Neil Postman once argued that as teachers, our duty is to serve various gods of education.

Whether it is the god of democracy, literacy, society etc. our purpose as teachers is to essentially relay the teachings of these gods to our students. Aside from serving the god of history in general, I most certainly will serve the god of democracy. In developing a love for history, I developed a strong love for my country, the United States.

I believe that part of history classes taught today should be dedicated to preparing our students for their role in government. Whether it is informing students on the workings of our government, the electoral process and their role, informing students about political parties and so on, I believe that our students should come out of high school with this knowledge. Even if my students dont have a love for history as I do, I hope they can at least learn their role as citizens of this country and how they can be a part of changes they want to see. This enables them to take full advantage of their citizenship once they reach voting age. Peter N. Stearns agrees with serving the god of democracy. He believes that a study of history is essential for good citizenship. This is the most common justification for the place of history in school curriculathe importance of history for citizenship goes beyond this narrow goal and can even challenge it at some points. History that lays the foundation for genuine citizenship returns, in one sense, to the essential uses of the study of the past. Aside from serving the god of democracy, I will do all I can to try and develop an interest in social studies within all of my students. I had many, many dynamic social studies teachers throughout my k-12 schooling. They made me not only interested in social studies, but from 7th grade on I knew I wanted to teach it too. They were able to expand on my preexisting interests and build a subject that was truly fascinating to me. I believe that is my main reason for

wanting to be in the field of education and thus my teaching philosophy. If I can find one topic in history that is interesting to a student and expand on that, then perhaps I can develop their love for the subject further into a passion. As Stearns put it: historians do not perform heart transplants, improve highway design, or arrest criminals. In a society that quite correctly expects education to serve useful purposes, the functions of history can seem more difficult to define than those of engineering or medicine. History is in fact very useful, actually indispensable, but the products of historical study are less tangible, sometimes less immediate, than those that stem from some other disciplines. History provides data about the emergence of national institutions, problems, and valuesit's the only significant storehouse of such data available. It offers evidence also about how nations have interacted with other societies, Further, studying history helps us understand how recent, current, and prospective changes that affect the lives of citizens are emerging or may emerge and what causes are involved. More important, studying history encourages habits of mind that are vital for responsible public behavior, whether as a national or community leader, an informed voter, a petitioner, or a simple observer.

While it may not be immediately seen as Stearns argues, history is still vital to teach. I too, believe that understanding history can contribute to the understanding of the world around us. By making students into citizens who want to participate in government and by developing interests and turning them into passions, that in my opinion is what makes up a successful social studies teacher.