The fields of history and the social sciences are present in everyone’s lives and encompass the entirety of everday society. From choosing your breakfast to voting for a candidate, one’s actions have a ripple effect on tomorrow albeit it may range from insignficant to incredibly influential. One learns the social sciences so that they can make better informed decisions about the future and work toward becoming engaged citizens and agents for positive change in society. By studying past events, government models, economic scenarios, psychological implications, and sociological trends (just to name a few social science methods), one can better see the world for what it is and make decisions/take actions that will make a positive difference on society. As a young student, I was introduced to the impact of the social sciences and their effect on society. My teachers, ranging in all fields of the social sciences, showed me the way to uncover information and develop thoughts on topics from all different intellectual fields. With this information I could make informed decisions and was able to take part in actions that I hoped would benefit myself and future generations. My social sciences teachers “paid forward” their knowledge on to me and I will do the same to my future students.
It is in this “pay it forward” mindset that encourages me to teach. I have been blessed in my life to have phenonemonal teachers who used their knowledge in the social sciences to teach me life skills that will benefit society. I would like to replicate these actions and possibly go even further. I will take my passion for the social sciences and influence students to become the positive agents of change that will impact the world. It is my mission to utilize what I know about the social sciences to help students develop into engaged citizens who will work toward bettering society. As a teacher, I will have the opportunity to teach young adults life skills through the social sciences and help them grow and develop into critical thinkers who can make informed decisions and take action to help benefit society. In order to do this, I will be more than just a teacher who lectures from a textbook. I will introduce my students to diverse experiences ranging from utilizing primary sources, participating in real world events (such as political campaigns and psychology research), debate and discussion on controversial topics, and service learning projects that leave both students and communities better off from the experience. I will teach my students the social sciences through real world experiences such as participating in political campaigns, studying primary documents such letters, acts, and pictures, and assisting the community through service learning projects that benefit society.
When a student leaves my classroom, I want them to walk away having encountered new experiences and becoming a more critical thinker. Rather than seeing history as a bunch of dates and people, I hope that my students will see history as a continuous chain of events that plays an integral part of everyday life. Students would then take actions to continue their education and further their impact on society, whether it was utilizing their knowledge in their respective career fields or maintain a commitment to help society to grow in a positive manner. I believe that engaged citizenship and diverse learning experiences go hand in hand. Students deserve to be introduced to various and differing events and actions so that they can develop with all the experiences playing a role in the quest to become positive agents of change. It is my dream that students will leave my classroom and take the knowledge they gained to benefit society and become engaged citizens.
My History 290 Class
"Paying it Foward" for Future Generations