Ever since I was a little girl, I would read books and watch shows that taught me about my nation’s history. Some of my first and most fond memories have always been learning more and more about the history of the world. The older I became, the more my love for history grew, and the more I became involved in my civic duty as an American citizen, but I never seriously considered it a career until I came to college. In high school, I spent a lot of my time in medical classes preparing myself to study a major that would eventually lead me into a medical profession. However, in the grand scheme of things, I felt lost and that I had no true passion for the medical field. I found myself in a rut questioning what I would do with my life when I realized, I am meant to be an educator. You see, history has always been a passion of mine and something I have always truly loved. In my classes, I would never get bored and would find myself learning something new about a different event, even if it is the fifth time I have been taught it.

            Growing up in an age of “likes” and “retweets” and “shares,” I have seen how social media and different media outlets have made an impact on not only my life but fellow classmates and students as well. In a constantly changing world full of bias and different perspectives, I find it increasingly important for students to be able to know the difference of fact versus opinion. In my classroom, being American History, Civics, or World History, I will implement different historical thinking skills to better prepare my students to take on the changing media world, much how I have had to growing up.

When possible, I will have students be interactive in the classroom by owning their learning and help their classmates learn as well by analyzing a range of different types of sources and use those sources to develop their own thoughts and ideas alike. I find that analyzing and using different sources in the classroom, it helps better prepare students for the futures they will have beyond my classroom. The skills they will be able to develop will simply better prepare them to take on the “real world” and how the media they have grown up with portrays the world.

            In the classroom, I plan to incorporate different learning preferences to accommodate all of my student’s abilities the best way I can. From creating propaganda posters to using media literacy tools such as Padlet or Kahoot, I want to make sure all students from all backgrounds are able to participate and enjoy learning the material and but take their learning in their own hands. I find the best way most students learn is through hands-on, interactive learning. In my lesson plan examples, I choose not to use lectures but interactive ways for students to learn and “do” history. I plan to implement regular assessment tools that are engaging and reflective at the end of the class period for students to be able to reflect not only what they learned but how they learned the material best. This allows students to set individualized goals and self-assessment each day, thus leading for preparation for the world beyond high school.

            Now as a future educator, I am constantly finding ways I can take my passion and love for history and turn it into something students can develop a love for as well. I cannot imagine my life not being an educator and mentor to the thousands of students that will pass through my classroom doors. I am excited to pursue a career I know I am meant to be in, and I know will be such a light in my life. To be an educator is not just standing in front of students, teaching and presenting material but being open to what my students have to offer to teach me as well.