Debate: Did you enjoy history at school?

I found history a profoundly frustrating experience at school - not because of the dates (which I never had any trouble remembering) but because of the geographical & chronological limitations.

Here we were supposedly being educated for our part in the world, but after a brief introduction to Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece & Rome all we got was English rulers & governments, legislation and domestic politics. Where was the rest? I wanted to know about human history, not just the affairs of one country.

As for period, it was all summed up by our experience of the O-level syllabus, supposedly spanning the period 1815-1945. We made it to 1886, leaving us to learn about the 20th century (and the 18th, which simply disappeared somewhere along with chunks of the later Middle Ages) on our own from scratch.

It's a miracle that I came out of the whole disheartening encounter with any interest at all in the topic. Perhaps I felt so cheated out of a useful education that I wasn't going to let the matter rest. But I still find the experience a horrific reflection of this country's indifference to its subjects' fitness for informed citizenship.

I'd even forgotten about that cross-section of the Roman road - yes, we had to do that too: just what I need if I ever have to build a 2nd-century road.

Although I have spent most of my adult life teaching and lecturing in History, I was very badly taught at school.  Endless dates and useless and boring information - very little of it made sense and seemed to have any point.  I think the teaching of History has changed incredibly since then.  What has been the experience of others?  Best wishes, John Kirkaldy

I absolutely loved history at school even when the subjects were horrendously boring:

A level history - British Political history 1871-1945 and European History 1870-1939.

I had two different history teachers who were both inspiring and enthusiastic about their subjects and I have loved it ever since.
I was, however, imbibed with my love of history from my father and my mother's father before him.

I was just fascinated by history at school. We had a wonderful teacher who bought everything alive (this was in the 60's). Ok so she expected us to learna few dates so that we could compare events in different countries. this was especially true at "O" level time. We did 1919 onwards.

Life took its course but I am still working on my family tree. I'm considering taking a history degree at the Open University and thoroughly enjoy looking at all the infomation that is now available at the touch of a button.

Have always absolutely adored history. Sometime it was the teacher that made it captivating; one first 'taught' me that "parliament" derived from "parler- to talk" & "menter - to lie" - but most often the conditions, events, personalities, situations, etc. that enthralled.

I revelled learning of ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances; a butcher's son, Wolsey, as Henry VIII's chief minister; a French peasant girl humbling the mighty English empire; a humble lawyer as imperishable iconic leader of a subcontinent's independence.

One thing I could never abide, however, regardless of its undoubted and overwhelming importance, is economic history. I didn't - and confess still don't - really know a great deal of the runaway Tudor or post-Columbus Hapsburg inflations or even the Wall Street Crashes.

PS Forgot to say, the Chaucer was studied in the original Middle English and the questions required a knowledge of the meanings of the archaic words!

I have just discovered this site and this question. Although an ex-scientist, may I presume to tell the youngsters why I still love History? When we took School Cert (= O-levels)in 1942, the syllabus was English History from 1485 to 1714 as well as French History, the reign of Louis XIV. This was, I repeat, the equivalent of o-level! Each question was to be answered in the form of an essay, eg, discuss the frontier fortifications of Vauban or, say, what was Morton's Fork and the effect on Henry VII's economy (and I haven't thought about these in 60 years). They say exams are not getting easier! The same essay questions were required for Shakespeare's text and times (one play) and Chaucer (The Prologue). Why we remembered our stuff was that we had brilliant teachers. In the case of History, he built each portion around a personality, be it Richelieu or Wolsey. I could bore the pants off the last generation or two, but remember these exams (no cribs allowed) were for 16 year olds throughout the country. I doubt if undergrads have such a wide education nowadays.

Hello John. I have long since lost any memory of what my history lessons comprised of, (circa 1940 on). I seem to remember Simon de Montford but he's about as good as it gets. To answer the question posed about enjoying it, I think I would have to say "No". If I have any memories at all of this period they are painfull recollections of a stoic attempt by two individuals (teachers) Mr Haddock and Mr Wardle who daily filled the blackboards with interminable writings which we had to religously copy into our supplied books with a supplied pen which was dipped into an inkwell let into the desktop.

I am so envious of the kids today. Computers along every wall, calculators that make a mockery of the mental arithmatic we were exposed to, but I wish them well, to quote Harold McMillan, "You never had it so good."

I have of late re-discovered Shakespeare and have learned more from this long dead, brilliant, lovely man about history than I ever did at school. I write sonnets like there is no tomorrow and find that history is mine to make.

I really enjoyed History as taught at my Grammar school complete with the characters and dates without which in my view one cannot appreciate the time scale of our society right up to the 1780s.
I then was totally confused by all the Reform Acts etc which bored me to tears. As an adult I discovered that many of the Reform Acts, and acts affecting the working class really meant something to me as a trade union member.
In the not too distant past workers had no rights, this year we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the elimination of slavery, what many folk don't realise is that the first slaves in the Americas and the Carribean were English.
This continued into the 19th century in Australasia with people sent for seven years for stealing a rabbit.
Many did not survive either the journey or the time spent there.

Dear John,

I am heartened to think that people liek you, with a sensible view of history/education, are in charge of educating the next generation. I too was bored by history in shcool. I see it now and realise how parochial it is and how little of other countries we study. I only started to love history when I had actually finished college (first time around). So when I began studying again with the OU (economics) it wasn't dates, but reason and causes that fascinated me. I actually found dates easy to remember once I understood the background.
Thanks for your posting,
Bravo
Gordon

The worst kind of History teacher is the one who knows the subject well, but either

1) can’t put it across to the students, or
2) teaches the subject like, they take the register, esp in a monotone drone, or
3) doesn’t believe pupils should be involved. - ie, “I’m the teacher and you’re just here to listen and
Learn“. So you end up learning the subject ’parrot fashion’. Or like a quiz with Q and A sessions.

This was particularly the case I found with Maths and Science teachers at School. Subjects with ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers. Historical ‘evidence’ is very subjective and open to interpretation. Events happen, but people see them in different ways, It’s a bit like looking at a painting in Art History, or studying a play or novel in English Lit.

This gives more scope for the teachers to become involved. My teachers tended to include drama. I esp enjoyed the Trial of Richard III. And the fact we did A Level History in ‘modular’ form which brought taught kids research and computer skills as well. A different way of looking at ’source material’.

At Uni, though, I found quite a few 1s and 2s in History. But, thankfully, very few 3s! I think teachers and lecturers should be given courses in Public Speaking and Drama.

But remember, learning is a two-way thing. You only get out of it what you put into it too. So history can be ‘fun’ if you make it so. It’s not just down to the teacher! So yes I did enjoy History.

I am glad for reading such question...never more i tough someone could be interested in find out this!
In my time when i was approach to my former motherland country until the time i could be aware of there was some other histories developed before i born in other geographic uncertain locations i could never imagine i would stop...i must admit i find i was very vague, not sequenced at all or followed really for at same time events or a clue about the mind culture at those times which definitely get me lost before my puberty....But then something special happened...at that time computers, www or something related was not so available as learning tools as its in this days, for my luck then a guy with a great perspective and wide time and events awareness show up in my history and geography class at my very religious private secondary college to open our minds with his hilarious remarks and comments...stopped of course with the right names and the right dates and cities names with inclusively the right focus on the logic and culture minds of that times when all those events happened...lovely i must say my confusion stop and then i learn to understand the meaning of : the humanity should not forget his history otherwise is damned to make those mistakes again...
If any other teacher, mentor , father and who ever had the chance to caught the attention of any young future citizen into the real meaning of history i guess that every one had contributed to the development of the human kind...making us more humans and less database people.
Best greetings and hope some others can understand de meaning of my experience and words and i can tell you even when my mentor was a simple guy of the middle age was a perfect successful teacher for all my life....where ever he is now i am sure he had done good his job here....from me to others i try to do the same even when my interest where guide later in a master degree where the most renowned history writers in my country were put on doubt ..... then i could understand more about that truth which lays in sentence: The one who write always write about his own version about how the facts were.
So good luck for the next time you have the chance to reach a young mind and conscience into world history...lets do it promptly, truly and aware of the big responsibility which this mean for the human sake.

I always liked history when i was of school age - I read lots of history books and visited many museums, castles and other historic sites. I didn't enjoy history at school though. I found it very restrictive and we were taught the 'popular' areas, such as the tudors and the industrial revolution. I always was, and still am, interested in the less popular areas of history - the Jacobites being a particular favourite.

Since leaving school I have returned to my love of history and am just completing my degree.

I must agree, my History education was poor at the best in school. Being a young(ish) teacher of History myself, I try to brin History to life for my students. The tyoe of students you work with I think can have an effect on how History is taught. For example, I was taught at a Grammar school, where it is very mundane. However, I teach at a Secondary Modern with some veruy challenging pupils and there is a completely different outlook on teaching.

I enjoyed history at juniors school, but my time at secondary school was marked by racism. Our history teacher was a racist,and he did not like me at all, and most of the time I spent standing outside his classroom. I would walk in, and he would tell me to stand outside. This did not happen with any of the other teachers, and I did well at school, but the only subject I was interested in was history. But I had no history lessons at secondary. But I went on to gain a BA and a MA in history. My juniors school teacher was grate and he gave me my interest in history. But secondary school was just a waist of time for me.

Right up until I was 14, I was bored rigid by history - mainly because you'd do the romans, then work your way forward, get as far as the tudors if you were lucky; then go up to your next year - boom, back to the bloody Romans. And on and on again.

I hated the Romans. I hated drawing cross-sections of their roads.

But then I was forced to take history as an option at 14 - (you might spot an irony there) - and suddenly it changed. We were doing social & economic history, about people like me. I was hooked, and ended up taking the subject at degree level.

I still hate the Romans, though.