Any decision you make in life is, in fact, an economic decision. Even in the simplest choices, such as deciding what to buy in the cafeteria, who to date, or which college to commit to, each individual weighs their costs and benefits, and the economics of the situation, albeit unintentionally. As such, Mr. Jordan Sisson truly believes that the subject is “a discipline that—regardless of life goals, ambition, or trajectory—having a fundamental understanding of is certainly useful for everyone.”
As a third-year economics instructor at Archbishop Mitty High School, Mr. Sisson has had a unique journey to his career and his chosen subject of study. Though he now draws MR = MC graphs and production possibility frontiers with ease in his regular and AP courses, he admits the subject did not come easily to him at first.
When he began his own journey in high school, Mr. Sisson could not comprehend the subject and almost failed to graduate due to his grades in the class. Yet, as a social studies education major in college, Mr. Sisson was required to enroll in several economics courses. During this time, he experienced a “lightbulb moment” when studying the macroeconomic implications of government revenue and taxing, which allowed him to realize the field’s pertinence to real life and that it was “easily attainable” for him. While Mr. Sisson never planned to engage in the education profession immediately after college, after a few weeks of teaching, he realized that he would not return to further his education, as he felt that teaching “was genuinely enriching towards his life.”
Mr. Sisson also credits his mentors for inspiring his love of teaching. In his first year, he gained valuable experience working with his high school teacher, learning how to make theoretical concepts relevant to real life in the classroom. Although he originally planned to transition into industry, his wife, a Mitty alum, encouraged him to join the social studies faculty—ultimately leading to his role today.
Mr. Sisson’s teaching philosophy centers around making the subject matter as accessible as possible by intertwining real-world examples into the AP curriculum. As he states, “Econ does not have to be a super technical discipline; it can be a fun, life exercise. If I can make the content more applicable to life, then my job is done correctly.” As an economist, he inherently understands that his teaching style has its trade-offs compared to conventional ones, meaning that this decision brings various costs and benefits to his students. However, he believes this method prepares students not just for the AP test, but for real-life decision-making as well.
Mr. Sisson hopes to spark the same ‘lightbulb moment’ in his students, helping them appreciate the vast possibilities economics offers—just as he once did. In his eyes, economics is the perfect combination of psychology, business, and government, and through this class, students have the opportunity to become economists in their own right, being able to better able rationalize the costs and benefits of each decision.