do your children forget?

I’ve found that, if anything, my children remember the eras more because they spent more time “in” them rather than rushing through at a faster pace.

Well, in my school…. (note the elementary years are blurry…)

In elementary – some stuff from Canadian History – I remember bits from units about Indians and Eskimos (yes, I know they are called Natives and Inuit now)…  and some stuff about fur traders, and a bit about the Plains of Abraham, and Voyageurs….  I think that was about it.  Oh, a unit on Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans (not all at once…) – but that was during a time that I missed a lot of school.

In Jr. High – a bit about Russia, some stuff in the Industrial Revolution, I think a bit about the renassance.

In High School (International Baccaulauriate)…  

Grade 10 – Some modern Canadian History – a unit on the Japanese Internment, the FLQ Crisis, the Canada Act, and some current events topics, including discussion on a current case of a teacher in Southern Alberta teaching that the haulocaust was fake….

Grade 11 – European History (I did rotten on this so not sure what we covered!)

Grade 12 – 20th Century History – WWI, WWII, Cold War.

University – none.  (But then, I was in Engineering…)

Nothing was done chronologically, and everything just “floated” out there in time

Michaela, I was thinking through the same issue a few years ago when a friend with 5 kids who has Homeschooler 15+ years asked me why it mattered whether we did it twice or three times? What was my goal? What would bes serve my family? And, what did I get from my history education? It gave me a totally new perspective and helped me to let go of something I wasn’t crazy about anyway.

I’ve come to realize that whatever I give my kids is going to be great and serve them well for future in depth studies.

Blessings,

Christie

PS- we did learn about pilgrims and Indians and Columbus in elementary school, but that is all I remember.

As a product of first parochial then public schools, I really only remembered a little bit about Pilgrims and Indians…..because we made and wore Indian feathers, Pilgrim hats and the like.  We were actually doing something to pique our interests.  And, I recall a few things about the American Revolution because my parents took us on vacation to Fort Ticonderoga, Fort Mackinac, and other historic places.

Another vacation featured a trip to Gettysburg, which sparked an interest in the Civil War.  Funny story….I was about seven or eight at the time, and as we neared Gettysburg, I kept glancing a little fearfully out of the car window, expecting to see a Confederate soldier come walking out of the wooded area we were driving past….until my mother patiently (and without even a hint of a smile) explained the concept of years, decades, and centuries to me. Imagine my relief when I realized that a century had passed since the Civil War so no soldiers remained to pick things up where they had left off!

I suppose my point is this:  living history, taught via living books, will likely have a greater impact on our children than anything we learned in school through other methods. If I, as the parent/teacher, am finding that more history is “sticking” by using CM methods of teaching, then I can rely on the prospect that a lot of it will remain with my children as years pass.  

SueMom – that IS a funny story!  Thanks for sharing!