When I tell people about my dream to teach secondary social studies most of them respond by telling me how they were so bored during their social studies classes. I always tell them, but social studies are fun, if you make them fun. That is a crucial teacher role in the education system: make the material fun while connecting the information in a relevant way to the students’ lives away from school. Using this approach to make the information memorable and relatable is not easy but it is important. Despite the difficulty, we have to remember as educators that the things that matter most in life are not easy.
For instance, the role of the teacher has greatly changed since I was in school. Teachers are not just instructors anymore. We are also counselors and sounding boards when students have issues, questions, or just need someone in which to confide. We are coaches and cheerleaders, both inside and outside the classroom, who expect the best from students and don’t give up when they feel defeated. We encourage them and instill confidence in them by telling them we believe in them because we know they can not only achieve their goals, but exceed them, if they put in the work.
We are investors and role models who put our heart and soul into ensuring the students know they are capable of excellence while we follow the same rules they are required to follow. Sometimes we may be the only consistent adult in a student’s life. Being present, available, honest, real, and fair with students can allow us to connect not only with the students, but their families and communities to affect change. These changes will not happen overnight but once implemented will ensure that every student receives the same high-quality education, regardless of their status, socioeconomic or otherwise.
127 our experts are availableright now
Students should not be expected to sit in classrooms all day and take notes while teachers deliver only fact-based lectures. From personal experience, that type of learning is usually only retained long enough to pass the related assessment. Since no two students learn in the same way, there can never be a single approach to the subject content. For students to effectively learn, the lessons and activities must be engaging and interactive. The students must be transported into an environment where they can fully experience the content, making the interaction impactful.
These memorable lessons will be long remembered after the assessment and class have been completed. I want my students to understand that social studies are all interconnected: the historical people who affected change did not necessarily anticipate the long-term effects on economics, industry, technology, sociology, and government. They had no way to know the full impact of their decisions, actions, or inactions. It is my goal to educate students in a way that they consider how the decisions they make and the actions they take affect this world now and potentially in the future.
Although my experience thus far has not been in the classroom, over the last six years I have had the privilege of fulfilling all of the above-mentioned roles through a local church youth group. I have instructed them in Bible studies, setup meetings for them to talk through issues with their friends when text messages were misinterpreted, and stressed the importance of face to face communication. I have been there for them when they needed someone to just listen and when they needed help with homework assignments and senior projects. These years are invaluable and have allowed the development of lasting relationships with these students, many of whom are now in college. We still talk and meet for dinner when we can so we can discuss the new and exciting chapter of life on which they have embarked. This experience has re-ignited my dream of teaching while providing me with a unique insight into middle and high school aged students of today.
I feel that my greatest strength in the classroom would be my ability to connect with students. Through this connection it is my goal to change how they feel about social studies; to inspire students and spark a life-long interest in these subjects. If there are no social interactions, no connections, then the students will be the ones robbed of opportunities to share their talents, desires, dreams, and perspectives, all while learning how our society came to be and why we do what we do.
