My Social Studies education, a brief glimpse.
Greetings,
In my career as a student, specifically a student of Social Sciences, I have many fond memories, as well as several memories that I do not care for at all. Both of these I will need to accept, understand, and accommodate if I wish to become a truly good teacher.
At the moment, the best memory I have regarding my education in social sciences comes from my eighth grade history teacher, as she spoke of the Revolutionary War. She was noting one of the reasons how the American Continental Army managed to win battles and what circumstances had to occur in order for a Continental Army victory. She likened the battlefield in which the Continental Army had the advantage to the hallway of our school. It would be, as she put it, “Like most of you marching down the hallway three across with muskets, 6 rows deep, where the remaining 12 of you would be scattered around, hiding in doorframes, shooting at the approaching army then ducking into the doorway for cover from the return fire.” The imagery that came with it was very powerful for me, as helped to explain how the small Continental Army managed to fend off the larger Royal Army long enough for help to arrive and the war to end. Indeed, it wasn’t until the end, where the French began to supply the Continental Army that it was able to stand on its own against the Royal Army.
This sort of imagery, I feel, is vital to capturing the imagination of the students, getting them motivated to learn more about history, and to connect the different ideas and establish a more meaningful learning. That day is forever embedded in my memory because I allowed my imagination run with this idea. I believe when a student takes a hold of the input, as I did that day, and make it his or her own, that is when real learning takes place, and my job, as a teacher, is accomplished.
Somewhat ironically, the worst memory I have regarding my education in social sciences is the rest of that 8th grade history class. Aside from the previously mentioned episode, and a few other fond memories, the class was the stereotypical boring history class, ruled by the teacher’s iron fist. Most of the classes were lackluster, at best, as the teacher gave us time to read the assigned sections or work on homework, as she sat at her desk in the back of the room the entire time.
This, although it probably sounds like a wasted learning experience, could be turned into a very valuable ‘don’t’ when I become a teacher. The complete lack of engagement with the students is a prime example of what not to do, any effort by the students was forced at best and behavioral problems was common and almost excessive.
In the end, I find it slightly ironic that the best memory I have regarding my social studies education comes from the worst class I have had in that same education. However, this also shows that no matter how bad something is, there is also something good that may come out of it.
