What a provocative essay, generating much thought. If one accepts the premise that teaching history is solely for the purpose of teaching research skills, then why bother with history in particular? Why not research any subject? I think we teach history because it is a record of human ideas and values, a treasure trove of human thought and resultant action. It presents kids (and adults!) with a realm of possible choices from which to formulate a personal system of values or principles. There's a tremendous arrogance, isn't there, in assuming that each of us can arrive at these ideas naturally. Studying history gives us a wealth of ideas to consider, helps us to understand how others have formulated principles of thought and action, and allows us to make our own choices from a wider pool than just our own feelings or ideas. Perhaps our Founding Fathers (and Mothers) were flawed, but history is not just a cult of personality but a synthesis of ideas, a collective reasoning based on experience and all that has come before. I'm hoping that the lack of comment on this essay is merely a stunned response to the nihilistic tone, and that others will soon leap into the debate.

Deborah:

Well said. The tone of my piece was, at least in intention, not nihilistic but rather realistic. Over and over again I hear from librarians and even teachers that they do not like history, find it boring, think of it as names and dates. I say just the opposite, it is an opportunity to think.

Deborah:

Well said. The tone of my piece was, at least in intention, not nihilistic but rather realistic. Over and over again I hear from librarians and even teachers that they do not like history, find it boring, think of it as names and dates. I say just the opposite, it is an opportunity to think.

If Mr. Aronson's question was simple to poke a stick at a hornet's nest I hope he is successful. As a teacher responsible for social studies and English is a diploma completion program in whioh students must be at least 18 and the 'original class' graduated without them my experience is that while English still gets a bad rap historical studies are catching on. Our social studies elective curriculum is rich and tries to focus on the story not just dates, names and places.

Ideally, children are given ample opportunities to construct meaning and to make sense out of the life lived, the war fought, the idea envisioned and tried.

And, let us not forget Vygotsky and his attention to the dialogue--for it is in the discouse that the "...diligent search and the fresh thinking..." can be challenged and informed.