Sociology is the study of groups and how groups interact with each other. Basically it is the study of how a person becomes their own individual. Sociology is a class that is offered by teacher Molly Siebert and is taught every semester for two classes during the day.

“I always looked forward to the class,” said senior Megan Krieglmeier. “Ms. Siebert made sure we were interested in the subject we were studying. She also made sure that we felt comfortable in the class so that we were okay with discussions and were able to share our opinions with the class.”

Students are always saying good things about Siebert’s class and that it is some of the most fun possible to have in a class. In sociology there are many different activities that they participate in.

“It is really discussion based,” said Siebert. “We have a lot of discussions, debates and experiments.”

Discussion based classrooms help students to apply knowledge and think about what they learn. In fact, studies show that discussions build students’ problem-solving skills more effectively than lectures.

“I would say that the nature of the course lends itself to the fact that the class forms a community because other people share opinions they normally wouldn’t share if they were not comfortable with the people in the class,” said Siebert.

The variety of topics in the class as well so that if you don’t like a topic one day then the next day might be your forte for a discussion.

“I think one of the best parts of the class was the multiple examples and activities Mrs. Siebert had to teach her lessons,” said Krieglemeier.

Trust. To build a community there has to be trust. Trust that what ever happens with in the class room stays in the classroom. Trust that you can open up to everyone and not be judged to harshly because of what your views are.

“Students reveal a lot about their past and history because that piece is there; there is a lot of trust, said Siebert. “You really can not have that level of community in a math class or a history class. There still can be a community but you are prepping for a test or guided by state standards where as I am not held to those amount of things.”

The course and the way Siebert teaches might not always be the same course twice. “I usually feel how the class is going from there and then I run with it,” explained Siebert.

Out of all the units in sociology class Siebert’s favorite one to teach would be deviant behavior.

“I think it is my favorite because most of the topics covered here my students have not looked at a different angle to view it from. It is a bit more eye opening for the students because this is a topic that has not been touched upon in other classes,” said Siebert.