Jason Elders

Hi, my name is Jason Elders. I am a Social Studies educator and will soon graduate with a Master’s Degree in History at Southeast Missouri State.

I was born in St. Louis. I lived on Minnesota Street until my family moved out of the city when I was in the sixth grade. My family moved to DeSoto, Missouri, and I attended Junior High there. I graduated from DeSoto High School in 2002.

I became interested in Southeast when I realized that I could combine my schedule to two days a week and commute from Ste. Genevieve, MO. If I am being 100% honest I also chose Southeast because my partner had graduated from Southeast and recommended it to me. I admit that is probably not the best justification for choosing an institution of higher learning, but I graduated and we eventually got married so everything worked out in the end.

I received my undergraduate degree from Southeast in Secondary Social Studies Education. I chose Social Studies Education because I believe that all people are fundamentally the same regardless of the time period they lived in or their location. My goal is to emphasize this shared human experience with my students and show them that history is only boring when it is being taught incorrectly.

I love participating in the History Graduate program! I love interacting with intelligent, enthusiastic people that are interested in the same things that I am. There is only so much of my content that my family and friends want to listen to me talk about. It is incredibly fulfilling to have knowledgeable, passionate fellow students and faculty to share ideas with.

I spent the first 20 or so years of my life as a diehard Drama Kid. As I matured I chose a career that was a little more stable. I enjoy teaching social studies because it allows me to share meaningful true stories while still utilizing some of my public speaking skills.

I like SEMO’s relatively small class sizes. All of my classmates are always friendly and helpful. SEMO feels like a safe little welcoming community.

Once I have completed my Master’s Degree I will be qualified to teach college credit courses at the high school where I am employed. I am extremely excited to increase my American History content knowledge and be able to better serve my students.

I have had some amazing opportunities while at Southeast. The summer of 2021 I participated in the National Park Services’ Teacher Ranger Teacher Program (that is the program’s actual name, despite the fact that it looks like a typo.) During this unique internship I wrote curriculum for 3rd graders specific to Sainte Genevieve National Historical Park, I had the opportunity to interact with guests in the visitors center, do a small amount of independent research, and to lead tours of the Jean-Baptiste Vallé and Bauvais-Amoureux historic homes. I would highly recommend working with the National Park Service if you are given the opportunity.