Imagine trying to learn the history of the world in less than a year. Contemplate, for a moment, the thought of trying to learn this nation’s complete history in nine broken-up school months. Much has been made lately of the sorry scores our nation’s youth received on history tests. As a history teacher in Chicago, these results come as no surprise, especially when you look at the way we shape our history curriculum here. Chicago high school students are required to take one year of world history and one year of U.S. history in order to graduate. It is unrealistic and unfair to assume that all of our students can become knowledgeable world and U.S. historians in such a short amount of time.
You might be able to program some students to memorize important historical facts and figures, but have they really learned the true drama, beauty and importance of history if all they can do is spit back information they were able to memorize?
Want our nation’s youth to be able to use lessons of the past to solve problems we face in the world today? Require our students to spend more time in school studying world and U.S. history, de-emphasize standardized exams and encourage teachers to measure a student’s knowledge of history by more authentic means.
JASON WOZNIAK.
