In modern times, social studies courses often seem to take a backseat to the STEM fields. Yet, when you study math, science, or technology, what you are actually doing is studying the history of that field. Furthermore, history courses help students form an understanding of the world around them. This aspect of teaching history is what makes history courses significant and necessary.
We live in a complex and rapidly changing world. It is often impossible to know what’s going on, let alone how we ended up here. History classes offer clarity in these otherwise confusing times. It is the history teachers who give students the crucial lenses with which young people can come to see and understand the world. Furthermore, history teachers play a critical role in the development of young people as they help to form young minds that think critically, analyze sources, and know right from wrong.
As our world begins to revolve more around STEM fields, history, too, is becoming more important than ever. Let us have the courage to teach history, and teach it well. The future of our students, communities, and world depend on it.
Nick Krautscheid
Image from Adobe Spark Creative Commons.
True. And don’t forget that history has evolved from simply studying the writings of “great white men” to more elaborate digital archives and quantitative analysis of broad groups of people.