The Standard for content addresses two ideas which I am quite passionate about. The first stresses the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to instruction, or content integration. In my opinion, integrating subject areas is imperative to students' success in school. In an era of heavy standardized testing, children will only become proficient in all of the disciplines when ideas and lessons are woven together. This especially includes those subjects, such as Social Studies, which are not mandated for national testing. Students should not "learn to read" and then "read to learn;" the two should go hand in hand. My goal is to create a connection between the students' lives and the content I teach by providing plenty of examples and relevant practice material. This concept extends beyond just curriculum-based content, however; teaching relevant information includes leadership, ethical behavior, responsibility, people skills, social responsibility, and other 21st century life skills.