Deborah Rapson Teaching Philosophy January 15, 2013 I have always loved school.

My earliest memory is walking with my sister and brother to their bus stop when I was three years old. I did this every day. My mother would wait on the porch and watch me wave goodbye to them when the bus arrived and then walk back. I insisted on having a backpack with my own books in it, even though I couldnt read. I then spent most of my days playing school. My mother had gotten a hold of an actual chalkboard and a marker board and there were always plenty of craft supplies. I was not disappointed by school when I finally got to go; I had a wonderful kindergarten teacher named Mrs. Pepper who was perfect in every way. As soon as I came home from school, I would play teacher with my neighborhood friends, make spelling tests and math worksheets for them. I was very blessed with phenomenal teachers in elementary and middle school who instilled a love of learning in all their students and prepared me well for high school and beyond. This is also my philosophy when it comes to social studies education my goal as a teacher is to teach my students that education for the sake of education is worthwhile. I want all my students to be lifelong learners. Because of this philosophy, the main approaches I take to social studies education are to teach students reflective inquiry and to aid their personal development. I have always upheld that my main goal of any lesson is to encourage higher order thinking. During my tutoring and student teaching experiences, I have firmly decided that I want to teach middle school students. I love this age group because they are so skeptical. They are full of questions and criticisms and they do not shy away from speaking their minds. I want to help foster those skills in all of my students. The social sciences are full of debates and contesting ideologies. There are so many opportunities for students to be critical thinkers; not just that they question, but that they voice their own opinions and remain open to others views as well. I will consider a lesson complete when every student has learned something brand new not only about the content of the class but also about themselves and how they feel about a certain issue. For me, a history class is not about memorization and acceptance of facts; it is about thoughtfulness and problem solving. I am also motivated by the need for social justice in our society. Being in education has taught me so much about inequities. I want my future students to be prepared to solve the problems that earlier generations have not. The social sciences provide an excellent opportunity to create constructive dialogue about these issues. My classroom will be full of open and honest discussion. Furthermore, the best way students learn and truly understand history and social studies is by relating the content to their own experiences. When students see how history, sociology, economics, etc, are relevant to their own lives, they will understand those fields in much more depth. I also have found interdisciplinary teaching to be effective in engaging students which is why I have endorsements in language arts and general science. By incorporating more than one subject in a lesson, you not only engage students who might otherwise be uninterested in the topic, the students also learn to make real-world connections with the material. They will then be able to apply the knowledge and skills they have learned in their daily lives. I will strive to make a lasting impression on my students by teaching relevant and important skills that they will be able to take with them throughout their lives.