"Education is a subversive activity." - English Proverb
Welcome to my U.S. History class! I am very excited to share with you my love of history. By the end of the year, I hope that you will love it as much as I do. History is more than just names, dates, and locations. It is full of intrigue, deception, subterfuge, humor, love, and compassion. In short, it is full of drama. Not long ago, I read an article about why history class is one of the least popular classes for students. It all came down to history classes having breadth but no depth. The example the author of the article used to illustrate what they meant has continued to stick with me. Think back to the first time you watched Star Wars: A New Hope. Now, imagine if the movie was done the same way historical events are portrayed in text books and in lectures - in other words, hitting all the main points (breadth) but without any real detail (depth). It might have looked like this:
"The Galactic Empire had increased its hold on a growing number of planets; however, the rebels continued to fight. In an effort to reign in the rebels, the Empire build a space station that could destroy a planet. In a show of power, the Empire destroyed the planet Alderaan, proving its strength.
The Empire was planning on destroying more planets, which would certainly stall any rebel efforts, but during the Battle of Yavin, rebel pilots found a weakness and the space station was destroyed. This was a damaging blow to the Empire, and it was a huge boost to the rebel morale, but the Empire's growth was merely stalled." (Strauss, 2017)
Where is Luke, Leia, and Han Solo? Where's Darth Vadar? What about Luke's desire to leave home? Where's Han's dry humor or Leia's annoyance with him? If that had been the movie we had watched, George Lucas never would have turned Star Wars into a multi-billion dollar franchise that is still going strong almost 40 years later.
Of course, not every historical person or event can be treated like Star Wars. If we did that, we would still be learning about the first Americans at the end of the year. There simply just isn't enough time. But I can add more depth to the subject, even if it's not on the same level as Star Wars.
Here's to a great year of fun and learning!
Kimberly Albertson
Email: albertsonki@tfsd.org
Sources:
Strauss, V. (2017, May 17). Why so many students hate history – and what to do about it. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/05/17/why-so-many-students-hate-history-and-what-to-do-about-it/
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