Tag: 18-A1

This meme is an example of  the challenges of teaching a history course. So many students come into class with the preconceived notion that history is stagnant, boring, and just a listing of facts that are no longer relevant to everyday life. I imagine most of us aim to change this view of history class. I’d like to show students what my best teachers showed me, that history is a dynamic story, with multiple viewpoints and an unbelievable amount of action. History class should be exciting and vibrant, essentially the exact opposite of the typical lecture-style class.

For many secondary students, social studies class can feel very dry. When I was in middle and high school, we mostly read out of the textbook and/or the teacher lectured while we took notes. I was a great, hardworking student, and I have always loved history, but I even remember almost falling asleep several times in my high school history classes. I cannot remember doing any interesting activities.

This unfortunate stereotype is what many students will be carrying in with them when they come into my class. However, I will make sure they are never bored in my class. I love the storytelling and excitement of history. There are so many fun activities I want to implement with my students, that will really engage them with the content. Basically, I want to create an environment where students look forward to coming into class everyday to learn more history.