Why teach and study history

I chose to share this comic this week because it represents how I view the role of teaching history in school. It is beneficial to society if we are able to have a common understanding of our past. After all, it is our past that has shaped our present and will continue to influence our society in the future. At the same time, I realize that there is power located in the viewpoint that is represented in the telling of history. There is no doubt that people are able to spin the way the retell the events of the past to further their own interests. But if we can teach students to be able to do their own critical thought in a history class, then we prepare them to draw their own conclusions and not accept those of others.  That is the value that history class has. It is not about remembering names, facts, and dates. It is about crafting the ability to analyze information and discover what it means to society today.

Analytical skills have incredible value even outside of the classroom. As important events unfold in our world today, it is essential that people are able to think critically about what they are witnessing, or more often being told through media and government sources. That is why I felt this cartoon reflects my views on history. If we know about the past, and develop skills to study our society then we are working to create a more equitable world. 

I believe that studying history can help propel positive social change. Although history has been used to maintain power and the status-quo, it can also be used to change to world. As a history teacher, it is my job to find different versions of the past. As history geek, I am all for the teaching of the official story provided whom ever. There is value in learning about the most powerful people in society throughout history. We can’t ignore this part of history just as history used to ignore the voice of the minority. Rather than just provide the view of the dominant group, history class needs to also present students with the perspective of other groups in society. For me, I always found the perspective of ordinary folks to be the most interesting when studying history. When hearing stories of leaders and powerful people, I always wanted to know how the events affected the other members of society. I will try to create history lessons that provide this perspective.

I think, therefore I am...

This adaptation of the famous Descartes perfectly describes the power of thought in our society today. I believe that although our individual knowledge and ideas are influenced by society, our thoughts also have the power to inspire social change. In this sense, new ideas and voices of minoritized groups are a threat to the status-quo. An individual with the freedom of thought is a danger to the dominant groups in society. If we are going to create a more just and equitable society, we need to encourage and accept the ideas of minoritized groups. For example, by not considering the feminist perspective in epistemology, we discredit the sex of the knower as important and thus silence their voice and ideas. In our construction of what is knowledge, we only get the perspective of males. Feminism does more than just advocate for the voice of women in society; it gives voice to all other groups not represented.

As a teacher, one of the most valuable skills I can develop in students is the ability to think critically. I will encourage my students to think outside the box and challenge ideas that are considered to be truths. To do this, I will bring in numerous perspectives and ideas about any topic we study in class. I believe that by giving voice in the classroom to different groups, I am creating an environment that encourages free thought. I want to arm students and citizens with the most powerful weapon to challenge inequality in our society; thought.

 In closing I would like to share a quotation I saw from a recent teacher protest against standardized testing in Seattle. “Teacher our children to think outside the box, not fill in a circle”    

Language and Intelligence

The articles I read for this past week’s class has taught me an important lesson. As a teacher, I cannot make judgements about students based on their ability to speak Standard English. Now, I have to admit that before learning more about different forms of English, I was guilty of placing a judgement about intellectual ability on a person based on their level of Standard English. From this I can see how I have been socialized into acquainting intelligence with Standard English. After this week’s class I feel a sense of liberation from an unjust belief I used to hold. I have a great example from another part of my life that I believe illustrates that Standard English has no bearing on intelligence.

With my part time job in a lumber yard, I have had lots of interaction with people who speak slightly different than I. The majority of the customers I interact with are working class people who did not attend University after high school. Although many of these people do not use Standard English as their daily communication language, they are very much intelligent people. For example, their ability to problem solve and create in the construction industry far exceeds what a person “without intelligence” could do. As they excel in the trades, they make me, a university educated person feel inferior due to the knowledge they bring to our conversations. Although I am able to articulate better in Standard English, this skill does not have relevance in a lumber yard. In fact, when I go to work, I notice myself speaking differently than I do at school or at home. Subconsciously I do not want to sound like I don’t know what I am talking about when I speak with contractors so I subconsciously begin to emulate their way of speaking.

From this example within my own life, I can see how a person’s level of Standard of English is not a reflection of their intelligence. It is our society that has placed a higher value one on form of English over another. I believe my example illustrates that class issues also have an impact on how we value language use. As a teacher, by recognizing the association between social stratification and language, I believe I am helping to eliminate inequality in education.