{"id":1401,"date":"2019-08-29T14:00:08","date_gmt":"2019-08-29T19:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/wels-educator\/?p=1401"},"modified":"2019-07-22T15:03:48","modified_gmt":"2019-07-22T20:03:48","slug":"why-bother-teaching-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/wels-educator\/2019\/08\/29\/why-bother-teaching-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Bother Teaching History?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by Professor Peter Baganz<\/em><\/p>\n

In the 5th<\/sup> century BC, the ancient Greek Olympics not only featured athletic competitions, but Herodotus, often considered the first historian, read his Histories <\/em>aloud to a great crowd of people. In 1893, the Chicago World\u2019s Fair not only featured the marvels of technology for that time, but Frederick Jackson Turner presented his famous \u201cFrontier Thesis.\u201d When I mention these famous historians, I tell my students that they had the greatest gig ever, to have crowds gather to hear them talk about history. Then after pausing, I point out, \u201cWait, that\u2019s what I get to do, to spend each day talking with you about history. I have the greatest gig ever!\u201d[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

History Education Is Under Attack
\n<\/strong>I hope that those of you who have the opportunity to teach history at any grade level feel the same way, because history education is often under attack. To some, the increasing emphasis on STEM education means de-emphasizing the humanities. Students are choosing college paths that they think will lead to \u201cpractical\u201d career preparation and higher-paying jobs. Since 2011, the number of students majoring in history in American colleges has declined by 33%, even though the overall number of college students has risen.[ii]<\/a> The University of Wisconsin Stevens Point made news in 2018 by eliminating the history major, although they later decided to \u201crestructure\u201d the program to permit a degree for teaching history. The University of North Dakota eliminated the graduate program in history in which I was enrolled as a doctoral student, even though the history graduate program was the oldest at the university, offering graduate degrees in history for 109 years.[iii]<\/a><\/p>\n

So why do we even bother teaching history anymore? Even in our circles, some teachers have stated that students can just look up anything on the internet anyway. Based on that theory, it is time to close schools altogether, because math, science, and even religion can be looked up on the internet also. But what \u201cfacts\u201d are students looking up, and who chose those facts? Would you really<\/strong> want children to base their religious beliefs on the first few hits on Google? I would not want my son basing his historical beliefs on the first site that pops up either.<\/p>\n

The Importance of Teaching History<\/strong>
\nHistory is so much more than just a collection of facts. For R. G. Collingwood, who wrote one of the most influential 20th-century philosophies of history, history is an inquiry into the past, interpreting evidence for the sake of knowledge of past human decisions.[iv]<\/a> To Peter Gay, author of a four-volume anthology of the greatest historians, history is critical thinking about the past.[v]<\/a> Historians pose questions. They search for resources that provide the most pertinent evidence to answer those questions. They formulate answers to those questions. Then they maintain an ongoing dialogue with others to test those answers. These all use higher-order thinking skills that we value in education, and history is one of the best fields for developing those skills in children.<\/p>\n

Those who devalue history in favor of more \u201cpractical\u201d job skills are missing an important point. Jobs in today\u2019s world are changing at an ever-faster pace. \u201cPractical\u201d skills are sometimes for positions that will not be needed in another five years. Meanwhile, research and critical thinking skills are beneficial in many types of work. Evidence shows that while students with business degrees often earn more immediately after graduation, students with degrees in the humanities catch up to them in salary within a few years. Many top leaders of Fortune 500 companies have stated that the soft skills of the humanities are far more beneficial in the long run than a business degree. A Time <\/em>magazine article showing that the CEOs of Hewlett-Packard, YouTube, Chipotle, and other major corporations all had history degrees supports this thought.[vi]<\/a><\/p>\n

In addition to the skills history education provides individuals, it is also important to remember the values history education provides for our society. History teaches us what we have and how it was developed. It develops a greater appreciation for what others sacrificed and achieved to create today\u2019s freedoms and technologies. A good history education also provides students with experience at reading and comprehending multiple perspectives. Today in America, it seems that few people are willing to listen to the viewpoints of others anymore, much less try to understand them. A good history education may help bring some of those qualities back to our society.<\/p>\n

Far more important than any of these earthly factors are the blessings of seeing God\u2019s will carried out throughout the history of the world. As the sainted Professor Theodore Hartwig put it, \u201cGod has made us human beings to share in the management of his creation. We serve as cooperators in this way, that he exercises his lordship through our freedoms to think, to act, to make decisions. He hides himself behind our activities.\u201d[vii]<\/a> Through history, we can see how God gives us free will as humans, yet ultimately makes sure that his will and purposes are still carried out in this world.<\/p>\n

This is why I feel I have the greatest gig ever, the chance to not only share the stories and lessons of history daily, but also the opportunity to discuss how God has guided it all. It is my fervent hope that all of you who have the opportunity to teach history at any level have the same love for your subject and for the students you are preparing for the future.<\/p>\n

Peter Baganz (DMLC \u201987) serves as professor of history and social sciences at Martin Luther College.<\/em><\/p>\n

__________________<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> What are these strange things at the bottom?\u00a0 They are footnotes, because this document is about history, and footnotes are what historians use for documentation.<\/p>\n

[ii]<\/a> Benjamin Schmidt, \u201cThe History BA Since the Great Recession,\u201d Perspectives on History, <\/em>November 26, 2018, www.historians.org.<\/p>\n

[iii]<\/a> William Caraher, \u201cHistory at the University of North Dakota, 1885 \u2013 1970\u201d (Unpublished history of University of North Dakota History Department, 2009), 29-30.<\/p>\n

[iv]<\/a> R. G. Collingwood, The Idea of History<\/em> (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946), 9-11.<\/p>\n

[v]<\/a> Peter Gay, Historians at Work<\/em>, Vol 1 (New York: Harper & Row, 1972), xi.<\/p>\n

[vi]<\/a> Jack Linshi, \u201c10 CEOs Who Prove Your Liberal Arts Degree Isn\u2019t Worthless\u201d Time <\/em>(July 23, 2015) Time.com.<\/p>\n

[vii]<\/a> Theodore J. Hartwig, \u201cThe Christian Understanding of History as Mystery,\u201d The Lutheran Educator<\/em> (October 2002), 23.<\/p>\n

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