September 14, 2010

[dreamerofdreams]

Two days in, and nothing terribly disastrous has occurred. I have to say, I'm quite pleased with how classes have gone. I'm not sure I've won them over with my campaign to convince them that History is Fun! but I'll keep trying.

Mr. Moreau, if you were ever looking for an example of irony, I have one for you. I forgot to mention to my students that I have a terrible memory. Yes, forgot. I fully intended to tell them.

Although with the way these things are all networked up, I suppose they know now.

So I'll make it an official announcement. I have a terrible memory. It is likely to take me longer to learn all of your names and faces than your other teachers. I apologize in advance if I call you by something other than your name.

I ask that you do not attempt to exploit this fact. I do have pictures of all of you, so if you try to claim to be someone else, I will know it. But I'm trusting you all to treat me with the same amount of respect as I intend to treat all of you.

If any of you have suggestions of topics that you would like to cover, please let me know. There is, of course, required curriculum, but I am more than happy to try to integrate the things that you want to learn about (history related, please, and try to keep it PG-13?) along with those that the state says you must.

I hope that everyone has had a good start to the year.

Comments

[forthegwyn]

History of cheerleading?

[dreamerofdreams]

I'm not sure that particular topic will appeal to a broad enough audience to have it taught as a class topic, but I welcome you to use it as your topic for your first assignment, which I will be presenting a bit later in the week.

[forthegwyn]

Really? I guess if you say so. Kthx anyway!

[dreamerofdreams]

There will be a oral presentation portion, so you will have an opportunity to present your topic to the class. I don't think I would be qualified to hold forth at length on it; I'll leave it to the expert.

[forthegwyn]

Awesome!!

[redwoodresonance]

What about desk tags?

I use a seating chart, personally, until I get everyone's names.

[dreamerofdreams]

I have a seating chart with little pictures of them on it, so I have a face to match with the name to make sure they're all where they're supposed to be.

It was KC's idea. Rather brilliant, I thought.

[dareme]

People have mixed me and Gwynnie up even though we totally don't look anything alike and supposedly they have good memories. So it's okay if you do. I won't be surprised at all.

And I'd like to see a history of explorers doing things people thought were going to kill them but that turned into these amazing things that changed the world. Or inventors. Or well, just people who changed the world even though everyone else told them not to do it.

I also think the way religions changed as the world expanded is a pretty neat topic. But I'm kind of not very good with the whole God thing and other people might be kind of offended by it.

[forthegwyn]

I'm the one who isn't in trouble! ;)

[dreamerofdreams]

That remains to be seen, doesn't it?

[dreamerofdreams]

Explorers and inventors and revolutionaries of all sorts. I think I ought to be able to work that in somehow.

I don't believe I would be qualified to speak to how religion changed as the world expanded; that seems more a topic of theology than history. On the other hand, it's likely that there will be at least some discussion of the impact that religion has had on the world, as there are periods in history in which it is absolutely critical.

Look at Jeanne D'Arc, and what she accomplished because she was called to by God. Look at the Crusades. Religion and history are very much intertwined.

[not_quite_there]

What about the persecution of those with differences? Following up on the Crusades - witch hunts, etc.

Sort of the real world parallels to the war on mutants in X-men.

[dreamerofdreams]

And rather apropos, considering who we all are. I'm sure that there will be many opportunities to examine instances of this throughout history. Thank you for the suggestion.

[not_quite_there]

Seemed relevant. Especially for those of us graduating this year.

[dareme]

It's actually kind of a mythological thing. Like, the Greeks and Romans and Christianity and how different religions took on the pieces of the other religions because of political reasons. My mom used to talk about it. She's not so good with God either. Or rather, she's really truly fascinated by God. All of them.

Do you think God really talked to Joan of Arc or do you think she was just insane?

[dreamerofdreams]

Does it matter why she did what she did? It doesn't change the fact that she changed the world.

I hate to disappoint you, but I still think that's more theology than history. The first bit you said, I mean. Or, rather, it would be better taught by a theology professor, or someone whose focus in history was religious studies. It is, of course, history, but not something I know a great deal about, and I suspect not something I could learn enough about in a short period of time to teach it appropriately.

[dareme]

I don't know if it matters, but I'm still curious. I mean. Weren't there things that made like wheat go bad and then people heard voices. Could they change the world too? Could eating bad oatmeal make people think God's telling them to go fight injustice?

[dreamerofdreams]

I don't think we'll ever know why Joan of Arc did what she did; whether it was rotten wheat or divine inspiration.

And again, I'm not sure it matters what inspires people to do good. Personally, I'm more concerned with what causes people to do evil, and it can certainly be argued that as much bad has been done in the name of God as good.

[traveling_trickster]

Can we learn about something that isn't old white men fighting over crap?

[dreamerofdreams]

It was rarely the old white men doing the fighting, but I daresay that's not what you mean.

I would be happy to discuss things other than the usual wars. Do you have anything in particular you'd like to cover?

[traveling_trickster]

It's the old white men that usually start the fighting, even if they aren't man enough to do the actual fighting. Or at least the fights they keep insisting on teaching us about.

I don't know. Something more interesting than the usual Europeans decided they wanted a place and took it over.

[dreamerofdreams]

I confess, my primary areas of study are European and American history, so quite a lot of what I know is 'Europeans decided they wanted a place and took it over'. I am happy to do research on other things to present, but it would be helpful to have some idea of what, out of an entire world of history, you would find more interesting.