History is full of colorful characters, exciting events large and small, and varied stories of life. But some students still seem to think of history as just memorizing dates and such.
We recall the warning, though, that “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
That view has been expressed in different forms by many people – and it is all too true. As one current example, our nation has forgotten that massive New Deal spending failed to end the Great Depression – and Washington is now again trying to spend our way to recovery.
The issue is also current because of reports that U.S. students do worse in history than in other subjects. Only 20 percent of fourth-graders, 17 percent of eighth-graders and 12 percent of high school seniors reportedly were proficient on a particular history exam, the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
Maybe part of the problem is the way some history is taught. History shouldn’t be just “something we have to remember.”