History is About Stories: Everyone Can Tell Them

I would like to Begin with a short story told by William MacLean on the Halifax explosion.

 

“History teaches us a way to make choices, to balance opinions, to tell stories, and to become uneasy…about the stories we tell.” – Wineburg

“The truth about stories is, that’s all we are.” –Thomas King

During our discussions and reading about the importance of studying History these two passages stayed with me as I pondered further about why we should teach History. History is my favorite subject to study and I believe it is valuable for many reasons. History is interesting and thought provoking because of its stories. I observe a few different History classes lead by two different experienced teachers. Although I see note taking, where students yawn and massage their hands, and text book reading with questions, that make me cringe, there is something that draws students to choose to take History. So what is it then? I believe it is the stories. It is when the teacher begins to capture the class through a story that the student’s eyes light up and they begin to ask meaningful questions. The students begin to tell their own stories, for example students who study History 20 slowly begin to tell their own stories about their grandmother’s war jobs and relatives battle stories. I really like that Wineburg includes that it is important to become uneasy about the stories we tell. History is shocking and painful. But the stories that make us uneasy are the ones we cannot stop telling. For they provoke feelings and thought and act as a way to remember wrongs that society has committed.

When I was asked if the teacher’s geography lesson was boring one day, I regrettably had to say yes. I just couldn’t lie. So how could we liven this lesson up to students who have never travelled and might never get to? I think the key is through stories.  Stories allow you to create pictures and memories more than a map with questions could ever do.  

History seems to have a bad placement currently next to Social Studies in University Education courses. I think this is generally due to Histories own history of being a power filled class where students are forced to learn about facts and about western powers, but it truly has a purpose that interests students. History no longer is about memorisation and minimal viewpoints, for it offers so much more that encourages critical thinking and memorable stories. History is my first teaching area and even though my respect has grown immensely for Social Studies, I am saddened by the fact that it was the last year where it would be accepted as a lone teaching area. If I wouldn’t have been accepted into Education this year I would have not been qualified later to apply with this major and I think that is wrong. We were asked in class, “what reading, writing, questioning skills would be lost if we eliminate history?” What a great question because we would lose so much. I feel like we are making a poor step in losing history already through the education program. I am thankful for the place where I am today. I hope as a young teacher I will learn more and more stories for my future History classes so that I can help students think about making choices, about balancing opinions, get them to tell their own stories, and to become uneasy about the stories we tell because, “the truth about stories is, that’s all we are.”

-Week 6, Sarah