My View on Teaching Social Studies

Social Studies…my thoughts, ideas, and philosophy on the subject.

I had never really enjoyed the subject. All through school I dreaded the class. It was usually the most boring class I had. We would memorize dates, battles, and presidents. We would memorize the capitals of each state. We would try to remember where certain countries were located. But, relating this information to anything in my world was just not done. For whatever reason, it seems that once I got to middle school, my teachers were coaches. They didn’t much care for the subject, so they never made it interesting. They never related it to my life or to my community.

As a professional teacher, I plan to make social studies just as important and as fun as any other subject I will be teaching. I’ve learned sooo much this semester about how to do just that. From putting on skits, having booktalks, and a living history museum to constructing a box city and learning about diverse cultures. I want to do it all. But, will I step on toes? Will I keep up with the NCSS and State standards? I don’t know if I will step on toes…I hope I won’t. But, I know that I can stick with the standards. I just don’t have to “do it the way it’s always been done!” I plan to make learning fun. Something the students will enjoy and therefore care about. Speaking of stepping on toes…as a professional educator and someone my students will look up to and trust, is the question of truth. Do I always tell the truth? What about when telling the “real” story can cause a lot of controversy? Well, I think I will have to wait until I am in the classroom and I see what the ages of my students are before I can say conclusively that I will always tell “the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” Not that I plan to intentionally lie to my students, but I hope to find a middle ground when telling the “real” story of Christopher Columbus; or, whether or not to reveal all the truths about an historical figure who has always been idealized and thought of as a “saint”. I know that parents as well as school officials may take a dim view of my revealing too many true, controversial facts, but I think students should be armed with accurate information and allowed to draw their own conclusions. These “truths” will be carefully meted out based upon the age and maturity of the students.

I know that school systems want to emphasize reading and math, but social studies can and will be integrated into other subject areas in my classroom. It is of paramount importance that my students learn about where they have come from so they can avoid some of the pitfalls of the past. They also need to hear about how important it is to become a productive, active citizen. There are so many resources available now that weren’t a few years ago. The internet is a fabulous resource for gathering information. As a teacher, I will make sure my students have every opportunity to explore the world wide web – but with some guidance from me. After all, there are many unscrupulous sites out there. I feel compelled to offer safe sites to my students and plan to do so.

Each of us has our own cultural knapsack - a bag full of “us” – where we come from, to offer. Even if we “seem” the same, we’re not! Maybe we have lived a good portion of our lives in a different part of the country. Maybe we worship with a group of folks who are not in the mainstream. Maybe we come from a divorced home. Maybe we have foster brothers or sisters. All of this and more makes us who and what we are. We bring this to the classroom and to our students. When I teach, I want to embrace all the differences in my classroom and “introduce” more!

All of this sounds good on paper. But, as a new teacher…can I really do it? Will I have a critical voice? Will I have the guts to stand up? Will I do the right things? I don’t honestly know. I know that I want to do the right things. I know that I am committed to being an advocate for my kids. But, as much as I think I can do something, reality can be a ……. I do hope I have the courage and conviction to do what I know to be right. And, to present it in such a way that my students are engaged in active learning through various different teaching styles.