This Valentine’s Day I just wanted to take a minute to share the love of my favorite subject in the whole wide world: Social Studies!! So naturally I wrote a poem. But you’re gonna have to wait just a minute and let me plead my case with a mini-novel. Then I will woo you with my ode. Or you can laugh at me behind the screen for being such a weirdo;). And I have great news for you, obviously as The Social Studies Whisperer I believe in sharing the love of Social Studies year-round.

So first of all, maybe you are wondering who is this Andrea Runnels and why should you let me whisper about Social Studies to you. Let’s actually time travel for a minute. Just take a look at this picture. Baby Andrea circa late 1970-something at The Lincoln Memorial posing like she was ready to give a speech. Could we caption it “Where it All Began?” or “Born to Ignite an American History Revolution?” Yeah, or perhaps “My aunt lives in Washington D.C and here I am with my Mommy.”

Now fast forward to present day and let’s talk about why Andrea, the former teacher and creative brain, loves Social Studies. Disclaimer, American History is really the part of S.S. that I’m in love with. And even more specifically starting with The Oregon Trail, mid 1800s and beyond.  My brain thinks in connections. I love finding ways to connect American History to other content areas. I love connecting the past to the present. I love connecting people to their place in the world and helping them find commonalities with others.

I am passionate about incorporating the arts and literacy within hands-on Social Studies lessons. I integrate music, visual arts, dramatic arts, cinematography, photography, pop culture, fashion, poetry, and literature into my instruction to make content more comprehensible and engaging for our diverse population of learners. I can show you how to have students visualize the past by making real-life contemporary connections and analyzing cause and effect relationships. I create differentiated projects and choice boards that allow for students to showcase their creativity and subject matter comprehension because I don’t believe in being a cookie cutter.

So many people of the past can serve as teachers for today’s students. I wove character-building into almost every thing I taught. I believe all students can learn and show progress through hard work and determination. I feel it is vital to encourage students to set goals and believe in themselves. I held class meetings to discuss empowering yourself to face adversity and to have compassion for others. I  feel strongly about combating “learned helplessness” by focusing on the unique gifts and strengths each child brings to the classroom and encouraging independence. I believe in making connections with students to build community.

I loved learning about each child’s culture and interests outside of school. I enjoyed being a positive role model and a small piece of the puzzle that hopefully will lead to each child into a well-rounded, productive member of society and life-long learner. I am ESOL and Gifted certified and  I don’t want any voices to get left behind. I know life isn’t all flowers and rainbows, but I’m just hard-wired to try to be everyone else’s cheerleader and I took pride in doing that for kids. To me if you change 1 person’s life, big or small, it’s a win. 

So I know my grand vision is pie in the sky, but I do want to bring it down a notch and help make your life easier on a real level. My wish for you is that this life will #songlyricsfordays……. leave you feeling less stressed out about teaching Social Studies. I hope you can one day do a social media post and use the following hashtag #socialstudiessupporter. I use #historynerd because it’s authentic for me. I’m keeping my goal for you realistic. I am an entrepreneur but the biggest things I want to sell you on are your ability to make American history awesome and confidence in stepping out of the box. I have ideas for daysssss along with those song lyric quotes so let me be the whisperer that takes a subject that may not be your favorite and make it manageable. And I do have a post that can give you even more info about what to do if you yourself hate history or many of your students do. Call it a mindset post;). Check it out here: Turning History Haters into Engaged Enthusiasts

Sharing the Love of Social Studies: The Poem

Roses are red, violets are blue

Oh, Social Studies let me sing the praises of you.

You give us a glimpse of life in the past

Before technology made things move so fast.

Untold tales give us inspiration

From those forefathers who shaped this great nation.

A brilliant quilt woven together with many colors

A magical melting pot like no other.

Courage, perseverance, liberty

Examples of bravery from sea to shining sea.

Textbooks only give you one perspective

Put them away and let kids act as detective.

Critical thinking, cause and effect

Not analyzing history would make life a wreck!

Reflect in writing, create a rap

Read a book about history, check out a map!

So many heroes, so many life lessons

It’s more than memorizing dates, no need for stressin’!

Add some creativity, add story telling,

Make it engaging, with pride my heart will be swelling!

No need to run, No need to hide. no need for fury

My integrated literacy ideas can help eliminate your worry.

Check out this updated  HISTORY Acrostic Poster/template FREEBIE to help you along your journey towards your own S.S. love!