Teaching History

"If I had a chance to direct where money would be applied to improve teaching history in our schools, I would concentrate on grade school - third, fourth, fifth, sixth grade - because that's the time that they want to know."

David McCullough - historian and author

As regular readers of my blogging know I am a strong advocate of teaching "history" in our schools not today's watered-down form of history that exists within the "social studies" coursework. Why? Because when students have a solid understanding of the past it allows them to not only better understand today's world it also helps them to place the latest "crisis" such as -- obesity, global warming, Avian bird flu, health care insurance........... -- into a more rational context that goes beyond emotion and left-wing political agendas.

For instance -- if our grade school students had read several books regarding the Great Depression I am confident they would not share Al Gore's doomsday worldview nor would they accept John Edwards' "two Americas" stump speeches. Yes Mr. Edwards -- there are two Americas, your America where everyone except elitists like you require government "help" and the America that I love where everyone takes care of themselves and their families as best as they can but failing that we provide a societal safety net based on private charity and good neighbor relations NOT government programs.

The simple fact is that the world we live in today IS better, much better than the past but how many students (or adults even?) have any inkling that is the case? We need and must do better educating our fellow citizens about these things or the "State" will grow large enough to affect every aspect of our lives.

Read widely and read constantly,

Todd