By SHICHEN NI
Pursuing his dream to become an educator, newly hired social studies teacher, Mr. Michael King gladly accepts the challenge of making his teaching atmosphere comfortable for his students.
As an undergraduate, Mr. King attended Georgetown University located in Washington D.C. for a double major in international business and finance. He received his master’s degree in education at Molloy University.
Prior to Jericho, Mr. King worked in finance as a trader before making the switch in his career. Mr. King taught at Baruch College Campus High School in New York City for 6 years and another 2 years at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Manhasset. He said, “I’ve always had a love for history, and I love teaching and interacting with children.”
Mr. King is able to teach numerous social studies classes, including AP Economics, Entrepreneurship, Sociology of Institutions and Facing History. “My trading career dealt with economics. So when I was offered the opportunity to come to Jericho to teach AP economics and business, it was just a great fit.”
Curriculum Associate of Social Studies Dr. Eric Sundberg was impressed with Mr. King’s demo lesson. He said, “He brings a lot of experience in micro and macro economics. As a practical matter, he also has several years of experience teaching AP government and history,” said Dr. Sundberg.
Students are encouraged to take his classes if they are going to be active participants in society. “Economics is incredibly important. It impacts almost all of our political decisions,” said Mr. King. He believes students will have better knowledge of how to manage finance and business in the future.
Senior Shan Shan L. participates eagerly in Mr. King’s class. She said, “He goes over questions after writing the notes. If you didn’t understand the question, he will go over the question and the definition again.”
Mr. King pauses the video and explains a vocabulary term to his Period 5 Entrepreneurship class.
Mr. King tries to make every student feel comfortable to participate. “I think it’s important to create an environment of respect where all voices can be heard and all students feel represented,” he said.
According to senior and AP Economics student Harry W., Mr. King constantly makes students feel engaged by making lots of jokes.
As one of the new members of the Jericho district, Mr. King aims to provide help and support for students and develop interesting and comprehensive lessons for his classes.
When not teaching, Mr. King enjoys spending time with his children and participating in beach volleyball.