To me, being a history teacher is more than ‘teaching kids about the past’. I prefer to relate history as the yesterdays which influence our today, which in turn shapes tomorrow and the many tomorrows thereafter.
A wise man once said, “Study the past if you would define the future.” (Confucius – Philosopher). For me, this rings true.
Studying history, indeed ‘the past’, is not for everyone. Some students absolutely love it, some sigh and utter with eyes raised, “but why do we have to learn about the past?”. This is a great question and one which I have heard many, many times. My reply is usually along the lines of “we are all part of history, you have a history, you are here today and I hope that you will be here tomorrow. Each day is important.” That’s my belief as to why we should study history. Like Confucius before me implied, the future awaits us. It is a journey not yet taken. From our past we have learned valuable lessons in how to move forward and define the future. Studying history need not be boring. It is an acknowledgement of those who went before us, an interaction with those around us today and an insight into what comes next. The reality is that history is life.
To acknowledge the yesterdays and appreciate those who went before us, to connect with you all today in order to predict a better tomorrow, I’d like to share an important day with you, an important day in history: 8th May 1945. The day that Germany surrendered, the day that World War II officially ended in Europe. The end of the atrocities inflicted by Hitler and the Nazi party.
This date was celebrated then, and I believe it should still be celebrated today.
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