Learning to Teach History by Conner

Learning to Teach History by Conner - October 2016 Scholarship Essay

Learning about the history of the world through documents, stories, and artifacts left behind to be discovered is unbelievably exciting and paints a profoundly beautiful picture of the many different cultures and environments the planet has sheltered throughout time. To be able to teach that history to others and instill the same love of the past and hope for the future through education would be extremely satisfying to me. Because history holds so many distinct and different time periods, the subject can appeal to many groups of people with differing interests. The biggest advantages to teaching the world's long history are the small pieces of knowledge that nobody knows, the advantages to learning from our past mistakes through historical discussion and analysis, and the appreciation of the people and items that were left behind to be discovered.
Typically, when somebody thinks about learning history, they would imagine learning all the leaders, the wars, movements, discoveries and information of that nature. As many of my teachers in the past have taught me, some of the most riveting knowledge comes from the smaller stories and generally lost information that is not widely remembered but still impactful. It's a strategy that I would use to make teaching history all the more invigorating to those I taught. Learning hidden gems throughout history has made my process of learning much more like a treasure hunt and I would hope to inspire that same mentality in someone else. To find out that some of the most influential leaders in the history of the world were at one time headstrong empowered youths or learning the secret strategy that may have turned the tide in a war change bland monotonous information into astonishing and relatable nuggets of records.
Another reason to teach history is that it helps the people of today prevent mistakes of our past. Recording catastrophes that occurred such as the stock market crash in the 1920's helped present day society avoid earth shattering errors themselves. Time and time again the world faces and conflict and one can hope that through records and documentation that these problems will never be suffered again. While history helps prevents mistakes of past cultures, it also provides a unique bridge for people today to improve and finish inventions that were limited by the past resources. Taking inspiration from Da Vinci's flying machine or perfecting irrigation from the Mesopotamian Empire have shaped the world today. The population living today so often forgets to appreciate the influence the past has had on us and it is important to give credit through history to those who helped mold society.
Finally, the greatest motivation for me to teach history is simply appreciation of the cultures and creativity of those in the past. There are so many beautiful aspects of the world that can be found in this present time, but there are thousands are awe inspiring artifacts, architecture, and pieces of art that deserve the utmost respect because of the talent and creative elements that were used in an earlier and sometimes more primitive era. Buildings like the Coliseum or structures like the Eiffel Tower that were so ahead of their time technologically can only be described as amazing. The Mona Lisa and the Sistine Chapel showcase some one of a kind beauty that can never be repeated. These sights and stunning artifacts are a gigantic reason that I would be so compelled to teach this specific subject.
In conclusion, history is near infinite knowledge and a connection to the world before us and provides us with hidden gems of information, lessons to learn from, and some of the most spectacular creativity for us to admire. Without history, people will be forced to make the same errors over and over and as each generation passes on to the next, none of the innovative and wonderful wealth of knowledge will be passed on with it. Being able to learn as much as I desire and share all of the joyful things I have learned would give me great satisfaction.