My philosophy of teaching consists of teaching students the lessons history has taught us and how to become good citizens. In order for students to make the world a better place for society students must look to the past and see the problems that occurred. Students need to know that Americans fought for their country in order to instill the freedoms we take for granted today. Social Studies is the most important subject because it not only teaches students about history but also geography. Geography is an important subject in Social Studies because it seems more students do not know where countries, cities, and states are located these days. This has to change. Students need to be able to look at a map and be able to find the location of country or city. Social Studies should also teach students to be good citizens because it is important for them to be honest, caring, and responsible in order to make the world a better place. In order to accomplish all these goals, a teacher needs to have the passion to teach these objectives to the students so they can become outstanding individuals.



My Social Studies Action Plan:

I. History
A. Reflect on the civilizations we are studying
B. We are studying these civilizations because:
1. Solve the problems we have today
2. History repeats itself
C. Use Formal and Informal assessments
1. Group Activities
2. Experiential Exercises
3. Primary Sources
4. Visual Discovery
5. Tests
6. Think writes
II. Geography
A. Incorporate maps into teaching
B. Have map exercises for the students
C. Use formal and informal assessments
1. Skills building
2. Visual Discovery
3. Tests
4. Think Writes

III. Good Citizens
A. Discuss with the class what problems caused the conflicts
1. Ask these questions:
a. Why was this bad?
b. What was a better solution to their problem?
c. How did this alter history?
d. Would history be any different if they chose a better solution
B. Discuss problems today
1. Ask same questions from above
C. Discuss people that are changing the world for the greater good
1. Strategies to use:
a. primary sources
b. videos
c. secondary sources
d. pictures
e. real life examples

This I Believe...

I believe in being a passionate person in almost every aspect of your life. For me it all starts with my passion for Jesus Christ. Jesus changed my life when I was nineteen years old when I accepted Him in my life. He has changed my life for the better, and I would be lost without Him in it. The next thing I am passionate about is my family and friends. My family has always been there for me in the good times and bad. I am also passionate about my friends. They are always there when I need to get away from my troubles and just live life. The next thing I am passionate about is sports, especially sports involving Clemson. I have supported the Tigers in every sport ever since I was a kid, through the good and bad times. Clemson sports are a big part of my life and a lot of memories involve the Tigers. I think one of the reasons I am so passionate about all these things is because they are intertwine together in some way form or fashion.

Another thing that I do want to add to my passionate list is teaching. I consider myself passionate about teaching students because I selected that to be my job for the rest of my life. I feel like once I start my teaching career I will become very passionate in helping students reach their future. I want to be passionate about teaching because it is all about the students. I want to see my students grow not only as a student but also as a person. Above all I just want to reach my students to become better individuals. I know every student won’t be going to college, but every student should be able to grow up as upstanding, respectful adults.