SITC Ideas in Action Newsletter

January 2021

SITC Student Contests

Have your students begun their SITC essay & video contest entries yet? The contests offer $20K in cash prizes, plus teachers can win an Amazon gift card. Be sure to get them started soon; the March 8 deadline is quickly approaching!

Insights & Interactions Town Hall for Teachers

Our last town hall featuring John Stossel was such a success — we're doing it again! Join us on February 10 at 7pm ET / 4pm PT to ask your questions and get John's insights. We’ll also share smart tips and best practices to help your students submit entries in this year's essay and video contests.

What Should Be Done About Climate Change

Our Newest Both Sides: Edward Snowden leaked documents that exposed illegal NSA spying. Should he have reported this as a whistleblower or gone straight to the media as he did? Is he a hero or a traitor? Watch, then discuss which with your students.

Private Space Travel

Both Sides: Private Space Travel: Private organizations have entered outer space. Is this good thing? What are the consequences? What role should the government play? Examine this topic with your students in preparation for their entry in our essay and video contests — $20,000 in cash prizes!

Everything On Demand

Competition & innovation transform industries. In-home entertainment is a perfect example. Watch Everything on Demand and see how competition in streaming services has led to even better and cheaper programming.

Little Pink House

Susette Kelo bought a run-down home, fixed it up, and painted it pink — the government came and took it. Should individuals be forced to sell their private property for public use? According to the Supreme Court, the answer is yes.

Sphere Summit

The Cato Institute and the Sphere Education Initiative are excited to announce the return of Sphere Summit: Teaching Civic Culture Together! Two sessions of this full‐scholarship, professional-development program for educators teaching grades 5–12 are being offered Jun 27–Jul 1 & Jul 25–29.

TEDTalk: Barry Schwartz

What's the best way to counteract professional & political bureaucracy in our society? In this TED talk, psychology professional Barry Schwartz argues that practical wisdom and an ethical approach to decision making is the solution.

Mindfulness in the Classroom

We Are Teachers: The Craziest School Rules For Teachers. No coffee drinking, no talking in the parking lot, no red pens...we've all heard students complain about rigid school rules, but teachers and administrators are also struggling with some unrealistic expectations.

SITC Volunteers

Are you proficient in creating PDFs? We're looking for teachers willing to volunteer to help convert our student worksheets into fillable PDFs that can be used in Google Classroom! If you're available to help us out on this important project please email rob@sitc.org.

AmazonSmile

Please support Stossel in the Classroom at this crucial time by registering with AmazonSmile  and selecting Center for Independent Thought as your charitable organization. Then, when you shop at AmazonSmile.com, they'll donate 0.5% of your purchase price to us.