Lesson Plans
Gerhard Albert Fuerst
Social studies teacher
Lesson Plans
The Anatomy of Public Opinion -- Vox Populi Scrutinized
The Medium is the Message: Pictures are Worth a Thousand Words -- Political Cartoons
'Extra! Extra! Read All About It,' 'News Break,' and 'A Special Report'
Fuerst is a social studies teacher at Kalamazoo Central High School.
He received both his undergraduate degree in political science and social sciences and a master's in international and area studies (focused on Africa) from Western Michigan University. He has completed additional coursework at universities on three continents, most recently as part of the Media and American Democracy Institute at Harvard in 1999 and 2000.
Fuerst has taught in Kalamazoo public schools since 1965, both at the junior and senior high school levels; since 1984, he has taught American government, American and world history, geography and humanities at Kalamazoo Central High. He also teaches as an adjunct professor at Western Michigan.
Recently, Kalamazoo Central High appointed Fuerst to teach German, his native tongue.
A world traveler, Fuerst has visited more than 45 countries to learn more about the places he teaches his students about.
Fuerst has sponsored numerous clubs at KHCS and led students on numerous trips nationally and internationally.
He says that what he likes most about teaching is "the opportunity of being able to help prepare young people for responsible, caring and informed citizenship as the necessary building blocks for a solid foundation on which a successful personal future can be established."