why is it in school and high school, the teachers do not get into depth about history?

Question

though a college professor goes beyond

Answer 1

Parents won't allow it! High School has to be PC. God forbid your teacher tells you that Communism has some merits or that United States was wrong about something they once did! I mean, that's heresey!

Also, college specializes. Primary and Secondary school is to aquaint you with the basics.

Also state school programs stress a program that covers decades in one semester and text books are fixed for each school. So, all your teacher can do is teach the program.

Finally, your teacher has only 4 years of college in which they only took 40 semester hours of History and then they went another year for a credential. Most college instructors have their MA degree and are working for or already have their PH D and have done research and been published.

One can easily spend 4 years studying the Mercantile system.

One year in the revolutionary war can take a whole 4 years of college to explore if you want to do it indepth!

Answer 2

Simply stated, because the high school curriculum is so FULL of stuff to learn, it is extremely difficult and almost impossible to learn anything in depth. Each year the state (I'm in NY) adds more to the curriculum, but they don't take anything out.

To use an analogy, think of a big buffet with 100 foods. You are required to taste each food in a two hour time span. You can only have a little bit (like one bite or two) of each food in order accomplish the task. If you spend too much time and energy eating one particular food you enjoy, you'll run out of time or you'll get too full.

Similarly, there isn't time to get into deep discussions and explorations of periods of history, because there are too many things to learn.

In college, you can take a history class that is focused on an era (like Civil War) or a perspective (Like women in history) allowing you to get more in depth.

Answer 3

College professors can concentrate on more specifics than high school teachers can. High school gives you the broad picture, then, when you get to college, you learn the details.

When I was a freshman in college, I remember saying to a friend, "Wow! I can't believe that I have learned so much in such a short time!"

Answer 4

Remember, in secondary education the subject area is called SOCIAL studies, not history. There may be classes in the curriculum with 'history' in the title, but the overall goal is to develop an understanding of society interactions (The 'question of 'Why things happen', not so much 'what happened').

For example here are two ways to look at The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.
Lets say as a social studies teacher (which I am) I focused on the details - lets say places like Port Arthur and the Sea of Japan, Economic growth charts for Japan, list of naval tonnage, military command structures, major people, tactics used in battles, naval actions, Americas diplomatic efforts, names of the US ambassadors, T.R.'s Secretary of State. Location of the Peace Conference, Specific results of the peace conference,... blah blah blah.
Then I give you a test with questions like . Explain the strategy used by Rear Admiral Zinovi Petrovitch Rozhdestvenski in the Battle of TSUSHIMA? Matching: Match the following people with their proper title: Admiral Togo, Count Witte, Theodore Roosevelt....

While all the details are fascinating for a history geek like me, and might interest a handful of students - teaching all these details really does nothing to help my students function in society or to be an informed citizenry.

Now lets say I teach the same topic, but instead I focus on the 'why' and the social/societal issues. Using this strategy I would focus on the lessons we as modern Americans can take from this war - Russia considered Japan and all 'Yellow' people as inferior. The mindset throughout all of Europe was that people of the inferior races couldn't possible defeat a European power in a modern war.
Russia lost it's Eastern Navy to Japan and to save face and to teach the Japanese a lesson they sent their European Navy half way across the planet to destroy the Japanese. The Japanese defeated The second Navy in the decisive Battle of Tsushima.

American President Teddy Roosevelt mediated a peace settlement. Although the Japanese government accepted peace, the Japanese people saw this as American meddling which lead to the start of Anti-Americanism in Japan, which would eventually culminate in the Attack on Pearl Harbor.

Question: What lessons can you draw from Russia’s attitudes toward Japan that apply to American society today?



A rather long example for an explanation to your question, but I hope it makes you think about the role of social studies and why it is taught the way it is.

Answer 5

good question.

the reason is because most young kids aren't that smart to really comprehend history.
history is complex and difficult for a young unmature brain to understand at the 14-17 age range.
history is also very distorted..so the history you may have read in school books are biased and convoluted..and perhaps misleading in some ways.

think about it.

america has always been protrayed as this great, wonderful, heroic country..we always win right?

not true.

got our asses kicked in Vietnam.
got nailed in Korea.

history is not that difficult..the bottom line is the winner always gets to write history.
remember that.

losers don't write dick.

Answer 6

It depends upon the dedication of the teacher... I LOVED my Freshman US History H class, because we learned about specific laws, lawsuits, acts, campaign tactics, trusts, politics, and economics... In high school they're training the future of America... The future employees and the future employers... The office workers and the farmers... History doesn't rank high on some profession's priorities...
Unfortunately...

Answer 7

Because if you really love history (like I do), you need to go to university or college to get the level of education you desire. Good luck. I am studying to be an historian in the field of British monarchs. It's fascinating.

Answer 8

Usually its a time factor. A general survey course such as those in high school have to meet the basics mandated by the state.

Answer 9

Exit tests don't stress history knowledge. It seems "education" has become test preparation and little else.

Answer 10

cuz they dont have knowledge in depth