Understanding the World of High School Sociology: Views from an Insider

Abstract

Haven been placed in the unique position of teaching high school sociology at the same time when a renewed interest from professional sociological associations led to a revival of scholarly research on the topic, a commitment from professional sociological associations, my insiders view from the high school classroom and from various professional sociological association committees, I offer my insights as well as the direction future research on high school sociology might take to enhance the efficacy of teaching at that level.Keywords Sociology . High school . TeachingAs a participant observer of high school sociology for the past 16 years, as well as a college instructor of social science for the last 9 years, I have had the unique opportunity to serve in numerous capacities atypical for social studies teachers. Primarily trained as a history teacher, as I became more and more active in sociological professional associations, I became exclusively a sociology teacher. When I stopped teaching high school in 2003, I was teaching four sociology courses a semester and no history. This paper is partially a narrative of my experiences as a high school sociology teacher but also an attempt at a scholarly endeavor that might shed light on the teaching of high school sociology from a 16-year participant observer's perspective. With the recent renewed interest in scholarship on high school sociology, I hope to corroborate those findings as well as critique them, given my insider's viewpoint.My teaching career began in 1986 in a rural Illinois community, teaching three history and two sociology courses. I was hired specifically to teach sociology but also to coach. Research by Freidman and Howery (Report on a Survey of State

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Popular but Peripheral: The Ambivalent Status of Sociology Education in Schools in England

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