Teaching the History of the World

Michael Cobb

English III Standard Pd. 6

Mr. Piatak
February 26, 2015

Teaching History remains an influential career that demonstrates to students, among other
things, about how different societies have developed over time and how the past has the ability to
effect the present in a variety of ways. There are prerequisites to facilitate moving into a career as
a History Teacher as well as varying expectations on how teachers run classes that depend on

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things like the grade taught and the country or state where the schooling takes place. The spark
that can lead to one wanting to teach history and share it with the next generation is one that
begins with a love for the subject itself. Loving history and wanting to share the knowledge that
lets people learn of the creation of civilizations and of society today is usually the thing that
leads to one wanting to teach it to the next generation. The span of a teacher's career will require
more than simple organization and basic lesson planning skills. The Teacher must reach the
students in a way that stirs up their passion for learning in order to satisfy their interest. The
underlying influence that History Teachers possess appears as knowledge applicable to todays
issues. This allows History Teachers to teach the past while having an opportunity to influence
how the present and future unfolds. History teachers can create understanding and upstanding
new citizens with their examination of past events and how they bring these forward in their
lessons.
The education needed to teach History can range in degrees from receiving a basic
teaching certificate to advanced degrees that require much deeper and more extensive levels of
study. The obvious subject needed is History as well as some classes in the education field. In
order to teach a subject, a teacher needs to be able to understand the elements of teaching.
Learning how to educate a student is just as important as being technically strong in the subject
being taught. Beyond having an understanding of the technical aspects of history and having
talent in the technical aspects of teaching, a History teacher should also have knowledge of
Sociology so that they are able to make connections between historical events and their impact
on society then and now. All teachers are required to obtain a teaching license from a two year
certification program or more commonly four years at a university. It would also be beneficial
for a History teacher to understand Psychology so that they could tell students about the way

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people thought back in the past and explain it in a comprehensive way that helps demonstrate
how past experiences allow for a better understanding of current events. An understanding of
Psychology could also benefit a teacher by allowing them to have insights into human behavior
that may allow the teacher to see different ways to reach different types of learners. Having
knowledge in Languages can help a teacher explain how certain terms evolved into how they are
used today when they are encountered in the lesson which, in its own way, is a kind of history
lesson of its own. Teachers of history must also know how the education process works so they
do not become swamped with problems. They must know organization and how to plan lessons.
History teachers must be knowledgeable in many things so they can explain their topics and
lessons in an easy and understandable way. (Strauss)
In college, pre-service teachers must go on trips to schools to observe teachers while they
are teaching class called observations. Pre-service educators perform these observations in order
to analyze teachers as to how they deal with students while teaching the lesson, as well as learn
how teachers articulate tough subjects which allows for easier understanding by students. Preservice educators for their senior year must go to an observation for a week before teaching a
class themselves to put the knowledge they have gathered to the test. This allows them to test
how they deal with the pressure of being in front of a class, whether they can keep students under
control and effectively pass on the knowledge they are trying to teach. They need to be able to
not only teach the lesson plan but, to create an environment that leads to effective learning.
These observations also show pre-service educators what they may expect for teaching a class
and will see how the teachers they watch deal with any problems that come up. The observations
help pre-service educators get a feel for how classrooms should operate and how they could
create a lesson plan in a similar way to the teacher they observed. They can also learn to use all

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they observed as a foundation and then build on that foundation by adding their own spins to the
lessons and how they are taught to the students.
Teachers require evaluations by a set of five standards to see if they are allowed to teach.
These guidelines help schools see if they are fit to teach students at the school. The schools will
evaluate many teachers so even if a teacher does good on an evaluation their position could get
taken by someone else. Teachers demonstrate leadership, Teachers establish a respectful
environment for a diverse population of students, Teachers know the content they teach, Teachers
facilitate learning for their students, Teachers reflect on their practice. These evaluations allow
for people who have these traits to be allowed to teach students. The evaluations also create
guidelines for teachers so they know what they need to do for their job. Teachers must know and
follow these guidelines so they may be good and successful teachers. (learnnc.org)
When teachers apply for a job at a school they must have a valid license to teach the
grade they want to teach. Teachers can also aspire to a higher level in the school system so they
can affect curriculums and how they can educate the student body. The school system offers
many choices to allow teachers like that to affect everything in the school. They can become a
principal so they can manage all aspects of the school, what topics can be implemented and
develop teachers as well as inspire them to do their best. The principal sets the tone for the
school while teachers help set the tone for the students that come to learn at the school. Beyond
being a principal, a teaching career can lead in many directions. Broader administrative roles,
curriculum development positions, even more political education related opportunities such as a
position in a teachers union.
Teachers must also teach what the state, or perhaps even the Federal government wants
them teach at that specific grade level. For instance, in North Carolina 9th grade is taught World

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History, 10th graders are taught Civics and Economics, and 11th graders are taught US History.
People could walk across state lines to experience different schools and observe the same classes
taught through different methods and in different grades. In order to effectively teach History a
certain sequence in teaching should be maintained. Teaching History this way allows for students
absorb information about events and topics from lessons more easily and improves the students
ability to retain the lesson. The state does this so teachers do not feel swamped with trying to
teach students about all different kinds of history. It can help history teachers focus and preparing
lessons as they can focus on a part of history that they feel comfortable with and ignore parts of
history that are not important to topic of the grades history.
History teachers need to choose the topic they will teach for the day from a large number
of possible options, the same way they were able to choose the type of history they wanted to
teach from a broad range of options. As they choose the topic for the day they will reinforce
what they feel students need to take away from the lesson and be sure students will walk out of
the classroom knowing the exact information they need to know. History teachers will make
Formative assessments to determine students levels of understanding and comprehension.
History teachers will ask questions, provide individual activities,and observe student reactions to
gauge understanding. Teachers will do activities or projects that can help students get more
involved and close to the topic. Teachers will hold discussions or debate in the classroom so they
can have students learn about the topic and how it affected people back in the past. Teachers will
have students watch videos or movies about the topic of the lesson so that the students will feel
less bored about learning. Students will usually complete a worksheet about the video to
demonstrate what they learned. History classes will sometimes overlap with different classes so
that students can take even more from the lesson than just straight history. Sometimes two

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subjects will be talking about the same event or person so both classes will benefit from students
in taking the information from two subjects. Teachers can interact with other teachers as a way
they can get ideas on how to plan lessons topics that fit together in a good way across the entire
education process in a school.. Teachers will ask students how they would prefer to learn a lesson
but a student can get that privilege taken away if they treat the privilege in a way that is not
serious or mocks the process of learning . History teachers will use this information to see if they
need to recover the information and determine whether or not they need to have students re-learn
the lesson. If students must relearn information they will go over it again but will not get left off
so lightly the next time they need to relearn a topic. The students will take notes so that they can
go over topics they feel they need to and demonstrate that learning has been retained. (Interview
Bernard)
Students can affect teachers in ways that often surprise people. Teachers live for the a-ha
moment, this moment displays itself when a student has been working on something for days,
weeks, or even months when it suddenly clicks with them and they understand the information
and the concept being taught and are able to almost teach it back to the teacher or come up with a
concept the teacher had not even thought of or taught yet.. Teachers love this and experience a
strong sense of gratitude as it makes them feel proud that they were able to impart knowledge
onto a student in a way that finally clicks for them. History teachers especially love this as
they feel they have affected how students think of the world around them and on how society is
today. The way students affect their teachers when they accomplish something is an understated
thing. Teachers get affected by many things when that can happen during a day of their job.
Students help inspire teachers to feel like they make a difference in their students lives and they
help reignite a teacher's passion for teaching about the subject they love everyday. Teachers love

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working with students and like to interact with them as they know while they may love their
subject, students will feel a little bored about it so they must keep the students interest and back
and forth input can help a teacher to mold a lesson to be easier to learn or have an even greater
impact. Teachers like to get to know students on a personal level so that they can help make the
classes more exciting that way and also maybe understand some struggle the student may be
facing outside of the classroom or school that could be affecting the ability to function well and
learn. The students can help with ideas that can make the classroom experience more thorough
and enjoyable. There has never been a greater need for history and social studies programs to
prepare students for the future. In a 21st century world, students need to understand key
historical ideas and events, major economic and social forces, the effect of geography on people's
lives, political forces in a democratic society, and a variety of global issues and challenges.(Seif
Elliot)
Teaching can bring in a great deal of stress that may not be present in a different type of
typical forty hour a week job. History teachers must go home and plan lessons, grade papers,
study for upcoming lessons, and somehow incorporate their personal lives as well as they
attempt to balance the demands of the workplace along with the demands of their personal life.
Of course teachers must deal with student behavior issues and parents who may not be fully
supportive of the learning process and both of these instances can create additional levels of
stress. Students may feel as though the subject does not feel real to them as they learn it in a
classroom. One way for history teachers to combat this problem offer to take classes on field
trips to places with rich with historical significance like Washington D.C. or perhaps a
Revolutionary War or Civil War battlefield. While this embodies a stressful part of the job, it
emerges as not the most stressful part of the job. Even more stressful with the ability for Teachers

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to build strong and long lasting relationships with their students in order make sure they are able
to pass on to the next grade level and be successful in it. Teachers have to deal with how some
students do not meet the average grade that they need to establish. They must also help students
who come from homes that do not establish a good support system for the student. Teachers must
help those parents who feel that the schools do not help their child enough. The teacher must
decide how they should deal with different students problems, including things like learning
difficulties and behavioral issues and it is important for teachers to understand that they are not
alone and that schools provide a support system that goes beyond the classroom. Partners like
Special Education teachers and school counselors can help take some of the stressful burden of a
teacher.. The teachers personal life must be balanced with the work they must go through to help
students become an good citizen of society. Teaching embodies a stressful occupation and those
that choose to go down this path need to have a deep love for both the technical aspects of what
is being taught and for the process of learning itself in order to be successful. All of this will
help a teacher to be more satisfied and to keep moving forward in their career.
History teachers do their job so that students can learn about past events and take the
lessons learned and maybe grow the ability to apply it society today. History teachers want
students to succeed in life and become able bodied citizens for society, able to contribute with
both an understanding of the past and an eye toward the future. History teachers also teach about
the sacrifices of the past and students can learn how to honor those sacrifices as it portrays
importance to understanding and respecting how those who came before present society helped
clear a path for those of future generations who came afterward. The students can also learn from
History how problems and challenges can stay with society and help them regard these problems
wisely and deal with those challenges effectively. History teachers must express the events in

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the past in a clear and concise manner that can display information simply. The ability to do so
enables a History Teacher to get important concepts in front of their students. Teachers love to
give examples for how the world changes do to the events they talk about and what life would
become if those events did not happen. Teachers love to give students an idea and see if they can
work through the question by themselves though they will give hints along the way. History
teachers can affect society's future by helping students look at societys problems in the past too
see how they can reflect on solutions to the problems afflicting society today. Sometimes
playing a what-if game in which one of the dynamics of a historical event is changed by the
teacher can help to stimulate students thinking in a way that is creative and allows the student to
further stretch their thinking skills.
The road to the occupation of a History Teacher entails an arduous journey that can be
full of highs and lows. Aspiring history teachers must go through college to obtain an education
in the subject they need to major in, sometimes even earning advanced degrees. Evaluations can
either stand between the teacher and his or her job but sometimes provide needed guidance to
help the teach improve as can dealing with the many trials of the job itself. The occupation itself
can add trials of its own such as poor school funding, dealing with disinterested students and
students who bring outside problems to school with them. They must keep their own knowledge
fresh so they can teach their students utilizing new and innovative methods. Parents and students
can cause problems with their different needs while trying to obey the school and state rules.
Students may feel as though they do not need the material for the life they want to experience.
Despite this, being a History Teacher allows for a rewarding experience for both the teacher and
the student. Students can learn about the history of civilizations and could be lucky enough to go
on trips to historically rich locations to make the book learning come alive. Teachers can share

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the knowledge they feel passionate about while also taking joy in students absorbing their
lessons. The History teachers can learn about the history of the human race and can share their
knowledge with curious students. Those students have the opportunity to help solve societys
problems through examinations of the past, avoiding mistakes made by previous generations or
building on what worked. The successes of the past can be studied to create more success in the
present and future. The students can learn about the people who built these successes and help
them appreciate their lives better. Being a History Teacher will allow future generations to learn
from past mistakes and will allow a better future for all of mankind.

Works Cited
CARLSON, P. Sam Wineburg, critic of history education. American History. 46, 5, 28, Dec.
2011. ISSN: 10768866.
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ISHIZUKA, K. History Teacher 2.0. School Library Journal. 52, 4, 26, Apr. 2006. ISSN:
03628930.

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&AuthType=ip,custuid&custid=s8455861&db=mat&AN=20404495&site=src-live

MAIER, P. Teaching the Nation's History. Humanities. 25, 4, 26, July 2004. ISSN: 00187526.
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SEIF, E. Social Studies Revived. Educational Leadership. 61, 4, 54, Dec. 2003. ISSN:
00131784.

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<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&AuthType=ip,custuid&custid=s8455861&db=mat&AN=11863709&site=s
rc-live>
SPONG, J. VI. Confessions Of a Seventh-Grade Texas History Teacher. (cover story). Texas
Monthly. 40, 9, 132, Sept. 2012. ISSN: 01487736.
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direct=true&AuthType=ip,custuid&custid=s8455861&db=mat&AN=79103283&site=src-live

STRAUSS, B. THE SCHOLAR AND TEACHER. (cover story). Humanities. 26, 3, 8, May 2005.
ISSN: 00187526.
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direct=true&AuthType=ip,custuid&custid=s8455861&db=mat&AN=18045087&site=src-live