I have never been a big history fanatic. I even broke up with a guy in high school because he was so interested in history that it bored me to tears. When someone says the word “history” I recall the days when teachers asked us to memorize names, dates, timelines and insignificant details that I would not remember after taking our multiple choice test. Ninety-nine percent of things I know about history has come from my family. My grandpa served in World War II so I learned all my information about this war from him. My mom’s older brother is a history fanatic so I have learned many interesting details about the Civil War, the Great Depression, the Cold War, the War of 1812 and so on from him. We also took many family trips that taught me a lot about history. With 2008 being a presidential election year, I listened to my parents talk about history and even did a little research myself to help make a decision on which presidential candidate to vote for. Other than my family’s influence and a little research I have done myself on history, I recall very few history ideas that I have taken away from school.
With this said, it should not be a surprise that when I was told my education class at Meredith would be visiting the History Museum in Raleigh, I was not enthused. All I could think about was all the boring exhibits I would have to visit and how bad my feet would hurt walking around the large building. The night before our visit I tried to think of all the good things about going to the museum. First, we would not have to be in class until 8pm. That is a plus right? Second, I have a lot of things at home I need to get done so maybe we would dismiss early and I could go home and clean up around the house. Third, I would be able to move around and not have to sit in a seat for 4 hours. (Although Dr. Duncan is very interesting I have much trouble sitting still for long periods of time). These are all positives, right?
The day of the visit finally came. I arrived at the museum at 2:00pm ready to get started. First, we were directed to a room where we received some great magazines. Next, a lady spoke to us for over an hour. She gave us WONDERFUL ideas. She discussed field trips, lesson plans for teachers, pre-trip information, post-trip information, teacher workshops, outreach services, junior historians club and much, much more that the museum has to offer to educators. Before stepping foot into the exhibits I was already impressed. I looked through the magazines we were given and there are great articles to use in the classroom. Also, I learned so many valuable things that will help me in the classroom. For the first time I became excited not only about teaching history but learning more about history. I even caught myself today reading articles from the magazines we received (maybe my ex-boyfriend wouldn’t be so boring now :)).
After our discussion we toured the museum. Now, my family wasn’t a museum visiting family but we did like to travel. I learned many great things about history by taking family trips to places such as Mount Saint Helens, Mount Rainer, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, the Great Salt Lake in Utah, the Totem Poles in Canada, Salt Lake City right before the Olympics in 2004, Vancouver in 2008 (as they prepare for the 2010 Olympic games), etc.
As we began our tour I begin to think, “Well the first part of this presentation was great, maybe this will be great too.” We toured many exhibits such as A Call to Arms, North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, Tar Heel Junior Historian Association, Knights of the Black Flag and a few other interesting exhibits. In those two hours I learned TONS about the different wars, different North Carolinians who were great in sports and a lot about pirates. For the first time ever I became excited about teaching my students history and I became eager to learn more about history myself. This museum was FANTASTIC. They have tons and tons of great resources for students and teachers and they have many wonderful exhibits for everyone. I am so glad Dr. Duncan took us to the museum. I have become very interested in history and am very excited about teaching history. This is a wonderful museum and I recommend that EVERYONE go.
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Heather, I like you personal anecdote about ending a relationship with someone due to being "bored to tears" by his interest in history. At first I thought that was a funny story and left it at that. However, in thinking about it further, I think that situation brings up an important point; as teachers we will need to make social studies something that is interesting and fun so that our students will want to talk about it in the hallways, at lunch, or on dates (not that elementary school students will or should be dating). We need to give our students engaging authentic tasks so that doing research is a "cool" thing to do. Such projects/investigations should further be a source of classroom bonding, as studnets are encouraged to work together to reach a common learning goal. It will be our job to make sure all of our studnets can be involved. We can encourage that by integrating the social studies tasks with various subjuct areas, so that all students are likely to find a way to include thier personal interest and or strengths in the project. Overall, I just want to say thank you, Heather, for sharing your personal story, which reminds me about the real interests and priorities of students so that I can better reach them.
ReplyDeleteSorry, the first line of my post should read: Heather, I like "your" personal anecdote...
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post, Heather! Your personal travels to learn history and connections with your family are a blessing and one which you should be very proud. Not many families have the opportunity to "learn" history in such an active way. With that being said, I also found a stark contrast in your educational experience. I'm so glad that this trip sparked that renewed interest in history. Your students will benefit from your passion, enthusiasm, and inability to sit for 4 hours :)
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