Teacher Spotlight: Kyle Dalton

Author: Junior Achievement
Work Readiness
Published: Thursday, 07 May 2020

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When did you first learn about JA?

I first heard about Junior Achievement when I took over an Entrepreneurship class at the very end of the 2016-2017 school year. With a month to go in the school year, there was no way I was going to be able to create a new curriculum in that amount of time. One of the curriculum advisors at the time mentioned the JA curriculum and the workbooks that the school had used in the past. I spent the weekend going through the JA be entrepreneurial workbook that was in the class and I used tat to finish out the school year with the students.

At that point, JA saved me a lot of time and gave me something valuable to teach to the students with so little time left in the school year. The following school year, I was contacted by a JA representative and found out about all the wonderful programs JA has to offer. As my class adapted from an entrepreneurship class into a Career and Financial Management class, the JA curriculum adjusted with me. They have so much to offer my students.

Why and how JA works for you and your students?

Now that the class has changed, JA has been so accommodating in finding curriculum and events that work. My personal favorite is the Stock Market Challenge and the Finance Park virtual simulation. The students loved the interactive “video game” feel of it. They forgot they were even learning. I also love that JA allows me to run the curriculum how I please. Because of a few other things going on in my class, I have always elected to tune the curriculum once a week over throughout a quarter, then switch to a new content. This flexibility is key for me and is very much appreciated.

Tell us a little more about you!

I teach this Career & Financial Management course, but my first love was for Social Studies. I am still affiliated with the SS department at my school. I am a board member on the Capital District Council for Social Studies (CDCSS) and have been on the planning committee for the NYSCSS. I also teach Psychology 121 as a part of the College in the High school program through SUNY Schenectady County Community College. I am former military and have moved around most of my life.

My wife and I settled in the capital region 5 years ago. We have fallen in love the geographical, political, religious, ethnic and cultural diversity of the area. In our eyes, this diversity promotes a healthy lifestyle to raise a family. Albany is home to us now and this is where our children will be raised. I completed my BA in History and Psychology at Troy University in Alabama and my Masters in Adolescent education at the College of Saint Rose. My wife Ashley and I have 3 boys (ages 2, 4 and 6).