A Social Studies Teacher

In an ever changing society, the country needs graduates who are equipped with sufficient knowledge to man the different governmental agencies that manage the country’s functions. Slashed by economic depression and moral degradation the country is facing a need of good teachers in a critical situation like this so that they can produce students prepared for a better participation in improving the country as a whole.

Social Studies is a subject that helps prepare the youth for better participation in improving the economy of the nation. The teaching of Social Studies should therefore be given importance so that the youth can be serviceable to the country. The question is, are our Social Studies teachers in the Philippines schools equipped enough with sufficient knowledge to teach the subject? Is Social Studies their field of specialization or have they had the opportunity to attend national, regional and division seminars, trainings or in-service training programs in Social Studies? There is an observation that very few are prepared to teach Social Studies just as very few are given the chance in attending in-service training programs. Because of these observations, the writer was motivated to share a strategy that concerns on the trend of teaching Social Studies.

Teachers who are responsible in moulding the youth should be aware that these students are the future builders of the nation. All subjects taught in the secondary schools help develop students so that they have a very good background as they move forward to college life. The teaching of Social Studies as one of the subjects is so important among these students as this subject prepares them to know their immediate environment, their country and the manner of living in this world. A sound knowledge of the subject prepares one to know more of the broad cultural background in which one lives.

If Social Studies teachers could go beyond mere teaching of facts and theories and can let students apply in their daily lives what they learn school, then these students can participate in the activities of the community and can play a good role in the place where they live.

The teachers, together with their methods and techniques of teaching, their materials of instruction, attitudes and problems should help in whatever difficulty that arises in school.