There is no better time than the slower days of summer to prepare for the school year ahead. Add some of these ideas to your preparation and you’ll start the next semester ahead of the game!

• The Council for Economic Education has a nationwide network of local affiliates that provide free professional development for teachers. If you are looking for help or guidance with materials such as Virtual Economics, Stock Market Game training and the National Economics Challenge – contact your local affiliate. All 50 states have economic education centers to help teachers find and use K-12 classroom resources, find ideas from fellow teachers that work with students and offer workshops and more opportunities to grow in the field.

• CEE’s 51^st Annual Financial Literacy and Economic Education Conference is October 4-6, 2012 in Kansas City, MO. GATE members receive $100 off the registration fee. This is the best opportunity to meet other K-12 teachers of economics. October 5-6 are conference days dedicated just to teachers. We have a full schedule of professional development, workshops, teacher roundtables and networking events. Join us for the opportunity of a lifetime to meet new friends and reunite with old connections. Register today!

• Economics is all around you. Every teacher and their students are CONSUMERS, PRODUCERS, SAVERS and CONTRIBUTORS in the economy now! There are daily opportunities to tie classroom content to local events, activities and more. Check out EconEdLink for free classrooms lessons that make current events teachable moments.

• Never stop learning. In a recent survey, 20 percent of teachers stated that they do not feel competent to teach basic personal finance, and those who teach economics to high school students have often received minimal college instruction in the subject. Newspapers, magazines and books offer insight to the world of economics in an entertaining way. Start with Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science, Freakonomics and Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness.  Fictional mysteries set in economics are fun to read; start with Fatal Equilibrium and Murder at the Margin.

Have a great summer and a successful start to your school year ahead. You CAN do this and become a better teacher in economics with a bit of planning and preparation!

Bruce Damasio

Maryland Council on Economic Education

Former GATE President and current GATE Advisory Board Member