"Life as a Middle School Social Studies Teacher" - The GIPS Cast, Ep. 072

"Trying to put kids into history helps make those connections and makes it [learning] fun for them... There's endless possibilities and opportunities."


Jen Kramer is more than a Middle School Social Studies Teacher — she is a cheerleader for all Middle School students. 


11 years into teaching at the Middle School level, you’ll find an incredible blend of learning, laughter, fun, and insight in her classroom.  Sometimes she’ll be dressed-up in a George Washington costume — and all of it driven by connecting with students and helping them connect with the power of other people’s stories.


Ms. Kramer joins 'The GIPS Cast' to dish on social studies, the fun found in teaching Middle School, and the lasting impact of public education. 


Because she believes every student can do great things, and that history has a way of sparking inspiration. 

Listen to the latest episode above or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform.

(Transcript may be found below the episode player.)

#WeAreGIPS  

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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: 

 

Podcast Intro  00:00

This is Grand Island Public Schools podcast, and these are our stories. We are learners. We are educators in teaching hearts as well as minds. We are 10,000 diverse voices, and we're changing the world together, one classroom at a time. These are our stories. We are GIPS. We are GIPS.  Somos, que y PE ese. We are GIPS.  Somos GIPS. We are GIPS, and this is 'The GIPS Cast'!

 

Mitchell Roush  00:31

Welcome back to the GIPS cast, a conversation based podcast exploring the voices of Grand Island Public Schools in Nebraska. I'm your host, Mitchell Roush, Communications Director here at GIPS, and as always, I'm grateful to bring to you stories from all corners of our district, because here we're driven by our mission of every student every day a success.

 

Jen Kramer  00:55

Okay, so maybe it was Claire Barton starting the Red Cross. Okay, maybe it was learning about getting green. Maybe it was learning about Dan Sickles...

 

Mitchell Roush  01:10

Ms. Jen Kramer is more than a middle school social studies teacher. She is a true cheerleader for all middle school students. 11 years into teaching at the middle school level, and you'll find an incredible blend of learning, laughter, fun and insight in her classroom, from a bookshelf filled with bobbleheads of landmark American history, historical figures to signed photos from the annual Westridge eighth grade diplomats trip to DC, and sometimes she'll even be dressed up as George Washington in costume. And all of it is driven by connecting with students and helping them connect with the power of other people's stories. And that's where we find ms Kramer today. She views each day in her classroom at Westridge middle school as an opportunity to share both high expectations of every student and to bring history to life through social studies. Why? Well, because she believes that every student can do great things, and she also believes that history has a way of sparking inspiration. Now I had a chance to visit her eighth grade class here recently, and we I saw her scholars diving into a hands on research activity that was focused on medical history during the Civil War era. I even learned some things while experiencing that activity with the students. It was really cool. And after that, Ms Kramer sat down with me to dish on social studies and the fun found in teaching middle school and the lasting impact of public education. Here's our conversation.

 

Jen Kramer  02:57

My name is Jen Kramer. I teach eighth grade social studies at West Ridge Middle School.

 

Mitchell Roush  03:02

So Miss Kramer, hello. Thank you for being here.

 

Jen Kramer  03:05

It's good to be here. How's it going? How are you good?

 

Mitchell Roush  03:08

It's good. I got to hang out in your classroom today, and that was a fun time.

 

Jen Kramer  03:10

It was you caught us on a good day learning about some great civil war medicines, yes.

 

Mitchell Roush  03:17

And it was really cool. There was learning happening. There were group connections happening, but your students were not sitting down. What was going on here? There was some movement going on in your room, yeah?

 

Jen Kramer  03:26

So it's not a normal day for us, and it actually worked out perfect. They're doing some inscas testing in ELA. So that's a, you know, that's a lot of sitting Yeah? So we were up doing some different stations, learning about some civil war medicine. So some different tools, some different injuries, amputations, illnesses, diseases, some famous injuries, such as like Dan Sickles, getting his leg shot off, pickling his leg, which is pretty fun.

 

Mitchell Roush  04:01

So that was the fun stuff for me to hear, right? Was listening to the students read that for the first time, and then be like, Wait, did I read that? Right? Oh, yeah, that's a real thing.

 

Jen Kramer  04:10

Yes, yeah. And I when I first heard that story, I heard it from a friend from Washington, DC, and even when I heard it, I was like, This is not real. This cannot be real. And so I had even look it up. And so, I mean, you saw it, I even went and ate a chicken leg myself and put it in there and pickled it myself. And kept telling them it was Dan Sickles leg. It's an object lesson. Yes, yes, exactly. So they didn't believe it. But, you know, it's all in fun, fun and games. So, but yeah, I mean, that type of stuff, they do find that fascinating, and every class really got into it. So it's fun stuff.

 

Mitchell Roush  04:47

You've been teaching middle school social studies for 11 years. That's a long time. That's really impressive, but you clearly dig Middle School, and not everyone is wired to teach middle school, so tell me, how did you land here? And why is middle school social studies like your jam? Why are you here?

 

Jen Kramer  05:03

Well, it was, it was totally by accident when I soon taught. I soon taught high school, and that's kind of what I was like, Okay, I really like high school. I fit in there. When I was applying for jobs, I was just like, I want to find a job wherever, yeah, landed Middle School, found out seventh grade, I kind of like this, right? These, these kids are, these kids are cool. They're a little weird. I fit in, um, and that's kind of where I fit. Um, they they are weird, right? Everyone kind of knows that, but they are really cool, and every day is an adventure. Um, every class period as an adventure. But they are still really into learning, and they like to dig deep on stuff. You know, I had kids asking me questions about, you know, what's, what is this injury? You know, what is, what's this tool do? It's not just you know about this stuff, but they'll come into class that about some stuff they saw on Tiktok or, you know, on TV. And, you know, that's, that's the part of learning that sometimes you don't get with high schoolers, you know, you do, but the middle school, they're still, they're still into the learning stuff. So I really, I really like that. So that's cool.

 

Mitchell Roush  06:21

And hey, I mean, you found the place. So this is it. You're committed, and you're all in.

 

Jen Kramer  06:25

Oh yeah, for sure!

 

Mitchell Roush  06:27

And so about the subject matter with social studies specifically, like, I know that you're you don't just teach it. You really do try to bring it to life for your students. You know, I've been in your classroom before when you've been dressed up in costume, oh yeah, classroom today, when you've got them going through stations learning about civil war injuries, right? Like you're you do, I do think you are trying to be intentional about making social studies an experience and not just a learning subject. So talk to me about that. What are some of the ways you bring fun and learning together in your classroom?

 

Jen Kramer  06:56

Yeah. I mean, you have to. You have to be willing to be weird with them.

 

Mitchell Roush  07:02

It is middle school, after all,

 

Jen Kramer  07:03

Yeah, and be willing to put yourself out there too. But it also is you have to be willing to make those connections with the students. And I think that helps, you know, when we do the dressing up as George Washington, yeah, you know, I can't take credit for all of that. So my teaching partner, Grant, we've taught together. Well, he was right there at the beginning, ever since. And so, you know, we used to teach, you know, we'd go out outside and do Valley Forge, and we'd put the kids through drills, and we'd make fire cakes and have kids eat it, you know. So, you know, putting, trying to put kids into history, I think that kind of helps make those connections, but also makes it fun for them. So, you know, we also did with the Boston Tea Party, we had them do a chopped type of activity, you know, we gave them these items. Is what you get to use. Tell us the story of the Boston Tea Party. And I remember they were reading the book. Oh, gosh, some book in ELA. And we put that book in there, and they pulled it out, and they're like, Wait, why is this in there? We're like, figure out how to use it, you know, supply, yeah, yeah. So it was a, you know, cross curriculum in there and, but, you know, that's, that's the type of connections they were making. So it was a lot of fun. And, you know, we try to try to carry that over to eighth grade. Sometimes it can be harder just with time and all that kind of stuff. But those are the things that kids remember. They don't always remember the content, um, they kind of remember more of the activities and stuff like that.

 

Mitchell Roush  08:47

So, and those things are connected, right? And I think that's probably a universal thing for like anybody, right? If you were to ask anybody, what were some of your favorite memories in school, pick a grade or something like that, they're probably going to remember an experiential thing like that. Oh, yeah, I think that's a that's a very human thing. So you spend a lot of time talking about the past, obviously, with history, with these students, how do you make that connection to making it feel, not just fun, but helping it feel, I guess the word is, like, relevant to them, like, how do you how do they? How are they able to wrap their minds around the content in this classroom to where they feel like it's important that I'm learning this and it also connects to me in my life today?

 

Jen Kramer  09:24

That's a great question. So, you know, I don't really like to focus on the numbers, like, I don't really like to focus on the years or the dates. Memorize all the dates Exactly, right? Like, I don't even know all the dates myself, but I like to focus on the stories. You know, there's, there's the stories and the meanings behind the people. You know, I'm gonna go back to to Dan Sickles, right? Like, that's not somebody I learned about in history class, but, you know, he's got a fascinating story, not just from the Battle of Gettysburg, you know, he's got a story dealing with the White House, right? You know. There's another, another guy that we had in the station today, Jacob Miller. He's got ties to Nebraska, you know. And so those are the types...

 

Mitchell Roush  10:09

That's the guy that was walking around the bullet hole in his head, yeah? Like, not only that, but he's connected to Nebraska, right?

 

Jen Kramer  10:15

So they're, yeah, yeah. But, you know, and you know, if we can get the kids interested in those stories, then they're going to want to, like, dig deeper, you know. And so I want, I want kids to know, like, there's just more than the dates and the years and stuff like that, that there's, there's stories behind those events, you know, there's people behind those events, and if they, they dig just a little bit deeper, they'll find those. They'll find the meaning behind those. And so, um, you know, every day we'll after our bell ringers, we'll do a today in history. And sometimes it deals with what we're talking about. Sometimes it has nothing to do with it. And so, um, I'll go on a little tangent about that. And, you know, and sometimes they'll, I'll see them Google and what it is, you know? And so they, sometimes they'll come up to me and want more questions on it. So I like, I like those types of connections.

 

Mitchell Roush  11:10

So, much of that I would imagine, also helps them connect to, like, understanding other people's stories, cultivating a sense of empathy and thinking about things in a humanized way. It's not abstract when you hear these tangible stories; these are humans.

 

GIPS COMMERCIAL  11:30

Public schools and news flash, registration for the 2026 27 school year is now open at GIPS. That's right. Registration for Grand Island Public Schools is now open for preschool, elementary, middle and high school. March 31 is the deadline to request placement in your neighborhood school. Go to gips.org/registration for more information and to register your scholar. Today, we're ready to make the next school year a great one. Join us. Go to gips.org/registration to learn more and to register your scholar for Grand Island Public Schools.

 

Mitchell Roush  12:06

So what I thought was interesting watching this exercise in your classroom, right? They were learning about what was medicine like during the Civil War. But then you're making those connections by telling them individualized stories of real people, not just say, well, surgery was kind of like this. You were like, here's how this person's surgery was this injury that they had. But then at the end, I really liked how you had a writing prompt for all of them where you said, All right, write down for me some things that stuck out to you. And then also write for me some ways that you feel like this connected to modern medicine evolution. There's intentionality in that.

 

Jen Kramer  12:39

Yeah, for sure, for sure. And it also, you know, with with anything in history, everything has a connection to history, you know. And I think the importance for any kid to to recognize is, you know, anything that they are connected to has history, right? Like, Oh, this telephone I have, there's history behind it, right? Yep, you know, my family, there's history behind that. So if they can, you know, see the importance in that. I think that helps make connections to to what we learn in class.

 

Mitchell Roush  13:11

You've been swimming in the middle school ocean for 11 years now, which is awesome. And, you know, I, I hear our staff all across the district say things all the time about our kids, right? Like, they're impressive. They can do great things. Sometimes you have to push them, or sometimes we don't want to sell them short. They're capable of doing great things. Talk to me about what you see with that in middle school. Like, I know sometimes we like to say middle schoolers can be a little weird, sometimes they're funny and everything, but they're also capable of great things. What are you seeing with that in your classroom?

 

Jen Kramer  13:40

And that's that's definitely true. We can't, we can't lower the bar at all. And I tell them at the beginning of the year, like you all are capable of great things, I have high expectations for you. Yes, whether you think that or not, I'm going to be after you. You may not like it, okay, but I know you can do it. You might need a little help. You might need a little push. That's okay, right? And so I think that that's important, that they they know that they can do it. They know that there's people that believe in them, that they can do it. And I think overall, like our eighth grade team is fantastic about, you know, keeping those expectations high for everybody, and Westridge overall.

 

Mitchell Roush  14:31

There's so much good stuff going on in this building.

 

Jen Kramer  14:33

Yeah, we do, we do a great job of that. Um, you know, I don't think, I think we get caught up in pushing them so much that we do celebrate it, but I think, you know, sometimes we do get lost in pushing them. We do forget to celebrate it so much, right? I think we could always celebrate it more, but we just we got to keep we got it. We have to let those students know, like, Hey, you you have. Those expectations, and you've got them, like, you are definitely, like, exceeding those expectations. Like, great job. Like, awesome job, you know? And I don't think the kids realize that enough, like, like, you, you were doing a great job. No, so matters, yeah, oh, it definitely matters.

 

Mitchell Roush  15:16

Matters for everybody, right? Adults. Like, if someone can say, like, keep going. Okay, thank you, yeah. But, like, definitely matters with students.

 

Jen Kramer  15:23

And it's sometimes it's like, oh yeah, you know, take a deep breath and be like, gosh, right? I that was, that was hard. That's hard stuff, right? But we made it, yes, yeah, yeah. I kind of had to do that today. Like, God, yeah. Activity was kind of hard to set up, but it went really well, you know, like, you know, I was talking to grant about that. And we, you know, after our first period, that went really well. So, you know, um, but yeah, I think, I think we just got to keep those high expectations. And kids need to realize, yeah, I can do this, right? It might be hard. Might need help. Don't be afraid to ask that for that help too.

 

Mitchell Roush  15:57

So, life skills, yeah, they all build on each other.

 

Jen Kramer  16:01

Oh, for sure, yes, for sure.

 

Mitchell Roush  16:03

So all right, so fun question for you, what is your favorite unit to teach? Oh, I'm sure you've got one.

 

Jen Kramer  16:09

Oh, man, probably we don't get enough time on it. But I like teaching. It's like after Reconstruction, so it's like, talking about, like, immigration into the United States and talking about like, so it's like, European immigration, Chinese immigration, Mexican immigration. So just like all these people in flux, right? And this how the United States changed very quickly, and then the growth of cities and child labor, and, like, all the changes with that. I just love that stuff. And so, um, and we, like, we just get to look at pictures and, like, read, talk about the jungle, the book, and so, um, I don't know. I really like that stuff so, but we don't get enough time on it just because it's towards the end of the year. So we're like, Roush, squeeze it in. I know it's like, what can we cut out in the middle to make this more like to give us more time there? So we'll begin a reconstruction. And we like talking about that too. I like talking about that stuff too.

 

Mitchell Roush  17:20

So such a great and that's, that's a gate where you talk about stories earlier. That's a gateway to so many stories, right? Like, where, where are people coming from, and what brought them here, and then what did they pursue? How did they grow? Or their experiences, like, that's a gateway to stories. Oh, for sure.

 

Jen Kramer  17:34

And that's like, that's a lot of what our history is, you know, especially to a lot of lot of our students, you know, like we talked about Ellis Island, we talk about Angel Island, you know, on the on the West Coast, and so, you know, a lot of students, they don't make those connections. It's like you might have family members who came from either side, right, you know. So it's fun to make those kind of connections. So love it. Middle school is fun. It's just great. It's fun. I just been blessed with a great, great teaching group. I've only had worked with three other teachers, like directly social studies. Always been blessed with a great team, yep. Great school, great district.

 

Mitchell Roush  18:18

So along those same lines, I do want to ask you, Jen, because I ask you, Jen, because I ask everybody that guests on this podcast, and I love hearing all the different answers. So we're in the work of public education. We're here taking care of students and hopefully investing in our community and vice versa. So what's one thing about public education? You want people to know?

 

Jen Kramer  18:36

There's endless possibilities and opportunities we educate, you know, not a direct amount of students, but we educate everyone and the whole student, you know. And those opportunities are endless, and coming from public education, like I grew up with public education, I'm even seen the opportunities that I didn't have growing up, too. And so I tell students that all the time, you know, coming from, I came from a class, a school, you know, Western, Nebraska. And so I tell them, every opportunity you get, take it, you know, take it and run. So, yeah, I would say we just, we focus on every student. It's, you know, the GIPS every student every day, a success, right? So, but yeah, I public education is the way to go. Love it.

 

Mitchell Roush  19:30

Thank you, Miss Kramer for being here and for sharing, but more importantly, thank you for everything you do for your students and your colleagues every day.

 

Jen Kramer  19:36

Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate you.

 

Mitchell Roush  19:44

Thanks again to ms Kramer for sharing her classroom and her perspective on education with us here on the podcast, and of course, thank you listeners for joining us here on The GIPS Cast! We wouldn't be here without you. So if you enjoyed this episode, or you dig this podcast, we'd love it if you gave us a rating or a review on your favorite podcast platform, whether that's Apple podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever it is, you are listening to us, a rating and a review will help other people discover us along the way. Of course, listeners, be sure to check out gips.org That's gips.org our district website that is your hub for our latest stories, news articles, podcast episodes, resources, information about the district and everything that you need from Grand Island Public Schools. Thank you again for joining us, listeners here on the podcast, we'll be coming back at you soon with some more great stories from our district. 

 

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