Sep 23, 2009

Just curious

I've never cared very much about history. I was TERRIBLE at memorizing historical facts in school, no matter what era of history (Paleozoic, medieval, Elizabethan, 40 years ago) or genre of history (political, religious, national, international). I didn't care about The New Deal, the old deal, the dinosaurs, the cavemen, the Bay of Pigs, the Mayflower, or any of that.

I still don't, actually, but in a few years I'll be immersed in it again as I re-learn it with the boys. Or re-ignore it, as the case may be.

I'm actually sort of hoping that history has gotten more interesting since I tried to draw a line from "Axis" to the Axis powers and "Allied" to the Allied powers on pop quizzes. So much has happened in the last 20 years, they have to have dropped some of the old stuff, right? History class lasts 40 minutes a day, and the textbook is only so long.

Since I finished high school, the 9/11 attacks occurred, a major tsunami killed hundreds of thousands of people in Asia, Benazir Bhutto was assassinated, the Oklahoma City federal building was bombed, and we elected our first black president. (OH, AND THE INTERNET CAME ALONG. A few other things have happened, too.)

So what did I have to learn that Nathaniel won't? How do "they" decide what's no longer relevant?


Sarah T. said...

It amuses me when I can tell you've Googled things for a post. Benazir Bhutto? Really?

melanie said...

I wonder if your boys will have to learn the days the King of Rock and the King of Pop died? Significant historical events, impact on society, diabolical conspiracies... hmmmmmm?

Rachel said...

who decides these things? who decides who gets to decide? what's their criteria for leaving something out? Good questions. Hope you're having a great day!~

Sewconsult said...

Then there is the question of "what is classic literature"? Do kids still read Shakespeare & all the dark books like Wuthering Heights or memorize the prologue to the Cantebury Tales (in Middle English)? Will Harry Potter be the new classics one day?

Maybe it would be better to just give kids the Cliff notes & just call it a day!

Katherine @ Grass Stains said...

SET, I was complaining to my friend Melanie about your Google comment last night, and she was like, "You shouldn't be offended. It's totally true." To that I say, "harumph."

To everyone else, I KNOW! What ARE the current events that will be classified as historic events in a few years? Who decides? Why do they get to decide? I know they are still studying some of the classics, but what will the "new classics" be? I am flummoxed.

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