Teaching Philosophy
Why Am I A History Teacher?
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First, I want to pass along my knowledge and love for history to others. I always here how boring history is from people and I want to help change that misconception for my students. I want to share my passion for the subject with others and help them truly understand how interesting and important history is to understanding the world that we are in today.
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Second, I have always wanted to do something that involved the study of history and the other social studies, mainly geography. Ever since I was a little child I have loved to read books about the Civil War, visit historical sites, look at maps, and visit museums. However, when I was in the seventh grade, I had a geography teacher, Mr. Lawson, that sparked the idea that I could become a teacher who focused on geography and history. Mr. Lawson, showed me how to make social studies fun while also being very educational. His course set me on the path of where I am today and why I became a teacher.
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Third, and perhaps most important, I love being about people and working with others. I could not think of any better profession than teaching for working with others towards a common goal, which is in this case: building an education.
What Are My Goals As A Teacher?
1) That all of my students improve upon their comprehension of the social studies and the necessary skills that accompany these subjects so they can apply them effectively to their lives outside of my classroom and long after they have left my class.
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2) Provide my students with an understanding of just how important the social studies are to their lives. Below are just a few examples of what I talking about:
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Through history, I want my students to understand how connected everything is and how the past tells us why the world that we live in today is the way it is.
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Through economics, I want my students to understand the basics of economics so they can apply the principles directly into their live so they can be better prepared financially as they get ready for life after high school.
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Through government/civics, I want my students to understand the workings of our nation’s government so they can be active political citizens who work to improve our country.
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3) Prepare my students, both general and advanced placement, as best as I can for college by providing them with a blended, modern education that is focused on preparing them for their lives after high school.This is to be done by using many different forms of learning such as technology, small group work, skill-based activities, and critical writing assessments.
4) To provide and engaging and motivating classroom environment to help make learning interesting for my students.This will not only help improve their educational experience in my classroom, but hopefully spread to their other classes and experiences after high school.
What Methods Do I Use To Achieve My Goals?
To achieve all of my goals a teacher, I try to provide my students with a varied experience that engages them in the material and makes them question what they are learning. I do this by focusing on teaching critical thinking skills, such as contextualization and causation, as well as having my students collaborate in small group work to understand historical problems/issues and make connections with current events so I can help relate what we are studying to their lives. Discussions are a big part of my instruction so that my students can improve upon their understanding of readings and issues that we look at by having a chance to talk with their classmates and gain an understanding of different perspectives. I also, make my students write a lot, in both formal and informal ways, to not only help them convey their thoughts, but to help prepare them for the amount of writing that will be expected of them in college. Lastly, I have started to blended as many of these learning opportunities with technology, such as EdPuzzle or NowComment, to take advantage of my students’ increased exposure to technology and the growing transition toward blended and online learning that is taking place.
Why Does Teaching Matter to Me?
Teaching matters to be because of how important education is in today’s world. Today, you need to have an education. Without an education, it is very difficult for one to be successful. As a teacher, I want to provide an avenue for my students to gain an education and be successful in life. Seeing someone become a success story because of the education that you help provide them is a great feeling and is teaching matters to me and why it will always matter.