About Teaching History Educators who teach either history or social studies perform one of the most important tasks required of today's teachers: They afford students the opportunity to learn from the past in order to ensure a successful future. From the history of the ancients to the sad and terrible recent past of the war-torn 20th Century, history and social studies teachers must have a wide-ranging base of knowledge about the events and forces that have shaped the world. Therefore, a background not only in pedagogy, but also in their specific area as well as the other areas of study that are relevant to their own, is necessary. For example, a high-school history teacher should also have an understanding of literary movements, popular culture, geopolitics, and the like. Indeed, in the world of education, teaching history and social studies is one of the most intellectually demanding subfields there is and as a result, it is also one of the most rewarding.