Mr. H.'s Philosophy of Teaching Social Studies
Social Studies is the study of humanity. It is our actions, reactions, systems, processes, innermost thoughts and great collective accomplishments. No other subject can escape social studies. It is the study of humans, and everything we know is by virtue of our existence. People love learning about other people and thinking about themselves through the eyes of others. This is what the study of social studies brings, and its tremendously interesting to me, so I work very hard to make it terribly interesting for my students and all their unique personalities.
State and national standards, schools, and textbook companies, like to divide the social studies subjects into neat discrete fields. Even state organizations like to divide the social studies into geography, government, history, and economics. I understand the need, and support it, but one of the reasons I have chosen to stay in the realm of teaching middle school is because I like preserving the “studies” nature of this broad subject. History teachers cannot escape economics, but they can defer it for another class. Economics teachers can glaze over history and focus on the numbers. As a social studies teacher, my students get the opportunity to sort through all those layers and make connections. The work we do in and out of class makes students think, question, analyze, share their learning, and put it to good use for the benefit of others.
Factual information is important. Dates/locations/names should not be overlooked, but they are not what the social studies is all about. The stories, the connections, the “so what”, and the “now what” is most important. Those grab our attention and drive us to dig deeper. It sparks a student’s interest to look further, to strike out on their own path of discovery, and help them remember “facts” that were otherwise boring and seemingly insignificant. Students are as much a part of the story as the groups and individuals they study. Engaging them in that ongoing dialogue is essential even though it’s not always easy or comfortable.
This is all for the love of learning, but studying social studies is not purely academic. It is practical and purposeful for the very core of our being. Within the various areas of social studies are practical skills, essential for surviving and thriving in the current time and into the future. The ability to interpret cultures, analyze events, understand processes, question sources, and evaluate all of it is becoming increasingly difficult with the sheer volume of information and shared knowledge. More than any other subject, the study of social studies is what arms people with the necessary skills. On the purposeful side, our freedoms and fortunes are ever endangered by the forces of ignorance and monolithic thinking. To preserve it, we must understand the social studies. To thrive, we must use it to build new knowledge, skills, and understanding.
Converting all of that into language that makes sense to 11 to 14 year olds is a challenge I welcome each day and tackle with a positive attitude, sense of humor, and Quixotic vision. It doesn’t always succeed, but the short and long-term feedback from students sustains me and informs an ever-changing path. Challenging students to think, encouraging them to reach further, supporting them through failure as a means to success, is what drives my love for teaching social studies. Social Studies is where we help students connect to themselves and the world around them. It's where we equip and empower the next generation of citizens to continue striving for a "more perfect Union" and a more peaceful world.
State and national standards, schools, and textbook companies, like to divide the social studies subjects into neat discrete fields. Even state organizations like to divide the social studies into geography, government, history, and economics. I understand the need, and support it, but one of the reasons I have chosen to stay in the realm of teaching middle school is because I like preserving the “studies” nature of this broad subject. History teachers cannot escape economics, but they can defer it for another class. Economics teachers can glaze over history and focus on the numbers. As a social studies teacher, my students get the opportunity to sort through all those layers and make connections. The work we do in and out of class makes students think, question, analyze, share their learning, and put it to good use for the benefit of others.
Factual information is important. Dates/locations/names should not be overlooked, but they are not what the social studies is all about. The stories, the connections, the “so what”, and the “now what” is most important. Those grab our attention and drive us to dig deeper. It sparks a student’s interest to look further, to strike out on their own path of discovery, and help them remember “facts” that were otherwise boring and seemingly insignificant. Students are as much a part of the story as the groups and individuals they study. Engaging them in that ongoing dialogue is essential even though it’s not always easy or comfortable.
This is all for the love of learning, but studying social studies is not purely academic. It is practical and purposeful for the very core of our being. Within the various areas of social studies are practical skills, essential for surviving and thriving in the current time and into the future. The ability to interpret cultures, analyze events, understand processes, question sources, and evaluate all of it is becoming increasingly difficult with the sheer volume of information and shared knowledge. More than any other subject, the study of social studies is what arms people with the necessary skills. On the purposeful side, our freedoms and fortunes are ever endangered by the forces of ignorance and monolithic thinking. To preserve it, we must understand the social studies. To thrive, we must use it to build new knowledge, skills, and understanding.
Converting all of that into language that makes sense to 11 to 14 year olds is a challenge I welcome each day and tackle with a positive attitude, sense of humor, and Quixotic vision. It doesn’t always succeed, but the short and long-term feedback from students sustains me and informs an ever-changing path. Challenging students to think, encouraging them to reach further, supporting them through failure as a means to success, is what drives my love for teaching social studies. Social Studies is where we help students connect to themselves and the world around them. It's where we equip and empower the next generation of citizens to continue striving for a "more perfect Union" and a more peaceful world.