Philosophy

The Social Studies philosophy is one that encourages students to be inspired by history in order to:

• Learn more about the past on their own (given that there is not enough time in a given academic year to learn it all)
• Analyze the present situation in the world and become well versed in how the past has contributed to creating the present
• Recognize patterns and themes in history and use that knowledge to affect the future

As educators using this curriculum, the focus should be on not only equipping, but also empowering students to take action. Students must be able to recognize injustice and patterns that have occurred in history before and then have the skills and confidence to move forward with that knowledge in order to educate others and organize for change in their current world. It is students who believe that history is not inevitable and that it is composed by the deliberate actions of individuals, who can change the world. By providing students with these key takeaways from history, students will be prepared to make their voices heard.