About Tom Selvage

Easy Prep, High Impact Social Studies Activities and Lesson Ideas

Tom SelvageTom Selvage

Hi! I’m Tom Selvage, a social studies professional. Let me help you with resources and ideas to teach social studies with ease. 

Social studies is a great subject to teach. There are so many interesting topics and ideas. If you are like me, you want to share them all with your students. But part of the pain of being a teacher is being forced to choose those few things that we can teach well in the time we have. 

High School Primes My Interest

I was a sophomore in high school when I realized how much I loved history. Yes, I was the nerdy student who wanted to read the entire history textbook. That world history textbook was big and thick, but that didn't bother me at all. I found all of that new information fascinating, and I wanted to learn more! Then I took American history. It was fascinating too, especially the stories of our early founders and events in the 19th century. We didn’t spend much time on 20th century American history and that was disappointing to me. But I made up for it by reading books on my own. I loved spending time at the library and finding new books to read.

Off to College

This is the point where I should say that it was always my dream to be a teacher, but that isn't exactly true. 

As I went off to college, I took along my interest in history. But I did not choose immediately to become a teacher. I didn’t even major in history. Instead, I started as an accounting major in college. Go figure. I didn't think that my love of history was very practical, but accounting was practical. I read that accountants get paid well, so that was what I focused on. However, in college, I quickly realized that I didn't like the business classes I was taking. So, I switched to history, but that still wasn't very practical. Eventually, I wised up and realized that I could combine history and practicality if I majored in education. So, I switched my major again and became a social studies teacher. 

Social studies is full of fascinating ideas

As I went to college, I started to become interested in ideas like liberty and equality and how those are worked out philosophically and in more practical terms. I found ideas in economics and government fascinating too. 

I studied history because it fascinated me - how people lived during different time periods, what they thought about everything that was happening to them then (and now), what decisions they made that shaped their lives and the world around them.

Now, it's an incredible thing when you can help guide young adults through this process of discovery - to show them how these lessons apply to their own lives today so they will be better prepared tomorrow than ever before.

But college was hard for me. Not in terms of grades, but it was a whole new world. I grew up in a lower-middle-class family. My parents were good people, but they had never been to college. No one in our extended family had been to college. I was the first. So, I had to figure out how to navigate the experience mostly on my own. But I am so glad I did.  

Becoming a teacher was one of the best decisions of my life. Because teaching is not just about content, it is also about students. I have been fortunate over the years to have hundreds of fine young men and women that I am proud to have taught. Not because of anything they learned from me but because of the outstanding adults they have become. 

Life as a Social Studies Teacher

I taught for several years before I got married. Other teachers can likely appreciate how time-absorbing life as a teacher can be. It seems like there are always more lessons to plan, more content to learn, and more teaching ideas to explore not to mention all of the paperwork and other responsibilities. 

When I married my beautiful wife who is not a teacher, she could not understand what I was doing with all that time. She had no idea how much energy and effort goes into teaching. Now I also have a wonderful set of boy-girl twins who also want some of my time and energy. I have had to learn some things about having a better work-life balance. 

This has led me to use the kinds of strategies I present on this website. I want to do a good job for my students, but I also don't want to sacrifice every minute of my life to do that good job. So, I have had to adapt and expand my repertoire of teaching strategies.

Helping the Next Generation of Teachers

I have had the privilege over the years to work with several student teachers who were beginning to learn the art and science of social studies teaching. I have also chaired our district’s professional development committee for many years. On occasion, I have also served as a mentor to new social studies teachers in our school district. 

For the past several years, I have also taught a social studies methods course to prospective teachers at one of our local universities. These young men and women are just beginning to learn what social studies education is all about. But I admire their knowledge and their persistence as they pursue their dreams of becoming social studies teachers. 

Let Dr. Tom Selvage help you

I created this website to share more widely my years of experience and knowledge about teaching social studies. Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to teach a wide variety of social studies courses. I have taught psychology and sociology both for high school and for college credit. I have also taught American History, World History (both ancient and modern), Economics, Personal Finance, American Government, AP Government and Politics, World War II, The Vietnam War, Holocaust and Human Rights, and Terrorism and World Conflict.

Are you looking for a way to make social studies more interesting for your students?

You will find here ideas and strategies to make your lessons more engaging and exciting. Our resources are easy to use and are designed to help teachers save time. 

Let me show you some teaching strategies that might be helpful in your classroom, and some of the websites that can be of immense help to busy teachers like yourself. One of my favorites is the Stanford History Education Group. Their series on Reading Like a Historian is great for introducing students to primary sources. And the best part is that the documents come already edited and chunked so they are usable in the classroom immediately. Just print them out, pass them out, and get started teaching. 

The materials on this site were created and approved by a veteran educator who understands exactly what makes teaching social studies easy but still exciting for both teacher and student alike. Let me help you develop lessons that:

  • Teach students the importance of social studies content in history, geography, civics, economics, and the other social sciences;
  • Provide students with learning experiences that will equip them with tools for life; and
  • Promote critical thinking skills in your classroom. 

I hope that some of the things you find on this website will help you to help your students not only learn social studies content but also become outstanding citizens of our democracy. 

Best wishes in your teaching journey. 

Tom Selvage

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