College Admissions Essay: Writing Into The Future Classroom

Some people look at history as a boring subject, but that’s because they haven’t thought of it like a marvelous tale of action, drama, tragedy, and whole lot of chaos. By thinking of it that way, it will make the subject much more interesting.

If teachers want to revolutionize the way that history or social studies is taught in the classroom, they must move away from the idea that history is a series of facts that need to be taught to students. Instead of simply giving students the answers to historical questions, teachers must impart the practice of historical inquiry to their students. This ability to think like a historian allows students to be active participants in all history lessons. Such a revolutionary transformation is only possible if teachers generate innovative lessons that propagate historical analysis in the classroom. At the same time, teachers are expected to adhere to the Common Core standards that require students to be able to read, understand, and utilize “complex informational texts” (80). In order to transform history in the classroom and adhere to these Common Core Standards, it is important that teachers understand the importance of source analysis in lessons, know how to choose and create age-appropriate adapted sources, and successfully incorporate such lessons into larger units that ensure students learn to think historically.

“I don’t understand why I have to take this class. All that old history stuff has no relevance to my life, and it is a waste of time to fool with it. My life today is more important than the lives of all those dead and boring people.” This remark is said more frequently than we realize. History is a combination of events that created our present and future today. The past it what simply gives our present it’s value. Another way to look at history is it can be compared to our ancestry line. Without our ancestors we wouldn’t have the make-up of genes that we do today. For example, the Columbian exchange is one of the events in history that has really impacted our world. Not only did one change come from the event but a variety including food, plants, animals, goods and knowledge. History also exposes knowledge to us. It is the resource that allows us to better our lives and expand our knowledge. Believe it or not, our life we peruse everyday consist of history. Including languages, we inherited, religions that weren’t just created on the spot, technologies that have been upgraded in the past years, and the clothing we decided to put on our backs everyday that has evolved from different materials to different fittings. The world has evolved in many ways in the past and it continues to evolve.

“History is the study of any past or present happening or events for which there is physical, written or oral evidence available to substantiate the happenings or events. Some students of history have difficulty with their motivation for the subject because they cannot identify with the personal value of history” (A Guide to Critical Thinking in the Social Studies 1). Clearly, there are many approaches to the study of an era or theme, but those most frequently relied upon in all levels of education are those which seek to present facts, documented from a wide number of sources, primary and secondary, as objectively as possible, a practice which detaches students from their studies and seemingly takes the “story” out of history. Relying upon

The history that is discussed in classrooms today is not what it once was. History is no longer held with the same value as it was once before. History repeats itself. We can learn the story of history and unpack it to understand. Through history we can learn the effects of change. Through history we learn so much.

The subject of history is described as many things among high schoolers. A boring subject about people long since dead, a class with WAY too much homework or with a professor who enjoys giving droning lectures. Therefore, most students look at history classes as just another set of credits to get out of the way for graduation. However, in my case, it is viewed a bit differently. I believe history is a gift, a window into the past that gives us a chance to learn from the people who lived before us, and to prevent the recurring of their mistakes in our world today.

Although history is taught at home and at school, it is taught through the passion of those who take it more than a distant, past series of events, but more of something that effects every individual today.

Over time the social studies classes have become ridiculed as the boring subjects in the classroom. All too often are students overhead stating, “history is so boring! It is my least favorite class. Or, all we do is learn stuff that does not matter anymore.” Yet, to me, I do not fault these students for their perspective. I myself was once one of these students. I have always liked history and geography, but as a high school student myself I found them dull and focusing only on memorization. While I was in these classes all I can remember was thinking, “this is not even important to me”, and I can guess that that is the same thing students might think

The future. A place filled with unknowns and unexpected twists and turns. As I near the end of my high school career, the idea of college and all that follows it is becoming a reality in my mind. I do not know what God has in store for me, but I do know that He has a plan. As a freshman, I thought that I would have everything figured out by senior year; however, now that it is senior year, the future looks more mysterious than ever. While this is the case, I have still postulated some of my future goals and ambitions.

My fantasies shifted a little, and suddenly I imagined taking my students on a journey through time, opening their eyes to new ideas, instilling in them a genuine love for History and learning in general. Another part of my sudden interest in history was the challenge it presented. For many of my friends, history is their worst subject. I’ve heard several variations of the tirade, from “It’s boring” to “It’s too hard to remember all of it!” to “What’s the point?”. Those complaints make teaching history seem like a challenge for me to conquer, and a challenge is something i can rarely

My past, present, and future. This is the journey of my life. Where I’ve been, where I’m at, and where I’m going. My journey began on July 28, 2000, at St. Margret’s South Hospital in Dyer, Indiana. Lance Collins who is a paramedic, and Christine Collins who is a registered nurse, became the proud parents of the 6lb. 9oz. 21 inch long baby boy, who they named Liam Hunter Collins. On November 30, 2002, I became a big brother when my sister Taylor Collins was born. I have been a lifelong resident of Northwest Indiana and I’ve had some pretty amazing adventures and accomplishments so far. I became a proud pet owner when my bichon frise Max, came to live with us on April 5th, 2006. On June 30, 2006 my dad took me to my very first Taekwondo lesson. I quickly fell in love with martial arts, I worked really hard, dedicated myself, and I received the rank of 1st degree black belt when I was only eight years old. I have been playing

Moving my whole life to the United States was a special challenge to me. I had to be familiar with life style, environment, education system, culture, and tradition which are different from my country Iraq. Before I moved to the United States, I spent three years in a university in Iraq; however, these years in the university did not help me to get to the college level in the United States. It was like I needed to start from zero. I did not give up because I have a goal to be a doctor. Therefore, I took ESOL classes, passed Texas Admission Test, and now I am in my Junior year.

When I think about the next five years of my life, I like to think that I will be getting on my feet and succeeding in life. It has taken me a while to figure out what I want to do with my life and what I would like to do for my career. Over the next five years, I am going to have to do a lot in school and outside of school to prepare for my future career .

Born in a country where education is poor, life is hard, and opportunities are very rare, I was fortunate to come with my family to the U.S in search for a better future. I was only eight years of age when my family had to go through much hardship in order to bring my brother and I to this country. My good fortune was accompanied by many challenges such as learning English, getting to know a wide variety of diverse people and adapting to my new environment. It was a hard beginning for me, making it difficult to find the road I was looking for. The people that really support me in every struggle I have experienced ever since I was born are my parents who were and continue to be my biggest influence. I am blessed to have such a supportive and

I have loved sports my whole life, even at a very young age. I would watch it with my dad, and he would take me to sports games. I loved to play basketball in the backyard when I was little. I have always loved cheering for my favorite sports team. I love watching the Minnesota Vikings and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Two years ago my dad surprised me with Vikings tickets. I was so happy to get to go to a game. Sports has always been a big part of my life. Two years ago, I got a new view of sports when I started umpiring.