By John Fedele

“US Students Fail History Test”

Really? I forgot what the story claimed the problem was, but here is one mans opinion:

During my teaching years, my students believed history was a waste of time. “Who wants to study the past? How’s History gonna help me get a job?” There were other such questions.

This Air Force ROTC Instructor’s answer: “You all are interested in knowing where your ancestors came from, right? You all study your roots. That is a form history. We study American History for the same reason. To know how our nation came to be. To study our mistakes of the past so that we do not repeat them in the future. That’s why we study history.” (Those answers normally didn’t result in a better attitude towards the subject).

The biggest obstacle is how history is taught. First of all, the subject matter grows each and every time the history book is published, typically every 5 years. Add to this, the rewriting or insertion of politically correct language, additional history regarding contributions to U.S. History by ethics groups, and the task of covering the subject each year becomes even more challenging.

What to teach? What not to teach?

A teacher cannot cover the whole book in the teaching year. Some teachers teach from the present to the past. Others, the traditional way – past to present. Either way, it is BORING!!

A teacher I knew in Louisana was an exception.

His method of teaching history was to get with the english, science, geography, and social studies teachers and see what era they were teaching. He would then teach the portion of American History that coincided with their lesson. The end result was a higher passing percentage in his class. His students were less bored because they were learning things that corresponded with their other classes.

Maybe it is time we look at a better way to teach the subject.