Introductory Blog Post
I’ve loved school since a very young age, but it was never clear to me what I wanted to do when I grew up. My passion for history also stems from very early memories spent with my dad reading about World Wars I and II- the kind of planes they flew and weapons and strategies used. To this day I believe that my dad has been the biggest influence on my decision to major in History Education. My decision to minor in both Psychology and Sociology was more of an in-the-moment kind of decision: two subjects I’m interested in that I could teach alongside History. Since then, my History teachers have always been some of my favorite teachers for several reasons.
There are three History teachers I had in middle and high school that come to mind, and they each have a few things in common with each other that made them stand out to me. First, they were all so passionate about the subject they taught- whether is was U.S. History or World History- they seemed to be full of endless amounts of information and passion for it which drove their students to success.
Not only were they knowledgeable in their subject, but they also understood how to communicate it to others, a topic we’re discussing my Intro to Education and Teaching class. Each teacher incorporated a variety of lessons and activities to engage their students. One class in particular stands out to me as being more fun than anything else. It makes me wonder if students learn best when they don’t even realize they’re learning?
I imagine different scenarios in my head about what I’ll be like when I’m a teacher: shorter than all my students and pushover, probably- but I also imagine myself as a happy and energetic teacher who’s excited about being at school and learning about her students while she teaches them at the same time. Ideally, I can take each aspect from some of my favorite teachers- passionate, understanding, empathetic, kind, and a little quirky, and kind of morph them into one person that I can only try to imitate.
I know not all my students will love me, and I know I won’t always be the best teacher, but I really believe in education being a key factor in success in so many ways, and I can only hope to inspire at least some of my students in the same way some of my teachers have inspired me.