I recently earned my Ph.D. in American history from UIC. During my graduate career I have passed courses and exams in American History (1607-present), Immigration History, Latin American History, Labor History, United States Women’s History, and African American History. I have also been a teaching assistant and grader for United States History, World History, Western Civilization (from the Egyptians to the present), Chicago History, Understanding the Holocaust, and Roman History at the college level.
I know that students need a personalized approach to understanding history, learning how to interpret facts and primary documents, and last, in telling a story. As a teacher, I enjoy opening up the history books and placing the student inside the context and circumstances of the events that they are reading. I am excited about bringing primary source documents (diaries, maps, letters, newspapers, etc.) into the learning environment. But to get a student to this point, they need to understand the basics of history, such as:
Forming a basic timeline
Placing key dates and historical figures in the timeline
Understanding the relationship between geography and history
Understanding the role of specific social groups in history
Understanding the social and cultural norms of life at that time
I know students in grammar and high school are mostly taught facts, figures, geography, and other rote-learning aspects of history. While this facet of education has its value, these facts and figures often become stale and limit the creative thinking and analysis of the student. A closer look at primary documents, in asking questions of “why” and “how,” and in challenging students to read and interpret primary documents are key to awakening their interest in history, seeing the importance of the discipline in our daily lives, and in building a strong knowledge of the past.
I am available for teaching in the early evening hours.