Post by emdee on Jun 12, 2008 18:36:46 GMT
I must confess that when I was in school in the 1960s, one of my pet hates was History. I failed to see the relevance of the subject matter to our lives in the 20th Century. Actually, I didn't rationalise it like that at the time, I just switched off and learned nothing, and can now analyse it and understand why.
History has become more and more fascinating to me as the years have gone by, and it is because I myself have chosen local history as an interest. the study of local history shows how and why a community has come about, and how it was moulded. This to me is much more relevant than learning about the mediaeval Kings and Queens of England, and who succeeded who on the throne. I very quickly reached the "who cares?" situation.
I feel that there should be much more emphasis on the local dimension of history in education, and am not sure if this has happened since I left the school. Local history shows you who you are and why you are as you are.
Maybe local history would be of no more interest to the average teenager than school history was to me all those years ago, but at least they would be getting something relevant to their own circumstances and community.
There is an astronomical amount of local history on the internet, and it is a pick and choose situation. Even small communities such as those in Antrim have a wealth of history that it would be impossible to access without this facility, and in this way I feel that the internet, even more so into the future will make us more aware of where we are in the wider scheme of things, and where we all fit in.
Am I alone in being a history enthusiast who was formerly a history-phobe in the school?
History has become more and more fascinating to me as the years have gone by, and it is because I myself have chosen local history as an interest. the study of local history shows how and why a community has come about, and how it was moulded. This to me is much more relevant than learning about the mediaeval Kings and Queens of England, and who succeeded who on the throne. I very quickly reached the "who cares?" situation.
I feel that there should be much more emphasis on the local dimension of history in education, and am not sure if this has happened since I left the school. Local history shows you who you are and why you are as you are.
Maybe local history would be of no more interest to the average teenager than school history was to me all those years ago, but at least they would be getting something relevant to their own circumstances and community.
There is an astronomical amount of local history on the internet, and it is a pick and choose situation. Even small communities such as those in Antrim have a wealth of history that it would be impossible to access without this facility, and in this way I feel that the internet, even more so into the future will make us more aware of where we are in the wider scheme of things, and where we all fit in.
Am I alone in being a history enthusiast who was formerly a history-phobe in the school?
