Teacher & Citizen

Amy Fangmann
Sep 5, 2018 · 2 min read

When I think back to social studies my mind first goes to my middle school class that was entitled Social Studies. This was a respected and at times feared content area amongst my classmates and myself because of our teacher’s notorious tendency to give the hardest tests. We would often be tested on minute details and dates that scattered the pages of a book that we were told to read religiously though many of us didn’t. I think the most daunting to all of us were the two essays that concluded each test. These essay questions were of the application and analysis variety that made us critically think. As I reflect, I realize the importance of those critically thinking questions. I see that those were the questions that actually put into context and conversation the topics that I was learning. I think what made them so difficult was that we didn’t practice it enough. We didn’t understand the merit in expanding our world view. As I look back on my Social Studies experience it helps solidify my decision to be the kind of teacher that allows discussions and critical thinking practice in the classroom. I want to be the teacher that explains why we are critically thinking about various Social Studies topics, and I want to be the teacher that emphasizes, explains, and helps my students broaden their world view.

This is a very open-ended ambition but as the semester continues, I hope to be able to better plan how to put this goal into action. However, as I do brainstorm and think about the way I wish to teach Social Studies, I know that it will include many first-hand experiences, varying accounts of a wide range of events, and connections to today and my students’ lives.

Finally, my identity as a citizen is one that I have not contemplated as much as I should. I pay taxes and vote in the major elections, but I don’t make the extra effort to understand the innerworkings of our country. I contribute this to my dislike for politics and how confusing and difficult they make our government. I do recognize the importance though of understanding the country and the government that you live within, I just haven’t followed through as well as I could.