Making History Fun Today
My personal acquaintance with the subject of history in school was via a book as interesting as stale toast, and a teacher who gave excellent, historical lessons that were great fodder for curing insomnia. I also was educated during a period of America's history which has since become known for the beginning of "dumbing down" in our schools. Even though there was a war going on (Vietnam) the only way I knew about it was because it was on the news every night. We never discussed that or any other war. I assume it was because it was a sensitive subject, and no teacher wanted to touch it.
Instead, we studied Christopher Columbus, Nebraska (pioneers to soybeans) on to American Indian Tribes of the United States, and after that, I sort of lapse into a form of amnesia. But I do remember, the menu was exactly the same, year in, year out. By the time I got into junior high, I was totally burned out on history.
Junior high was different. Instead of history, we had subjects such as Urban Geography, wherein we studied Garbage, Housing, Population, Welfare, and other subjects that were presented in such a bleak manner, I became totally depressed and didn't even want to go into the classroom. It was not designed to encourage us to solve the problems of the world, but instead was like a mega-dose of Valium. I began to believe that history was the opiate of the masses, not television.
By the time I was in high school, we were studying the Constitution. I laugh now when I read the part in my homeschool papers that says I'm supposed to present my material in a sequential scope. Where could I have learned that skill? At any rate, this is where I checked out of learning anything about history at all.
I began to be interested in history, and how everything fit together when I married my ex-husband. He was very interested in history, and we had a lot of discussions about things historical. Then when I married The Beloved One, I discovered he is an absolute history/geography JUNKIE. Having an interesting family history of his own, he has loved history all of his life. Through PBS and now The History Channel and Discover Channel, I have also become a history-interested person. I enjoy imparting this love of history to my sons, because when we study history, we study the process of the human mind, the behaviors of human nature, and we understand others a whole lot better. This is what makes history vital to us in the here-and-now. Homeschool families may decide that a music curriculum is optional, phys ed is possible, but you rarely hear a homeschool family debating the importance of studying history. It is as undeniably necessary as reading and math.
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