Name: Kim Ball
Title: Teacher
School Name: Bountiful High School
City, State: Bountiful, Utah
Subjects Taught: AP Comparative Government, AP U.S. Government, U.S. Government, Film History and Study Skills (which is a credit recovery class)
Grades Taught: 10-12, but mostly 12
No. of Years Teaching: 17 years
Nestled at the base of the majestic, snow-capped mountains of the Wasatch Range, the city of Bountiful, Utah, serves as a suburb of Salt Lake City and is home to Bountiful High School, where Kim Ball teaches AP U.S. Government and other subjects to 10th, 11th and 12th graders. Ball, who has 17 years of teaching experience, says teaching with a distance-learning format during the COVID-19 pandemic has required her to quickly adapt.
“The reason that I love teaching is I love the interaction I have with students in the classroom,” Ball says. “I like the human connection. However, I have been impressed with the technology that gives us the ability to connect with students remotely.”
Long-Distance Relationship
For her classes, Ball relies on Instructure’s popular learning management system, Canvas, where she uploads videos, audio files and PowerPoint presentations, along with other content. “I try to employ a variety of teaching methods and activities to help all of the different learners in my class,” Ball says.
For weekly videoconferencing with her students, she uses Zoom. Although Bountiful High School does not have a 1:1 learning environment, most students bring their own devices, Ball says, and all students are given the opportunity to check out a Cloudbook from the school.
Paperless, Please
Ball has been using the SGAP Student Forum newsletter and other civics materials in her classroom since 2011. Although she used to receive the monthly paper mailings, in 2018, Ball voluntarily switched to paperless in order to save paper. Now she relies solely on the SGAP e-newsletter, which is emailed to enrolled teachers four times a semester, or eight times a year.
“I love the paperless version of the SGAP newsletter,” Ball says. “Each of the issues in the SGAP newsletter relates to policy that is looking to be made, has been made and needs changing, or in some way impacts policy. I select six to 10 of the issues and then divide my classes into groups of about four students and have them answer questions relating to their issue and policy.”
In the Legislative Loop
Ball says she likes the pro/con format of the Student Forum newsletter because it helps students make more educated assessments of current legislative issues. This is especially important, she believes, in today’s world of politics.
“The way my students get information is totally different than what I am used to and what their parents and grandparents have done,” Ball says. “Our sources have been TV, radio and newspaper. My students today get their news through social media. I think it is important to help them navigate through this and teach them how to evaluate different sources.
Ultimately, Ball wants her students to remember that they mattered in her class. “I also want them to remember they should educate themselves and vote,” Ball adds. “One person can and does make a difference.”