Question for teachers - Why do kids need to learn history?

Question

Everyone in my family agrees that learning History is a waste of time. Not only to kids not enjoy it and find it needlessly boring (myself being one of them), but they will not ever need it in life. Think about it. When are you going to need to know who the first settlers in *insert random state her* were, and when they got there? Exactly my point - you will not. The state is just a state that modern day people live in. Who cares about these pointless facts? And of course, that is only one example of many. There are many unneeded things that are forcibly taught in History.

So I ask you - Why?

Oh ,and I realize there are typos there. >_>; I don't double check. I type too fast sometimes. You should understand what I mean, though.

Oh ,and I realize there are typos there. >_>; I don't double check. I type too fast sometimes. You should understand what I mean, though.

Answer 1

Learning history serves multiple purposes. The thing that most people get wrapped up in about history is the dates and names that make up the larger picture. However, the art of historical learning is not in the names and dates, but rather the bigger picture.
Take your ipod for example, it did not just appear out of nowhere. It was not an independent, spontaneous invention. Its development lies in the history of computers and technology.
The same applies to all human activity. You do not wear jeans because they are a modern invention, you wear them because during the gold rush a German immigrant needed pants that could withstand the rugged mining environment and using what he had on hand, denim and brass clasps, he fashioned himself a new, durable pair of pants. His friends, seeing what he had created, order some pants from him and Levi's is born.
Learning history also provides a great deal of useful skills, like being able to digest and respond to large amounts of documentation, the ability to think critically, the necessary writing skills for the modern work place, et cetera. You should be looking at why you don't like to learn history and not asking why it is necessary. It is necessary for reasons far beyond the obvious.

Answer 2

I agree that you, and those in your family, are unfortunately, wrong.
One glaring example - topical to say the least - is that all young men at age 18 are required to register with Selective Service, the Draft. We are in a War which will undoubtedly go on for decades if not forever. It is my personal opinion that a Draft wil be inevitable.
If you don't know anything about the History of the Middle East, will any of you know what you're fighting and dying for?
If you don't know anything about the History of the United States, will you know why you're there?
It would be most helpful if you did.
It starts with the "Cradle of Civilization" - continues through the Middle Ages, the Rennaissance, the two World Wars and their outcomes, the fall of the Shah of Iran, the establishment of the State of Israel...Palestine...
You also will be less likely to be drafted if you're in College - and further less likely to be in the infantry if you have a skill that keeps you behind a desk Stateside.
A good education is your best personal defense against being drafted and thrown into the desert against your will.
It will also, provide you with options you will be better able to choose from should you be drafted and/or decide to join the Military.
The Military is a noble profession and we owe our freedom to those who have fought and sometimes died for it. Wouldn't you like to know why - or do you just want to have to be a grunt with no input in your own future.
You also have to learn and pass History or you won't graduate from High School which will restrict your options drastically.

Answer 3

I answer -

The question is why are things like the first settlers, the Mayans & Incas, and the history of the English kings taught...when a kid in middle or high school today couldn't tell you who the last 5 presidents were, what war his grandfather fought in or why we are fighting with Iran/Iraq or Syria.
I'm 42 years old and can tell you that I was taught nothing about WWI or WWII when I was in school. Now I find out that my uncle is a renowned hero of WWII, who has written several books and still travels the world telling his story at 93 years old. Imagine the lessons & stories I could have learned from him 20 or 25 years ago - it's a real shame that I had to google it to find out about MY history.
Here's 2 questions for anyone 30 or older...
1) When did WWI & WWII take place?
2) Who did we fight in both of them?
I'm 100% sure that the majority of you have to look it up just like I did. THAT is NOT a pointless fact.

Answer 4

Ok, so here we go.
1) So history doesn't repeat itself and
2) So we can learn about who has done great things in the past, and how they did it.
Lets face it, history may very well be boring, but what would you do if another Ice age happened? Would you have an idea? All the food would be gone, no heating or anything. Looking back on the past is a great way to prepare for whatever the future may bring.

Answer 5

I'm not a teacher, and I hated learning all those dates and names. But, as I've gotten older, I've learned that you have to know where you've been to know where you're going... or, should go. That includes our place in society, and in the world. Besides, haven't hear ever heard of learning from other people's successes and failures? You would look pretty silly if you thought the world was flat in this day and age, but the only way to find out they were wrong before was by discovering otherwise. And, I have a real problem with re-inventing the wheel... So, yeah... you're gonna need to know this stuff. Suck it up. It's probably an easy "A" anyway. :-)

Answer 6

History defines who we are now. If you don't understand who you were, or where your culture comes from, there is no way to understand why it is the way it is now. Suck it up and stop griping. If your parents are encouraging this level of idiocy in your family, I encourage them to do the same. Just because you can't see any immediate "need" for such "unneeded" information doesn't mean you shouldn't learn it. There is a reason why the United States is falling behind every other developed country in education, and that reason is attitudes like this one.

Answer 7

Because the one "hispanics" which can be valuable to american historical past are the mexicans. The Mexican American War and it is so much big contributors are stated in American historical past. If you're asking why we aren't dedicating a complete month to Hispanic or Mexican Americans my wager is when you consider that they were not suppressed as African Americans have been for so long as they have been. African Americans have been suppressed for an extended adequate interval of time in American to broaden a there possess tradition, track, and so forth within the United States. Learning approximately Mexican or hispanic historical past and tradition might ne whatever for a older international historical past magnificence. So rather what your feeling is a fake experience entitlement. If America gave Mexicans a complete month then we would ought to provide the chinese language a month additionally. Because many Chinese immigrants got here to paintings within the West in the course of the gold rush to paintings. Really the Native Americans might be commemorated earlier than someone. They rather deserve a complete month if no longer extra to precise themselves and percentage the historical past and tradition.

Answer 8

have you ever heard the saying: "By looking in the past, one can predict the future"? What it means, it that we, as human being, haven't changed over past 5000-6000 years. We are still greedy, cowardly species, willing to kill each other for all the wrong reasons. If you trace the history, most wars started for the same reasons, most civilizations collapsed the same way. History tends to repeat itself, and if we paid attention to history and tried to learn from our past mistakes as human kind, we'd be better off tomorrow. Except, some of us consider history a "waste of time", which is a pretty ignorant statement, no matter which way you put it

Answer 9

Are ya kiddin' me? Putting aside the fact that history teaches us our mistakes and achievements as part of the human race...haven't you ever been in a conversation where people are talking about history? Do you wanna look like a dum-dum with no opinions or viewpoints? Do you ever play board games? Do you ever watch Jeopardy, wouldn't you like to be able to know some answers? These are trite reasons, however, they are examples of when history is used. It's really sad that your family agrees with you. I wouldn't want to be invited to their dinner parties.

Deliverance?! - Oops, sorry it just popped into my mind for some reason...huh.

Answer 10

How wrong you are.
Everything that has happened up to now is "history."
All of our science is history. Galileo is history, yet read his notebooks as he was looking at the moons of Jupiter and watching the phases of Venus. His observatations are thoroughly modern, and the would-be scientist today will marvel at how perceptive he was both in his ability to observe, and with the saneness of his interpretations of what he was seeing. To study science is to study the HISTORY of thought.
I dare you to read Winston Churchill and not be thrilled by that man. Yes, he is history--brilliant history. His powers of observation and his ability to express himself are wonderful to behold. World War II is history at its thrillingest--provided you get beyond rote learning of facts and discover the human personalities behind history.Stalin, Hitler, Roosevelt--and Churchill. Churchill wrote as well as any person in the English language--are you listening, Shakespeare?
Ever heard of Abraham Lincoln? Probably not--since you don't like history. He was a former president of the United States. Go deeper. Study his pre-presidential life. Here was a lawyer who had a sense of values when lawyering the most mundane of cases.
Theodore Roosevelt? Ever heard of him? Read about his fascinating pre-presidential life. Had he never become president, he would make a fascinating read. He was probably the greatest person as non-president (before he became president) before history chose to make him president.
Do not throw away history. History may chose to throw YOU away. If American is ever lost, it will be lost by those who have lost her history and have lost their way.