Professional Behavior for Social Studies/History Teachers
Let's Talk About Professional Behavior
for Social Studies/History Teachers!
If you or I go to the local community college
to take a few courses, we want to learn
the subject we enrolled in.
We do not want our instructor
to lecture us on politics or religion
unless that is the subject of the course. Likewise,
a teacher of high school subjects is teaching
physics, math, social studies, or language.
The teacher is not the students' pal, clergyman,
attorney, or political activist.
It is a professional relationship and must
be conducted according to professional standards.
In social studies/history, all human knowledge
and thought and endeavor is the domain.
This makes the standards of professionalism
much higher for social studies/history teachers
concerning appropriate time and emphasis
devoted to various topics. The teacher
must present many viewpoints and various
knowledge in an objective and balanced
manner, though not necessarily an impassionate
manner.
The objective is to give the students
the skills and knowledge to think with careful
evaluation and form their own opinions.
The teacher's mandate,
the teacher's task, the teacher's assignment,
the teacher's professional duty is to teach
the relevant subject matter in a friendly
and professional manner.