When I was in grade school, my best subjects were always those where the work involved getting the right answer: science and math. I did not fare as well in English, history, and social studies. History, in particular, was not my best subject. To be clear, I never failed a history class. But I never excelled and never really enjoyed my classes.
Was I just not interested? Did I not have good teachers? Did I not understand the point? Do I not have an aptitude for the subject? Were the curriculums bad? I don’t know. I remember, in my years of schooling, one or two teachers who were good. As a result, I can remember their classes. One was in 11th grade, I think. That class was a mixed bag of American and European history. The other was 10th grade, which was mostly European history. I cannot recall learning anything in school about Asian, African, or South American history, and the history I remember learning was confined to the time period between the discovery of America and World War II.
Perhaps it was not one factor but several that ‘limited my enthusiasm’ for the subject. I probably had some bad teachers. Our curriculums may not have always been the best. I probably was disinterested or didn’t understand the point.
Over the last several years, after finishing Neal Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle of novels, I found myself drawn to history. But it was not the sort of history that you normally see taught in grade school. Some of the histories I’ve eagerly consumed include:
- A Clockwork Universe by Edward Dolnick, a history that directly informed much of Neal Stephenson’s work
- The Information by James Gleick, a history of the birth of information science
- Why Taiwan Matters by Shelley Rigger, a history of Taiwan
- Extra Virginity by Tom Mueller, a history of olive oil
- A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage, a history of alcohol
- Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson, a history of food
- 1491 and 1493 by Charles C. Mann, both histories that examine the impact of the discovery of America
- Grocery by Michael Ruhlman, a history of grocery stores in the United States
- The Arabs by Eugene Rogan, a political history of how the Middle East evolved between the 1400s and 1900s
- The End is Always Near by Dan Carlin, an examination of how civilizations decline throughout history
I’m currently reading The Great Influenza by John Barry. It’s supposed to be a history about the pandemic if 1918, but it has also taught me so much about American political history between the Civil War and World War I. It’s maybe one of the best books I’ve read.
In all of this reading, and in examining my own change in feelings about history, I have to wonder if there’s something to be learned about how history is taught. It almost makes me want to become a history teacher. If someone like me can find a love of history after so many years of indifference, maybe there’s a way to make kids enjoy it as well. I’m not expecting that there’s a way to turn young people into a bunch of wannabe history majors, but maybe there’s a way to encourage an appreciation for history, a way to tell some of the good, important stories that are our there.
Was I just not interested? Did I not have good teachers? Did I not understand the point? Do I not have an aptitude for the subject? Were the curriculums bad? I don’t know. I remember, in my years of schooling, one or two teachers who were good. As a result, I can remember their classes. One was in 11th grade, I think. That class was a mixed bag of American and European history. The other was 10th grade, which was mostly European history. I cannot recall learning anything in school about Asian, African, or South American history, and the history I remember learning was confined to the time period between the discovery of America and World War II.
Perhaps it was not one factor but several that ‘limited my enthusiasm’ for the subject. I probably had some bad teachers. Our curriculums may not have always been the best. I probably was disinterested or didn’t understand the point.
Over the last several years, after finishing Neal Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle of novels, I found myself drawn to history. But it was not the sort of history that you normally see taught in grade school. Some of the histories I’ve eagerly consumed include:
- A Clockwork Universe by Edward Dolnick, a history that directly informed much of Neal Stephenson’s work
- The Information by James Gleick, a history of the birth of information science
- Why Taiwan Matters by Shelley Rigger, a history of Taiwan
- Extra Virginity by Tom Mueller, a history of olive oil
- A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage, a history of alcohol
- Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson, a history of food
- 1491 and 1493 by Charles C. Mann, both histories that examine the impact of the discovery of America
- Grocery by Michael Ruhlman, a history of grocery stores in the United States
- The Arabs by Eugene Rogan, a political history of how the Middle East evolved between the 1400s and 1900s
- The End is Always Near by Dan Carlin, an examination of how civilizations decline throughout history
I’m currently reading The Great Influenza by John Barry. It’s supposed to be a history about the pandemic if 1918, but it has also taught me so much about American political history between the Civil War and World War I. It’s maybe one of the best books I’ve read.
In all of this reading, and in examining my own change in feelings about history, I have to wonder if there’s something to be learned about how history is taught. It almost makes me want to become a history teacher. If someone like me can find a love of history after so many years of indifference, maybe there’s a way to make kids enjoy it as well. I’m not expecting that there’s a way to turn young people into a bunch of wannabe history majors, but maybe there’s a way to encourage an appreciation for history, a way to tell some of the good, important stories that are our there.