“Amat’s shift from distrust of narratives in history classes to a wholehearted support of and engagement with our style of historical analysis demonstrates why engaging students in the learning process is so important.” (Vecchiola, 120)
This quote stuck with me because of the nature of the area I grew up in, as well as the schools that I have completed previous field experiences in. In my hometown of Elon, NC, there is a large portion of students in my high school and the surrounding areas (that I was once part of) who believe in a Civil War narrative called The Lost Cause. This is an idea that prevails through generational knowledge and is something that many people genuinely believe is true concerning the Confederacy, slavery, and states’ rights. Because of this idea, there is a general distrust in many American history classes. This is also the case in many of the rural schools I have completed field experiences in. When teachers decide to incorporate primary source analysis into their history courses, ideas like The Lost Cause are disproved. Students can see for themselves what firsthand accounts from any given time period actually say about events, and can be assured that the knowledge they are acquiring isn’t propaganda.
“Lauren noticed the pattern of making broad generalizations about a group of people based on the actions of a few and realized that our current moment presents examples of similar mistakes.” (Vecchiola, 121)
This quote about a student who participated in the online American History course written about in Digging in the Digital Archives: Engaging Students in an Online American History Survey shows what all teachers hope their students will do with knowledge acquired in their classes. In her learning about the past, she noticed a pattern that took place in the past that, when combined with other factors, led to an unfavorable outcome. To notice those patterns in our political climate today and take action against it is to make history matter. It reminds me of the quote “history never repeats itself, but it often does rhyme.”
“My proudest moments, however, came from those students who were able to use these skills again in other classes, including classes they took with me.” (Edge)
This quote from the Omeka article highlights how skills learned in history classes don’t have to be limited to history classes, but can be used in many different humanities classes, and maybe even beyond that. Writing is a useful skill, but there are many other skills pertinent to history that can be used in a multidisciplinary way. Systems like Omeka are just the beginning.
