EDSE 447

Dr. Foster

Drew Garrett

Personal Teaching Philosophy on Social Studies

When thinking about social studies, I envision the teachers displaying
the content to me as a student. I think of the enthusiasm each showed while
teaching about the American Revolution, Civil War, Civil Rights, and World
Wars. The best teachers seemed to always cherish the moments in which
they stood in front of their classroom teaching. It was easy to see they felt
that the subject of history deserved the same recognition as those of Math,
Science, and English. In my opinion, great teachers teach more than just
their content area because they seek to show the students the "big picture"
of what each key event in history meant to the United States as well as the
rest of the world. I feel that teaching history should revolve more around
how it affects everyday people instead of just memorizing facts and dates.
When one understands the effects each event had on the world, it becomes
easier to learn the material and results in a higher level of thinking for the
students as they see how society progressed to where it is today.
Furthermore, students are more prone to listen if they understand how a
particular event impacted their own way of life.
As a future teacher, I plan to teach similar to the way my favorite
teachers taught. I'm a firm believer in teaching "bigger picture" themes to
the children because it helps them understand the deeper meanings behind
why our country, and our world, function the way they do. For instance, had
it not been for World War II, the world would not have known the magnitude

EDSE 447

Dr. Foster

Drew Garrett

of destruction a nuclear weapon can cause or the lasting effects it has on a

nation and its population. From this one event in history, researchers have
gathered and compiled large quantities of data that show why launching a
nuclear bomb should be the last option used in warfare.
Most importantly, history should be taught as completely relevant to
today's modern society. We as a nation have learned from past events,
whether they were big or small. Without these past experiences, arguments
could be made that we would not be sitting atop the metaphorical "food
chain," which every country seeks to unseat the United States from.
Furthermore, the world as a whole has benefited from one another's
successes and failures, which allows societies to continue trending in the
right direction in terms of technology and improvements. However, the world
does not always remember what has happened in the past, which can lead to
future problems. In closing, Winston Churchill, Great Britain's leader during
World War II, once said, "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to
repeat it" (www.age-of-the-sage.org). This statement alone embodies my
entire social studies philosophy and feelings towards the importance of
history.