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David McCullough – Knowing History and Knowing Who We Are

“We are not just known by our failings, by our weaknesses, by our sins. We are known by being capable of rising to the occasion and exhibiting not just a sense of direction, but strength.”

I have chosen this quote because it inspires me and encourages me to keep striving to contribute something valuable to our society. This quote reminds me that my failings and weaknesses won’t define me. Lofty goals should be pursued without fear of failure. This ties in with the theme in the realization that we still have a lot of work to do in the pursuit of civil rights.

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David McCullough talking about a lecture given by Margaret McFarland

“attitudes aren’t taught, they’re caught. If the teacher has an attitude of enthusiasm for the subject, the student catches that whether the student is in second grade or is in graduate school.”

I chose this quote because this idea resonates with me and I’ve found it to be true. Passion and enthusiasm are hard to fake, and I think most people can easily see the difference. I’m excited to learn from passionate educators first hand this summer and to pass on that genuine enthusiasm to my students. I see the connection to the theme in the power of one person’s passion inspiring others to act.

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"How can we not want to know about the people who have made it possible for us to live as we live...It's not just a birthright, it is something that others struggled for." This quote appealed to me because it's truthfulness rang out.  There has been a few movies, (RBG, On the Basis of Sex) about Justice Ginsburg which have really brought to life the idea of the struggle of equal rights.  Not just for women but for all Americans.  One of my favorite quotes of her is that as she presented these cases of inequality to the court she would have to teach them and make them see the inequalities, because as affluent white men they didn't know that there was really inequality.  

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"How can we not want to know about the people who have made it possible for us to live as we live...It's not just a birthright, it is something that others struggled for." This quote appealed to me because it's truthfulness rang out.  There has been a few movies, (RBG, On the Basis of Sex) about Justice Ginsburg which have really brought to life the idea of the struggle of equal rights.  Not just for women but for all Americans.  One of my favorite quotes of her is that as she presented these cases of inequality to the court she would have to teach them and make them see the inequalities, because as affluent white men they didn't know that there was really inequality.  

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Courtney Roberts"Almost no nations in the world know when they were born.  We know exactly when we began and why we began and who did it."  This one spoke to me also because of the truth that we all know but I haven't ever thought of that is context.  We do know exactly when, who, where, and why the United States was founded and I loved as McCullough spoke about how the imperfections make it so it works for us today, otherwise it wouldn't have flexibility.
"We have too many teachers who are graduating with degrees in education...but they don't know a subject." This one might be a little controversial but I have always that the the social studies composite is just a measure of school systems desire or need to have teachers who can teach different subjects and be moved around. I don't think they come in knowing subjects very well....not that I am the best but I am proud of my degrees in Political Science and History before I even thought about becoming a teacher.

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1.       “The laws we live by, the freedoms we enjoy, the institutions that we take for granted—as we should never take for granted—are all the work of other people who went before us. And to be indifferent to that isn’t just to be ignorant, it’s to be rude.”

a.       I love this quote because it puts into words perfectly what I try to tell my students who are indifferent to history. First of all, I try to stress that all of the freedoms we enjoy and take for granted weren’t natural rights given to us by the laws of nature, but rights established by our Founding Fathers. I stress that they included these rights mostly because our Founding Fathers had these rights restricted or taken away completely during the events leading up to the Revolution. All of our rights and freedoms were granted to us for a REASON, and the students need to know those reasons so they can fully appreciate their freedoms. They have to face what it would be like if they didn’t have those freedoms. Reading stories about our ancestors having those rights taken away is one way to help them not take those rights for granted.

b.       I tell my students often that they don’t have to love history. It doesn’t have to be their favorite subject just because it is mine. They don’t have to pretend with me that they love history. But I just ask that they aren’t indifferent to it. I have students tell me all the time about how history doesn’t apply to them, how history is just about “dead white guys,” or how it is boring. It is my life’s effort and ultimate objective to help them see why history is important, how it pertains to them, and how it can be fascinating. It is my passion. I also liked the quote: “…if you show them what you love, they’ll get I and they’ll want to get it.” I want them to know how much I love history.

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1.       “…they knew that what they had created was no more perfect than they were.”

a.       We often put our Founders on a pedestal and fault them for their imperfections. This is an unkindness. They knew it was imperfect. They knew there would be issues with slavery, with representation in Congress, and with the elections of their leaders. They also knew that the only way for this country to thrive was for all of the colonies to come together. The compromises that they made disappointed many of them, but the fact that they reached a compromise is a miracle in and of itself. They also made sure that the Constitution was changeable, and could adapt to different time periods as people found a way to tweak and perfect it. It’s still not perfect, so we can’t fault them for that when we are coming up short as well.

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1.       “The pleasure of history, like art or music or literature, consists of an expansion of the experience of being alive…”

a.       This one is my favorite! On top of teaching U.S. History, AP U.S. History, and Government, I also teach Theatre Foundations. People always ask how I came to teach two very different areas—Social Studies and Performing Arts. I tell them they are not so different, that they are all about people’s stories. This quote gives me some added punch, when it says that these stories about the experience of being alive—what it means to be human.

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“We should never look down on those people [speaking of Boston’s “Big Dig”] and say that they should have known better.  …All this second-guessing and the arrogance of it are unfortunate.”

I remember someone saying that we should be careful in judging the past by today’s standards; I often mention that when discussing “uncomfortable “events in history.  This quote from David McCullough is the same idea.  It is easy to say “they should have done this,” or I would never have done that” but would we?  Without minimizing the struggles of people during slavery, Anglo-Saxonism, the Civil Rights era, etc.  I feel that it is important to stress to students that even though they cannot ever fully understand the emotions and pressures that “those” people felt we can try to understand enough to try to build into current society safe-guards to avoid the mistakes of earlier generations. .  Our society is still learning and perhaps the next generation will question why we weren’t more accepting; hopefully they won’t question why we were so accepting.

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“…-they’ve shaped us.  And so too have people we’ve never met, never known, because they lived long before us.  They have shaped us too---.”
David McCullough mentioned earlier in his speech that “Nobody lived in the past.”  The people who shaped our current world and have become our history, were just living their daily lives, doing what they felt needed to be done.  Martin Luther King, jr. wasn’t the iconic figure in 1950 that he is today, he was saying and doing things to help correct what he felt were social injustices.  Even the night before his death King commented about the Civil Rights movement that he “had seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you.”  He did not comprehend how far reaching his impact would be to the future, as he is still a cornerstone of the human rights education.  I feel I have a responsibility to show my students how common, everyday people made choices and took chances that helped create the world they live in today. I hope to instill in my students that they can be part of the  shaping of the future, hopefully for the better.

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“History is philosophy taught with examples.” This is a short quote and pulled from the first paragraph of the article but it stood out to me because this is an issue I have been dealing with in my classroom this year.  After 7 years of teaching psychology this is my first year teaching US History.  I was a history major and always wanted to teach US history so I was surprised to learn that the vast majority of students do not care at all about history. (I don’t have the same problem with my psychology students). I think it basically boils down to the fact that students don’t see the point in learning facts about things that have already happened in a world so different from what they know. I hope I can find a better way to reframe my curriculum to help the students see that the lessons learned from history are indeed relevant to their lives today.  Truth, justice, freedom, and liberty are all abstract concepts that each student must carefully consider.  Without the appropriate historical context many students will not be prepared to go forth and act as informed citizens.

“We have to do a far better job of teaching our teachers” This stood out to me because I will be the first to admit I need help!  I was a great student at university, but I haven’t really thought much about US history for the past 7 years. And I don’t know how long I can blame my two babies for my crappy memory but boy, I sure don’t remember much from my undergrad years.  I am so grateful for programs like this that are dedicated to helping teachers so we can better serve our students!

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I was struck by McCullough's comment "we take for granted- all the work of other people who went before us and to be indifferent to that isn't just to be ignorant, it's to be rude." WOW he is right. What was accomplished/not accomplished during the 100 years between the war and Civil Rights movement should be taught with intention not indifference. It is ungrateful and deserves more respect.

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McCullough said "tell stories". I put several exclamation points and a capitalized YES!! next to this line. I dislike textbooks with a passion, and textbook busy work are why so many students dislike history. Telling the story of why the Civil War/Rights Movement matters can draw students into the era and make them feel things they may have not felt before. Stories all they way

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"We are raising a generation of young Americans who are by-and-large historically illiterate. And it's not their fault."  How can we expect our students to walk in the shoes of the past?  Yet it is so important that they can be able to see the choices people made based on the times they were living in so that they can grasp a perspective on why people did what did they did under the circumstances in which they were living under.
Next : "There is literature in history."  This is SO beautiful, because history is all about human beings, yet texts, documentaries, and dare I say "the Core" seems to negate the humanity out of history. . I love to use historical fiction, poetry, the written word of those who were there and personal experiences and  passion get their attention.

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Hey, Cathy! I deal with the attitude of why-history-it-is-so-boring with my 8th graders every single day. And the truth is, from what I have experienced, is when we show a passion for our craft and content, it does become contagious. . not to all but for some and it is a beautiful thing when you can see the spark light up in their eyes.. Don't give up!

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“And ingratitude is a shabby failing.”  We are raising a generation of your Americans who are historically illiterate.”  Due to testing, proficiency, and school grading, the teaching to history has less time in elementary schools, and cut from a full year to 120 hours in the middle schools.  So, yes, it is true.

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“Improvisation is one of our traits as a nation...because it was essential.”  We must come up with solutions no one has ever imagined; we must create equal opportunities and repair failings.  Since we must do what has never been done, improvisation is the best descriptor of our nation’s survival.

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· " It should be taught for pleasure: The pleasure of history, like art or music or literature, consists of an expansion of the experience of being alive, which is what education is largely about."

-As a student, I never saw history in this light.  It was not until I was a teacher, and doing professional development that I caught the passion of history and how it touches every other subject of learning. The passion from the instructors of the professional development I attended was shared with me, and it has made all the difference in how I now (as an adult) view the importance of history and learning about it.

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·" If the teacher has an attitude of enthusiasm for the subject, the student catches that whether the student is in second grade or is in graduate school."

-I have found this to be true.  A student can tell how the teacher feels about a subject, by the way it is taught. I think that a student can learn just as much from the passion, or enthusiasm of a teacher, or how it is taught, then the content itself.  The passion shown for a subject taught is contagious, it peaks the curiosity of a student, to wonder why their teacher is so enthusiastic about a specific thing.

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·"It’s not just a birthright, it is something that others struggled for, strived for, often suffered for, often were defeated for and died for, for us, for the next generation."

-For my students to appreciate, and be an active citizen in this nation, they need to know the sacrifice that was paid for the freedoms they have.  If they do not understand the sacrifice, they can’t understand the value of their freedoms.

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I really enjoyed this article. Today in class we were just talking about the idea of this quote, "How can we not want to know about the people who have made it possible for us to life as we live, to have the freedoms we have, to be citizens of this greatest of all countries in all time?" We were discussing how amazing it is that kids have the rights and lives that they do today in America. I took a moment to point out to my students that they are blessed to live in the greatest time period in all of history for kids. Also that they live in America and that brings added privileges that kids in other countries don't always have even in today's world. This is all because of the people that came before us.

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"Tell stories. Thats what history is: a story. ---And we ought to be growing , encouraging, developing historians who have heart and empathy to put students in that place of those people before us who were just as  human, just as real--and maybe in some ways more real than we are"  I teach 8th grade US history and for a lot of my students this is the first time they have really heard the story of the United States... and what a good story it is.  As teachers we have to make the past come alive for our students through the stories we share. We have to help them to connect to their roots so that they have something that grounds them and gives them courage and hope for the future. We have to help them find out who they are and who they can become...and we do it through the "story" of history.

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"We are raising a generation of young Americans who are by-and-large historically illiterate. And it's not their fault."
Amen to that! It is really a sad situation when you find out how much the students DON'T KNOW about history. I teach a civil rights unit in 7th grade. Some kids have never heard of it! Once they start to understand how important it is they soak it up like a sponge. They can't comprehend that such atrocities against black people happened in our country.

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"History isn't just something that ought to be taught or ought to be read.....because it will make us a better citizen. It should be taught for pleasure....an expansion of the experience of being alive..."
We need individuals teaching history that love it and are excited about it. Many students don't have a good experience in history because they are doing book work or watching videos. I know my own experience in history was forgettable until I was a junior in high school. Our teacher was enthusiastic and engaging. We learned history through stories which was much more interesting and thought provoking.

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quote 1: "How can we not want to know about the people who have made it possible for us to live as we live, to have the freedoms we have, to be citizens of this greatest of countries in all time? It’s not just a birthright, it is something that others struggled for, strived for, often suffered for, often were defeated for and died for, for us, for the next generation." I love this quote. This is one reason why I teach history. Our students need to know the struggles of others and what they did for us to be where we are today.
quote 2 " We’ve got to teach history and nurture history and encourage history because it’s an antidote to the hubris of the present—the idea that everything we have and everything we do and everything we think is the ultimate, the best." I feel this is how my students think of us here in the U.S. They are surprised and even shocked when we begin discussing slavery and the racist attitudes that abounded in our history.

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1. David McCullough was talking about why the french failed at Panama and why we succeeded. He said, "One of the reasons that we succeeded is that we were gifted, we were attuned to adaptation, to doing what works, whereas they were trained to do everything in a certain way. We have the gift for improvisation."
I saw my life as a teacher in this quote. I do spend many, many hours planning and preparing for lessons, but some of the most successful lessons are when I formatively assess my students and change my direction based on what my students need. I think teachers are masters at improvisation, and those improv moments sometimes turn out to be the best lessons.

2. The second quote that really resonated with me what when McCullough states, "How unpardonable it would be for us--with all that we have been given, all the advantages we have, all the continuing opportunities we have to enhance and increase our love of learning--to turn out blockheads or to raise blockheads." This quote is so inspirational for me to keep learning and to take advantage of every opportunity to grow and develop. This field study will be one of those great opportunities to enhance our love of learning.

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"Family, teachers, friends, rivals, competitors-they've all shaped us. And so too have people we've never met, never known, because they lived long before us."
I couldn't help, but think about artists who have helped shed light and give strength to the Civil Rights platform...like Joan Baez performing "We Shall Overcome" at the March on Washington. Her words became the voice of peace and freedom.

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"Citizenship isn't just voting." In order to be a good citizen we need to serve others, educate our children about the world around them, be compassionate, follow rules, speak out against hate and prejudices and respect the rights of others....be a change maker!

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"And just as we don’t know how things are going to turn out for us, they didn’t either. It’s very easy to stand on the mountaintop as an historian or biographer and find fault with people for why they did this or didn’t do that, because we’re not involved in it, we’re not inside it, we’re not confronting what we don’t know—as everyone who preceded us always was."

I chose this one because I feel very strongly about teaching balanced history. It is very easy as this says to find fault based on our 20/20 hind sight vision. I'm not perfect, but I work to not sugar coat the truth of people from the past, but I also try to help my students see from their perspective and try to help them not be overly judgmental of the choices they made. Students need to know the truth, but I don't feel it is productive to have them leaving feeling angry at people of the past. I hope that people of the future will not judge me about things that I didn't know would occur.

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"Now those who wrote the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia that fateful summer of 1776 were not superhuman by any means. Every single one had his flaws, his failings, his weaknesses. Some of them ardently disliked others of them. Every one of them did things in his life he regretted. But the fact that they could rise to the occasion as they did, these imperfect human beings, and do what they did is also, of course, a testimony to their humanity. "

I feel too often, especially more recently, we as a nation have attacked our founding fathers and forget they were human too. They never have know or had our perspective so we out not to judge them harshly with our own perspective.

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"And they risked his life for that—for his education. We have no idea what people were willing to do for education in times past." (speaking of John Quincy Adams, and his parents)

I love this because it shows how valuable education has been to some people of the past (granite not all). I feel that there is an interesting shift happening in education right now where parents are often willing to risk their students education that they may live a life, rather than what this quote says. This may seem dismal, but it is what I see over and over again and in incensing numbers.

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"She said that attitudes aren’t taught, they’re caught. If the teacher has an attitude of enthusiasm for the subject, the student catches that whether the student is in second grade or is in graduate school. She said that if you show them what you love, they’ll get it and they’ll want to get it."

Teachers must be passionate about what they are teaching in order for the student to buy in or catch on to the excitement and enthusiasm of the subject. I know when I am excited about something in my own classroom, my students will be as well.

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"History isn’t just something that ought to be taught or ought to be read or ought to be encouraged because it’s going to make us a better citizen. It will make us a better citizen; or because it will make us a more thoughtful and understanding human being, which it will; or because it will cause us to behave better, which it will. It should be taught for pleasure: The pleasure of history, like art or music or literature, consists of an expansion of the experience of being alive, which is what education is largely about."

This quote is great because it tells us that history will make us better, more thoughtful people, and we should study it for that reason, but we really should just study it out of pleasure. It is no different from studying or practicing another interest. If we help our students understand that history can be learned for pleasure, then they will catch on to the idea of it also making them better citizens and better behaved people.

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"How unpardonable it would be for us—with all that we have been given, all the advantages we have, all the continuing opportunities we have to enhance and increase our love of learning—to turn out blockheads or to raise blockheads."

I always think of famous historical people, and even ancestors, wishing and hoping that we will honor their legacy and learn about the past. We have been given so many opportunities and resources to learn and to teach, and to not take advantage of those would be dishonoring those who have gone before. We will be raising blockheads and becoming blockheads by not taking advantage. I want my students to have a love for learning. It is so important for me to help them seek out the opportunities and resources to spark that interest and love for learning that hopefully will continue throughout their lives.

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"...trying to plan for the future without a sense of the past is like trying to plant cut flowers. We're raising a lot of cut flowers and trying to plant them..." This quote resonated with me because it supports a deeply held belief I have that we are doing out children a great disservice by not emphasizing history. We can see the problems in our nation now, and wonder how we got here, but then we treat history education as an afterthought.  To me, one has led to the other.

"It is very easy to stand on the mountaintop as an historian or biographer and find fault with people for why they did this or didn't do that, because we're not involved in it, we're not inside it, and we're not confronting what we don't know - as everyone who proceeded us always was." This is what I stress to my students repeatedly, especially when we cover an area of history that we aren't particularly proud of. It is hard to admit that not everything that has happened in our history is beautiful, but judgement and blame get us nowhere. There is a reason they say that hind sight is 20/20.
"How unpardonable it would be for us - with all we have been given, all the advantages we have, all the continuing opportunities we have to embrace and increase our love of learning - to turn out blockheads or to raise blackheads." This is why I teach. There is so much we, as educators have to share with the youth of today, and I feel a responsibility to do so. I may not turn every student into a someone who loves history, but I can at least give them the opportunity to do so.

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"Stop and think about those teachers who changed your life, maybe with one sentence, maybe with one lecture, maybe by just taking an interest in your struggle. Family, teachers, friends, rivals, competitors--they all shaped us. And so too have people we've never met, never known, because they lived long before us."

All three articles were so good! I think this adds to the idea that it's hard to know where you're going if you don't know where you've been. We have been influenced by giants of history and average members of society that became giants. We would know be where we are now, with the many opportunities given to us if it were not for the people that laid the ground work before us. They shape who we are and what we can become. As we develop a love of what we teach and continually improve, we can set that example for our students and help them prepare for the opportunities they create. This idea is supported by another quote, "attitudes aren't taught, they're caught." I see this in my classroom all the time. The more excited I am about the lesson, or gather the energy to be enthusiastic about the lesson, the more my students enjoy learning and collaborating.

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Students should not have to read anything that we, you and I, wouldn’t want to read ourselves. And there are wonderful books, past and present. There is literature in history. Let’s begin with Longfellow, for example. Let’s begin with Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, for example. These are literature. They can read that too.

I really liked this. A few years ago I joined a district Social Studies book group and discovered I LOVE non-fiction, especially history and sociology. I enjoy learning from the books we read and I really enjoy sharing what I glean with my family, colleagues or anyone else I can convince to listen to what I have discovered! Ideas have power and sharing them gives them more power and gives US more power, especially to influence others.

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"I think often about why the French failed at Panama and why we succeeded. One of the reasons we succeeded is that we were gifted, we were attuned to adaptation, to doing what works, whereas they were trained to do everything in a certain way. We have a gift for improvisation. We improvise in jazz; we improvise in much of our architectural breakthroughs. Improvisation is one of our traits as a nation, as a people, because it was essential, it was necessary, because we were doing again and again and again what hadn’t been done before."

This is why rote learning doesn’t do much.  I think of the old saying about division of fractions, "Ours is not to question why, just invert and multiply."  Except of course we should question,  and then decide if that way is best, or if there is a simpler, more elegant way. Then we own our knowledge and aren't just "renting" it.

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"We are not just known by our failings, by our weaknesses, by our sins. We are known by being capable of rising to the occasion and exhibiting not just a sense of direction, but strength." I think this is why we learn history. In a world of more and more students struggling with anxiety and depression, I think history teaches grit and growth mindset in ways no other subject can.

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"We can't guarantee success in this war, but we can do something better." Not only is this such a profound quote, I love the connections David McCullough is able to make regarding the quote. These kinds of connections in history are what make it fun to know history and are exciting as a student of history. Additionally, I think in any cause, as a citizen, it is important to realize that if you are really going to make a change, really make a difference, it will not be easy, but you can make sure there is integrity behind your efforts and then you never have to wonder.

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We are raising a generation of young Americans who are by-and-large historically illiterate. And it’s not their fault. There have been innumerable studies, and there’s no denying it.

I totally think this is true. In my school we do 4 rotations and 4 teachers take a subject in 5th grade. I was assigned Social Studies. In the beginning I was terrified because I would identify as historically illiterate. I think if is because
my experience in school and history is if wasn't a tested subject. I don't kneed to know this. We still have that mind set. Kids don't find the importance in learning it.

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We have too many teachers who are graduating with degrees in education. They go to schools of education or they major in education, and they graduate knowing something called education, but they don’t know a subject. They’re assigned to teach botany or English literature or history, and of course they can’t perform as they should.

We do need to be trained better going in to teaching.

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We are raising a generation of young Americans who are by-and-large historically illiterate. And it’s not their fault. There have been innumerable studies, and there’s no denying it. I’ve experienced it myself again and again.

This quote is so important because it is a very common problem that is going on right now. A lot of my students don't even know a lot of history or the significance of certain events. I think it's so important to keep these events alive and make sure our students are aware and sympathetic.

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We have to do several things. First of all we have to get across the idea that we have to know who we were if we’re to know who we are and where we’re headed. This is essential. We have to value what our forebears—and not just in the 18th century, but our own parents and grandparents—did for us, or we’re not going to take it very seriously, and it can slip away.

I completely agree with this quote. We need to know who we are and where we came from -- we need to know our history and significant events that happened in our parents and grandparents events. We need to be aware of what our family members and other members of our past have done for us.

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“We are raising a generation of young Americans who are by-and-large historically illiterate.”

“We have to get across the idea that we have to know who we were if we’re to know who we are and where we’re headed. This is essential.”

These two excerpts stood out to me because they summarize two of the reasons why I chose to teach history. Young people (and old) don’t know so many vital parts of our past, and if that continues we are destined to regress in society, politics and education.
This is especially important regarding civil rights. I have seen much progress in my lifetime, but I also see white a bit of backtracking.

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***Wanted to simple quote the entire article, too bad this wasn't an option....

“. . .one of the truths about history that needs to be portrayed. . .is that nothing ever had to happened the way it happened.”

Students NEED to know that their individual actions can forever impact the direction of an event. Students don't "get" this; educating them through teaching the Civil War and Civil Rights can improve student understanding of actual change.

“We are known by being capable of rising to the occasion and exhibiting not just a sense of direction, but strength.”

Humans are capable of so much, which is what made the Civil War and Civil Rights possible. This quote resonates with me because I want my capacity to affect goodness, not conflict.

“Improvisation is one of our traits as a nation, as a people, because it was essential, it was necessary, because we were doing again and again and again what hadn’t been done before.”

I loved this quote so much I've already shared it with my husband, called my mom, and text colleagues about it. I have never thought of American in this relation before. It makes so much sense. And we can only continue improving from here.

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“It’s very easy to stand on the mountaintop as an historian or biographer and find fault with people for why they did this or didn’t do that, because we’re not involved in it, we’re not inside it, we’re not confronting what we don’t know—as everyone who preceded us always was.”

I absolutely LOVE this quote because it is one of the things that I think about constantly when teaching history.  Try as I may, I often slip into this mindset of fault-finding with people who have very different life experiences and frames of social context than I do.  In saying this, I believe that McCullough is warranting in us some introspection on how we view (and therefore teach) our students about historical events or people.  The histories that people create is based on their knowledge of the ‘now’ and we will be just as culpable in validating our own choices as those to whom we apply such high standards.

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“...nothing ever had to happen the way it happened. History could have gone off in any number of different directions in any number of different ways at any point along the way, just as your own life can. You never know. One thing leads to another. Nothing happens in a vacuum.”

In order to best help our students apply history to their own lives and see the merit of learning history, we as teachers must have as a core of our historical pedagogy that nothing has ever been set in stone.  Why would that be so important?  If our goal is to help mould the minds of young global citizens, I believe that they must have the understanding that they are (in large part) the architects of their own fate.  If students view history as this long string of things that “just happened to happen” or “were inevitable because of X, Y, and Z”, then students will miss out on understanding that they themselves can be engineers of significant change.

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“We are raising a generation of young Americans who are by-and-large historically illiterate.”“They go to schools of education or they major in education, and they graduate knowing something called education, but they don’t know a subject.”“Samuel Eliot Morison said we ought to read history because it will help us to behave better. It does.”I chose these quotes when thinking about Civil Rights, Civil War, why they still matter because I do see history getting put on the back burner. Especially in Utah, since it is not a high stakes tested subject. I completely agree that knowing about the past causes people to behave better, and we need that. However, I do agree that teachers need more training. While I try my best, I am definitely not as knowledgeable as I should be or want to be.

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“We are raising a generation of young Americans who are by-and-large historically illiterate.”“They go to schools of education or they major in education, and they graduate knowing something called education, but they don’t know a subject.”“Samuel Eliot Morison said we ought to read history because it will help us to behave better. It does.”I chose these quotes when thinking about Civil Rights, Civil War, why they still matter because I do see history getting put on the back burner. Especially in Utah, since it is not a high stakes tested subject. I completely agree that knowing about the past causes people to behave better, and we need that. However, I do agree that teachers need more training. While I try my best, I am definitely not as knowledgeable as I should be or want to be.

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One quote I really liked from this article is, "The teaching of history- emphasis on importance of history - the enjoyment of history - should begin at home.  Take children to historic sties.  Talk about characters in history that we've enjoyed."  I chose this quote because I really never have thought about the teaching of history in the home as where children should begin learning about our past.  I am always impressed with fifth graders in my classes that know and understand some things about our past, who are interested in the world today, and are critical thinkers about what is happening and what has happened in our history, around the world, in the United States, and in our own state.     There is something about those students that have already gained interest in knowing what is happening around them and can talk about it.  I am impressed with parents that choose to take their children on vacations to Washington DC, Boston, Pearl Harbor (when visiting Hawaii), and other places.  When I hear where they are traveling, I try to tell them a couple of places I recommend students visit.  I have had many parents over the past 5 or 6 years that have specifically planned vacations for their child based on what we have discussed in science or social studies, and they tell me how much their child wants to go to the places and see the things we have learned about in class.  That always makes me feel good!  But, imagine what kind of future we can have if our children are learning about history in the home, and begin to form their own opinions on issues at an earlier age.  I think it's a remarkable idea, and one that we should help our parents understand the importance of.
-Linette Sheffield

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A second quote I chose from this article is, "The great teachers - who influence you - who change your lives - almost always I'm sure , are the teachers that love what they are teaching.  If the teacher has an attitude of enthusiasm for the subject the student catches that, whether the student is in 2nd grade or graduate school."  I chose this quote because I can relate this to teachers I know I had that loved their subjects.  Ivan Dyreng, my geology teacher in high school, William Parry, my geology professor at the University of Utah, Mrs. Dowding, social studies and music in elementary school, and others.  I knew they loved what they taught, and I learned to love those things they taught about!  And, even more so, I have had many parents tell me how much their child loves what they are learning in class because they know how much I love it!  I know the enthusiasm I show in my classroom really makes a difference in the attitudes my students develop towards the subjects I teach.  I once had a student (grown to adulthood) tell me  that he learned to love music in my classroom, and has loved it ever since!  My enthusiasm has increased in teaching about the colonists and the American Revolution since my Driven 2 Teach experience many years ago.  I am happy that I can tell students first hand about what I saw and did on that PD.  In my classroom I have a large sign over my white board that reads, "Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference!"  I try to teach each day with a positive attitude and enthusiasm for what I am teaching that day.  I know it makes a difference, and kids learn to love what they are learning because I love what I am teaching!
-Linette Sheffield

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The third quote I chose from this article is, "How can we not want to know about the people who have made it possible for us to live as we live, to have the freedoms we have, to be citizens of this greatest of countries in all time?  They struggled for, strived for, suffered for, were defeated for and died for, FOR US - for the next generation."  I chose this because I find myself each year trying to teach this to my students, trying to help them understand this idea.  Specifically, when I teach about the U.S. Constitution and the beginning of our government, we memorize the preamble, and we talk about what it means to have the blessings of liberty secured for POSTERITY.  We discuss why the men who wrote this important document felt it was necessary to think about future generations, and why they would want to be sure we would be guaranteed the same rights.  When we discuss the work of the military and those so willing to serve our country to protect our freedoms, I try to help students see that we are reaping the benefits of learned men   who looked to the future.  I feel it is important to help students understand what our forefathers have done for us, and learn about those who have made these things possible.
-Linette Sheffield

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We have to do a far better job of teaching our teachers. We have too many teachers who are graduating with degrees in education. They go to schools of education or they major in education, and they graduate knowing something called education, but they don’t know a subject. They’re assigned to teach botany or English literature or history, and of course they can’t perform as they should. Knowing a subject is important because you want to know what you’re talking about when you’re teaching"

I chose this because I agree. I have a degree in Elementary Education and although I took several courses I don't often feel inadequate to teach certain subject. History being one of them.

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"And we need not leave the whole job of teaching history to the teachers. If I could have you come away from what I have to say tonight remembering one thing, it would be this: The teaching of history, the emphasis on the importance of history, the enjoyment of history, should begin at home. We who are parents or grandparents should be taking our children to historic sites. We should be talking about those books in biography or history that we have particularly enjoyed, or that character or those characters in history that have meant something to us."
I wish more parents would do this so that these kids can see things first hand. Although I don't know that the appreciation would truly bet there for kids. I visited Washington D.C. and the Mormon History sites when I was about 18 and I didn't fully appreciate where I was and what had happened there. The attitude of History needs to shift badly.