class.

One time I had a 5th grader that was selling Silver dollars to other kids for a dollar. You could tell that the coins had been glued to something at one time. I called his dad and asked about them. He said the only silver dollars they had were glued to a board that his dad had given him. He checked and the dollars were gone. He did get the silver dollars back.

Kids bring all kinds of stuff from home that their parents don't know about. And they do like to show it off or sell it.

OzzyAndy

Wow, havn't had time to read all the messages but I'm amazed how much can be done with coins, I didn't think of half of the things there.

Thanks Whit for the one with the 3 and 5 cents, i used it in year 9 Maths today as an introduction to an investigation we were doing which was similar. I listed 1-20 on the board and the kids were racing to work out the correct combination for each one an fill it in. Then finding other ways of doing some of them (e.g. 11 can be made from 1x5 and 2x3 or 4x5 with 3x3 change). The kids really got into it.

Glad to hear that the hobby is being put into good hands, just from ignighting sparks of interest with the next generation.

Andrew

OnTheHunt

A teacher is bringing a group of interested grade school students on a field to our local coin show tomorrow. Should be fun, I'll be sure to post a report.

Steve

kahokia

It seems that most of the people who have responded are/were in a science-related field. I thought most would be in history or somesuch. What's the special attraction for science people? 'Splain please.

ChangeInHistory

I teach music at two Catholic grade schools. Not too many opportunities for the two to interact, but I do put together a couple of glass cases full of Civil War coins, notes, & tokens for them to look at for a day. The homeroom teacher and I try to coordinate and treat it as a 'lead-in' lesson.

OnTheHunt

A group of schoolkids came to our local show this afternoon as part of an extra-curricular class on coin collecting. It's one of several different extra-curricular classes held throughout the year by the school. There were about 15 or so youngsters accompanied by their teacher and some parents. They met briefly as a group and then hit the bourse floor. The club donated a goodie bag to each kid and they were free to roam and practice their shopping manners and bargaining skills. They added quite an air of excitement to the floor, and kids, parents and dealers all had a good time. I sold a youngster the last coin he needed to complete a current type proof set and I don't know who was more thrilled, he or I.

Steve

DRUNNER

I am not science related, although I have noticed the same as you.

I use them in English . .with the novels I use. I have specificallly collected slabbed examples of various denominations that fit with my novels . . and the kids have a blast when they handle them. See the above post .

Drunner
(Doilies-R-Us)

JaLP

Another science teacher here. I use coins to show differences in physical properties. Current U.S. dimes , quarters and pennies are heterogeneous mixtures, although I cut a penny to prove it. Only nickels are homogeneous.

I also have 2 sets of 50 U.S. dimes and 50 Canadian dimes. I tell students they can keep the coins if they can separate their coins into two piles by country before I do. i give them a small head start, then pull out a LARGE magnet to get all the Canadian coins quick. I haven't lost yet.

OzzyAndy

I'm not sure why there are more science teachers. I personally was never interested in History and the humanities while at school or uni but have become more interested as I've got older, probably from reading papers and magazines etc for current events and often due to me travelling to places such as Germany and discovering the fascinating history. Still no good at writing an essay so would be no good at teaching it. Maybe people who like to count and study things (maths and science) develop an interest in money and finance and this flows on to coins, it did for me.

Gotta try the separating coins with a magnet one, will have to find some Australian coins that are similar.

Billet7

I teach an art class on occasion, and I teach at church, but that's about it. At church I use coins a lot, there are many parallels that can be made between coins and religion...but I've never brought a coin to any of my art classes.

So...no...I'm not really a teacher if you compare me to everyone else!