It goes about saying that history repeats itself, not necessarily in exactly the same way, and not necessarily in the way we expect, but history is definitely something we need to learn from. If we didn’t have the history books to delve into, then certain scenarios and problems that have arisen before, would just continue to happen. Humans as a whole can be quite predictable, but we want to make sure that we do the best we can for our children, and teaching our children about history and what that means for our current modern day times, is essential. So here are some reasons why we talk to our children about history often, and teach the subject in schools.
Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is an important tool for anybody to learn. If we are told a piece of information, then taking it on face value, And not questioning anything about it can be dangerous. In the modern age of social media and online content, it can be quite common for misinformation to spread. So teaching children how in the past people have thought critically and carefully about information, and situations that have happened, means that children will understand how they can apply this to their own lives. In history many people have proven this to be a useful skill, and that can be inspiring to the younger generation.
Respecting Cultures
Knowing and appreciating why other cultures do things the way they do, and how being disrespectful of this, and causing conflict around this can lead to huge wars, and loss of life, means that we can hopefully prevent that happening. Been able to talk to you and appreciate everybody as individuals, and understand that not everybody does things the same, Is helpful, and creates a much kinder world. Schools often take children on school trips to auschwitz and it can quite clearly drive the message home that if we are tolerant of bigotry then we can end up in very serious situations, so reminding the younger generation that this is important, can help prevent further conflicts.
Understand
Sometimes children can find it difficult to understand why certain things are the way they are, society sometimes demands a certain way of doing things, so helping children to understand why there is a process, why we do certain things and don’t do others, and why certain laws are in place, can all be drawn from history books. When we explain to children exactly why the law exists, how our country runs its decision-making processes, and what that means for us as a whole, it helps children to fully appreciate and maybe even contribute to in their own way the greater good. Overall understanding each other, how things work, and what we need to do to progress as a society, gives children a sense of belonging and appreciation.
Of course we can only go by what the books tell us, but with the rise of social media and the Internet, we do have access to much more information than ever before. So passing this on to our younger generation can help them with new ideas, and a full understanding of how things work.
