Teacher questionnaire

***The numbered questions are the questions which were asked of  the teachers, the letters a-h are representing a specific teacher and how they responded to the question.

1. What classes do you teach now?

• a. US History, Debate
• b. US, World
• c. World, Econ/Gov.
• d. US History, Electives
• e. Government
• f. Gov., Econ
• g. US History
• h. World History

2. Which UNCC History classes did you take when you were here?

• a. US Hist I/II, West Civ II, Russian History, Witchcraft, Mediterranean, Southerners, Latin Amer, and Stalinism
• b. West Civ I/II, US, Civil War, Southerners, Food In Carolinas, Latin America, Africa
• c. US I/II, West Civ, Mediterranean World, Pre-Africa, English Hist
• d.----
• e.-----
• f. US, Western Civ I/II, Russian, Latin Amer, Witchcraft, Civil War
• g. US I/II, World History II, Mediterranean Hist, Latin America, Africa, Witchcraft, Foods, Socialism
• h. All the basic stuff--US and World type classes

3. Which classes did you take for Social Studies certification?

• a. Did not take any
• b. Political Science, Anthropology, Sociology
• c. Econ (Econ for non-majors & macro), Political Science, Geography
• d. Econ (Macro & Micro), Socy, Anthro
• e.----
• g. Political Forms of Government, World Geography, Anthropology, Native American Studies classes
• h. "I took a lot of Economics classes and Political Science."

4. In retrospect are there classes you would take/would not take?

• a. I would take more US and World History classes. I would also take more Government and economics.
• b. I would take classes that had a broad spectrum and not focus on one small area or time in history. I use my US History book and notes still.
• c. I liked all the classes and would take the same type, I found that the information I learned in college helped me to put things in a bigger perspective, but the classes I took only provide interesting illustrations and stories. What I learned in college has not helped that much in my daily teaching responsibilities.
• d. I think my introduction classes would have helped me the most in my teaching today but I can’t remember back that far. I messed around my first couple of years and those intro. classes were some of the first stuff I took.
• e. I would not change a thing. It may have helped me if I had taken more political science classes.
• f. I did not take any economics in college, I don’t think it was required, it should be. I teach Econ and for the first two years I struggled because I could only keep a few chapters ahead of my students.
• g. Probably I would have taken more general courses and paid more attention to the "facts" and studied more about the forms and types of Governments.
• h. It really does not matter what you learn in college is different from what you teach. Your first three years of teaching you try and learn the stuff you were suppose to learn in college, but did not.

5. Which classes would you recommend future History/S.S. teachers take?

• a. Economics and more US history. I wish I had taken a debate class too.
• b. I would take a more wide range of classes across all history. I think my intro. classes were helpful.
• c. Economics and Government classes would help The European and US history classes are good too.
• d. US history---any you can take will help when your teaching.
• e. I learn stuff every day, the classes helped me, but I don’t think any class could have held prepare me fully.
• f. ECONOMICS!!
• g. Any cross-cultural studies are good. Learn as much about different cultures as you can. I think a good course to take would be a world Religion comparative studies class.
• h. It does not matter. You will not use it.

6. Did you pass Praxis II your first time taking it? If not Why?

• a. yes, but I think its different now.
• b. yes
• c. not the essay, but I did the second time.
• d. yes
• e. I don’t think I took it.
• f. no.
• g. The test was pretty easy.
• h. No. My teachers had not prepared me for the test.

7. What was your over-all impression of Praxis II?

• a. I thought it was pretty easy, but its different now.
• b. I can’t remember it being that difficult but people seem to have troubles passing it.
• c. The essays were hard, I have a melt-down and could not think by the time I took the essay, I think I should have spread the test over two days.
• d. It was pretty strait forward, It was pretty much like the stuff at UNCC.
• e.-----
• f. It was hard. Its supposed to be like the SAT/ACT but its not.
• g. I needed to review my old notes, but the test was pretty basic stuff.
• h. The test asks lots of detailed questions and they require you to know specific dates and people.

8. Which classes helped/did not help you with Praxis II?

• a. I think the survey classes helped the most, but actually all the classes helped because the test covers so much stuff.
• b. The general classes helped but there were questions about stuff I had before but it was so long since I had that class it was hard to remember all the facts.
• c. I think the economics test was the hardest, but all my general classes helped. There are so many things on the test it would be hard to recommend specific classes, but I guess the general classes are good--you know like US History.  But I would say review before the test and take out your old notebooks and reread highlighted stuff ideas in your textbooks.
• d. Economics helped a lot.
• e. All the classes help with the test.
• f.---
• g. The test covered lots of different subjects and topics so any Social Studies type class will help.
• h. None

9. What advice in regards to preparing for Praxis II do you have for future teachers?

• a. Study before you take the test. At least review your notes. I think you can buy test booklets, that’s a good investment to make.
• b. Find a good review booklet and brush up on as much history as you can.
• c.----
• d. ---
• e. any review you do will help. Find your old notes and know what type of things are going to be on the test.
• f. ---
• g. Review old notes and get the study guide. [ed: we're not sure which one]
• h. Go get High School World and US History books and study those for the Praxis test. All the Classes at UNCC were fun but the program did nothing to prepare me for teaching History.

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