Does this sound familiar? Someone asks what you do for a living. Your reply includes the words “social studies.” Maybe you say, “I teach middle school social studies” or “I inspire young minds to be civically engaged.” Maybe you say, “I help social studies educators prepare their students for civic life.” (That’s my reply.) In the past month, the response back to you may have been something like, “Wow, if ever there was a time that social studies is so important and needed, this is it!”

You feel good and validated. You may also feel something else. Social studies is always important and needed. Now others are in on what has become over the years (for some reason) a secret. Social studies may feel like it’s never been more important than in this past month, but social educators know the reality that time and space for social studies learning are always the foundation of a well-rounded education. Social studies learning always prepares learners of all ages with the tools and the skills for lifelong inquiry and to be actively engaged in our civic life and civil society. It’s humbling that many people outside of our profession see the urgency and impact of what we do. Let’s take this opportunity to reach everyone we can, starting in our community (in socially distanced and safe ways, of course!), to share exactly how social studies learning rises to the challenges and opportunities of any moment. Social educators live and breathe lifelong inquiry and informed civic action. Others are (finally!) taking notice. 

As you may have read from us a few weeks ago, NCSS President Stefanie Wager and I wrote a response to the horrific events of January 6, 2021, at our U.S. Capitol. Our call was to see this tragedy, and the larger discussions it has fueled about the health of our republic, as a needed opportunity to let social studies educators do what they do best: give time and space for civic learning and engagement in the K-12 classroom, helping students to ask questions and make meaning of the world we live in. Our call to action is simple, and bears repeating:

“One of the greatest signs of respect we can give to our nation today, and in the future, is to support our educators and our students in their civic learning and engagement. Let them unpack, process, ask, and engage. The future of a healthy civic life and the strength of our republic depend on it. Let’s recognize the vital need to prioritize civics, history, and social studies education. We call on elected leaders and decision-makers at all levels—from the United States Congress to local school boards—to make this investment for student learning and teacher professional development and ensure a healthy democracy. If we learned anything from yesterday’s events, it is that this investment is needed now more than ever.”

As evidence of why this investment in social studies learning matters so much, at the bottom of our response you will find a series of online instructional resources curated by educators nationwide literally overnight—before the school day on January 7 began. These resources are just a sample of the thousands and thousands of possible high-quality resources available to educators, students, and parents to teach and talk about civic learning, history, and our role in civic life. While our nation was trying to understand what was happening in real time on January 6, educators were busy coordinating the tools they most needed to have informed and inquiry-based classroom discussions with all students on January 7. This level of mass mobilization around sharing in education is what all educators do best—and often. It’s heartening to hear from others outside of our immediate profession how much they value what we do. Our next challenge is to sustain this level of attention and continue to advocate for social studies education as a vital solution to bring our country (and world) together to address the many challenges we face. Social educators are solution-makers, because we foster in all learners a desire to inquire, make solutions, and take informed action.

Our January 6 response is a call to action for everyone who stops to ask us, “What do you do? What can we do?” They can help us invest in the very thing we’re passionate about every day as educators: student learning, and the professional support we need as educators to make student learning happen. Earlier this month, NCSS released an Advocacy Toolkit. This toolkit was developed by our Advocacy Task Force under the leadership of NCSS President Stefanie Wager and includes six modules that help you build the case for social studies in your community, within your state, and to your elected leaders at all levels. Make the templates your own; use the sample videos and infographics; and build your own case for social studies with those who are now asking what it is you do and affirm why it’s so important.

The time for social studies has always been … well, always. The world is taking notice. This is our moment to invite others to make this their time for social studies, as well.