Those That Don't Know The Past...

A few years ago, I had a chance to attend a national seminar on the Constitution in Dallas, Texas. Thousands of people gathered to learn about what the Constitution was. Why wi it important, what does it have to say, is it applicable to today? It was one of the richest, most amazing events I’ve ever been to. I learned more that week about the Constitution than I knew possible, and it set a fire in my heart and mind. I knew then and there that this would be a life pursuit, and helping others understand the importance of the document, of the context, of the history behind our founding documents would be a main focus.

Too many times we don’t give kids enough credit for what they are capable of. In the days since that week long seminar, I have seen some of the tests and standards from the late 1700's and early 1800’s. Difficult? That would be an under-statement.

In ancient Jewish culture, students would go through a system of education similar in structure to what we have now. They would start young, work their way up and eventually move on to the highest level of study if they were capable of doing so. One thing that I find amazing about this is students at the early ages knew the entire first 5 books of the bible. Memorized. Contextually they knew the stories, the meanings, and the deeper understandings behind them.

Then, if they made it to the 2^nd level, they would come to know the entire Old Testament. Not just a story here and there – the WHOLE thing. The meanings, the context, the deeper understandings – all of it.

Do you have students who struggle reading even a book? How about getting them to focus on a lesson for more than 20 or 30 minutes without needing a substantial break?

This isn’t a judgment on our society by any means. It’s an observation. Our kids are EXTREMELY capable. I would venture to say they are more capable now than ever before. With the technology available to them and the tools there to help, the capacity for learning has never been higher.

So let’s tie this back to the beginning of this blog, the Constitution seminar. I’m sure you’ve seen the clips on various comedic late-night shows where the host walks around with a microphone asking people if they know various historical facts about our nation. I’m always horrified to think people don’t know some of the basics! Then, I ask people I know – friends, colleagues, relatives, associates, and students…and often, the answers are not so much answers, but blank stares with the, “Um, gosh, it’s been so long since I’ve had to know that, I really don’t know.”

The problem with that line, to me, is “since I’ve had to know”, as if the senior year history test is the only time we should know American History.

Wrong!

A philosopher from the late 1800’s once said “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it".

We must become more fluent with our own past, our own heritage, our own history. We need to know, at the very least, the basics. Why did this American experiment work? Who were key players in the American Revolution? Why does it matter today?

Obviously, no 5^th grader, no 9^th grader, not even a 12^th grader needs to become a political scientist and have the ability to break down the intricacies of the American Revolution and what the economic impact around the world would be had the British Navy not been as capable and strong as it was, and what role that played in determining the outcome of the war. But the basics of who we are, where our country came from, why it matters today – these are all things that adults AND kids are capable of knowing.

If children in ancient times knew by heart and could discuss in depth the complexities of ancient scripture, then surely our kids today with the tools and resources available to them can know the basics of American History, yes?

So, how does this fit in to a Mom’N’Me store on Teachers Pay Teachers. My mother, Lana, and I are passionate about US History. Major nerds, for sure. And we would love to be a source or a place you can go for history lessons, for tools to use with your kids to help them grow in their knowledge of all-things-American-history.

Our TPT store will be moving in that direction soon, and we are excited to create some things that you might be able to use in your classroom that will tie directly in with the core standards, will be at a high level that will help kids learn, and hopefully will give you more time to develop and craft the learning that your students are capable of. In-depth reading and analysis of text, being able to break down a passage or situation and know why it is important and how to approach the reading, and moving into an ability that isn’t just reading and finding definitions, but knowing how to come to a difficult piece of reading and understand it for themselves. Independent learning as well as cooperative learning can be abilities we pull out of kids. We can’t be shocked when it happens – we know it can happen. We know they are capable of this. We have seen so many kids come through our classrooms who we know will go on to bigger and greater things. Why can’t we use some rich, American History to help these skills in the process?

I think we should! We don’t want to see our kids on that late-night talk show being asked a simple American History question like “Who was the first president of the United States”, only to hear them say something like “George….George…George…oh, George Bush, yeah!”

Along with the resources we will be creating and making available to you, we believe strongly in supporting American History education locally and nationally. You’ll notice the prices on all of our products end with $0.76 cents. This is for 2 reasons – to remember the founding of our country (1776), as well as for donation purposes. 76 cents from every product sold in our store will go towards a non-profit history-based educational service somewhere. Each quarter of the year, we will highlight a new history-based foundation, and your purchases will help to fund that organization!

This month, we would love for you to check out The Mount Vernon Organization. This is the historical place of George Washington’s home, and they do some amazing work here. If you get a minute, check it out, and we’d encourage you to show your kids around the website! If you or they are ever in Washington D.C., this is a must-see-place on yours or their trip!

With that, we’d like to present our Constitution QuestActivity Lesson. Constitution Day is September 17^th, and we would be honored if you would check out our Constitution Quest Activity Lesson at our store by going to http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Momnme, or go to the link directly by clicking on Constitution Quest Activity Lesson.

Thanks friends! We hope your Constitution Week goes fabulously! More soon.

Best Wishes,
Josh Lee


And...just in case you were wondering…this is what we’re talking about.

Americans Don't Know Why...
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRkFDcX_72c)

FRIENDLY FEATURE: We would like to feature other TPT seller's amazing activities as well! Check out this one from our friend at Education to the Core! It's a great Community Helpers activity that features great stuff like Close Read, Writing, and Craftivity Units.