Stephen R. Ortiz

Statement of Teaching Philosophy

My experiences during a hiatus from academic life played a critical role in the formation of my teaching philosophy. Through conversations with a diverse group of people, I discovered that the single most important factor in deciding a person’s opinion of History was their experience with History teachers. Those who found History dull and irrelevant invariably pointed to uninspiring teachers. This insight fundamentally shapes how I teach. In short, my philosophy is to teach with passion and to stress the relevance of History to students’ lives. My goal is to bring the enthusiasm I have for the subject into the classroom every time I teach. Indeed, I believe impassioned presentation that makes explicit the connections between contemporary society and the past can dramatically raise the level of student engagement. That said, I do not believe that a teacher should stoop to mere entertainment. Intellectual rigor does matter.

My approach to teaching History is thus new-fangled and old-fashioned. I combine new classroom multi-media technologies such as PowerPoint presentations and history-related websites with a more traditional emphasis on the written word. Informed discussions on common readings take place on a regular basis. I introduce students to innovative new scholarship while respecting the power of historical narrative to captivate. Throughout, I stress why History matters to those in the present. I believe that students appreciate the repackaging of their History class in a more contemporary multi-media style. They respond—as we all do—to interesting stories. More importantly, however, students respond to a thought-provoking and energetic engagement with the past. My philosophy of teaching demands that I provide the energy and ideas necessary for this to happen.