Learning with Leavitt: New Social Studies Teacher Shares Insights

Mr. Leavitt with his wife and fur babies.

By Junior Liliana Avila

Laughter and discussion often fill Room 12 as social studies students debate current events, government, and historical Supreme Court cases under the guidance of our new social studies teacher, Mr. Burns Leavitt.

Mr. Leavitt has come to us from Nampa High School. He was motivated to apply to MMACHS by his wife, a class of 2016 MMACHS graduate.

[I actually wasn’t going to apply to begin with, because the application says that you need a master’s, and I didn’t have mine yet. But my wife went here, and she was the one who said, ‘Just apply and see what happens, worst case they’ll say no.’ And I was like, ‘you right,’” he explains.

So far, Mr. Leavitt has enjoyed his time here at MMACHS.

He joyfully details, “I just reapplied because I really like the kids here and it’s probably one of the best schools I’ve ever taught at.”

As a teacher, Mr. Leavitt likes to include autonomy as much as he can in his lessons, while being empathetic and compassionate with late work. Before jumping into conversations that students are having, Mr. Leavitt often listens carefully. Not to give answers, but to ask better questions.

“It’s not my job to tell you what to think, but to get you to think,” he says.

Additionally, Mr. Leavitt brings significant diversity to MMACHS. Mr. Leavitt is an Idaho native, but moved to Canada when he was 2. He embraces both his Canadian and American sides and hopes to bring Canadian snacks for his students in the future. Mr. Leavitt hopes to incorporate his cultural background into some of his lessons soon. Having grown up in Southern Alberta near the Blood Tribe reservation, Mr. Leavitt has always had an appreciation for Indigenous culture. Additionally, through his wife’s Vietnamese heritage, he hopes to bring Lunar New Year traditions to MMACHS with a lion dance and red envelopes for students and teachers alike.

Mr. Leavitt not only brings a new perspective to his students but also to his peers.

“Another aspect I bring in is, I’m on the tail end of millennials, so I’m really good with tech, but I’m also pretty good with paper stuff. I introduce [new] tech and ways of doing things to other coworkers and stuff like that … I’m a fix-it guy, so if I hear a problem, I like to fix it. #GoMillenials,” he explains.

Outside of school, Mr. Leavitt enjoys woodworking, video games like Red Dead Redemption and Assassin's Creed, and caring for his two fur babies, Tiberius and Aki.

If Mr. Leavitt could leave the audience with any last knowledge, he’d like to leave them with this:

“I think the biggest thing that I want parents and students alike to know is to ask questions. It sounds kind of silly, but we’re all learning. Asking a question, even if you think it’s a dumb one, it’s probably not, and it keeps that conversation going.”

Mr. Leavitt two truth’s and a lie: - Check our Instagram page for the

answers:,)

He’s related to President Roosevelt.

He’s fought a deer.

He’s driven through a shooting range at 100 miles per hour.