My Teaching Ethos

I believe that every student deserves an opportunity to feel both challenged and supported. Students should have the means to discover the purpose behind coming to the classroom each week and see the tangible effects of a strong social studies education.

My decision to pursue a career in education was largely inspired by my 11th grade US history teacher. His class stepped beyond the confines of traditional chronological methods and adopted a blended approach that incorporated themes from anthropology, ethics, and psychology. He encouraged us to think beyond the required content and delivered an immersive experience, enabling his students to think critically about present events. His confidence in our ability to investigate through-lines in history and society sparked in me a lifelong appreciation for history and the social sciences that I intend to pass on to my own students. I have seen firsthand on a day-to-day basis the importance of having a strong foundation in social studies, and I want to ensure that my students have the tools they need to exercise their rights, understand the world around them, and advocate for change when necessary.

Evaluating sources can be tricky. Reading with a discerning eye takes patience and perseverance. Crafting nuanced arguments can be frustrating. Yet our futures depend on our ability to carry out each of these skills, and to carry them out well. Cause and effect, continuity and change, competing perspectives, and significance are just as central to everyday life as they are to the classroom. Life requires judgments. As members of a shared community, we must be able to convince others that what we bring to the table is worth hearing. It takes purposeful practice to recognize and apply those concepts effectively. Discovering new ways to help students see the value of social studies within their own lives will continue motivating me to keep coming back to the classroom.