2 answers
sam
Student
Oak Harbor, Ohio
7
Questions
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History Teachers: What are some of the most memorable or impactful history lessons you've taught or lessons you've seen??
What is the most important thing you want your students to take from your history class after high school?
10th grade, interested in us, and world history. I want to go to bgsu or terra in Ohio to be a history major.
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2 answers
Aundrea Napper
Food Safety Auditor
3
Answers
Franklin, Georgia
Updated
Aundrea’s Answer
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Honestly, one of the most memorable history lessons I’ve ever taught was when I turned the Civil Rights Movement into a classroom simulation. Everyone got assigned a role—some students had privileges, while others didn’t—and they had to complete tasks based on those limits. It was such a powerful way to feel what inequality looked like, instead of just reading about it. You could see the light bulbs go off for students once they realized how unfair the system really was.
Another one that stuck with me was a World War II lesson that used actual letters written by soldiers and their families. Reading those personal words—talking about fear, hope, and love—made the history feel real. It wasn’t just about battles and dates anymore; it was about human lives and emotions caught in the middle of something so huge.
I think the best history lessons are the ones that help you see how the past connects to what’s happening now. When you realize history isn’t just something that happened—it’s something we’re still living the impact of—it changes the way you look at the world.
Honestly, one of the most memorable history lessons I’ve ever taught was when I turned the Civil Rights Movement into a classroom simulation. Everyone got assigned a role—some students had privileges, while others didn’t—and they had to complete tasks based on those limits. It was such a powerful way to feel what inequality looked like, instead of just reading about it. You could see the light bulbs go off for students once they realized how unfair the system really was.
Another one that stuck with me was a World War II lesson that used actual letters written by soldiers and their families. Reading those personal words—talking about fear, hope, and love—made the history feel real. It wasn’t just about battles and dates anymore; it was about human lives and emotions caught in the middle of something so huge.
I think the best history lessons are the ones that help you see how the past connects to what’s happening now. When you realize history isn’t just something that happened—it’s something we’re still living the impact of—it changes the way you look at the world.
Joe L.
Program Manager
120
Answers
Houston, Texas
Updated
Joe’s Answer
I'm not a history teacher, but if I were one and thinking about how I was taught history in high school....I would take the following approach
1) Avoid focus on events and dates without connecting to reasons for events...ie, tell a story with a morale vs just talk about events that happened
2) Use a cross-disciplinary approach to spice up the lessons..ie, how about blending human psychology with events and people ...ie, include psychoanalysis of events /people and discuss those in this context. Could be very interesting take on things..example ...take the worst figures in history (mass murderers, dictators, etc.. and delve in their motivations and interpret what they did that way. Can we develop a mental map that fits these types of figures accross time?
2) Connect the past with the present - don't forget that history repeats itself....events revolve around human nature and even though events are specific to the time and place, human nature is relatively consistent through time. So what makes history more interesting is how events of the past can be related to current events or events that are similar /reasons over time. So focusing on "patterns" in history will help students remember and connect individual dates/events better. Can we come up with a common pattern of events or sequence that has repeated over time and can be used to predict events in the future.
You can begin to see how history lessons can really come alive when you teach them in this way....the goal is to make students interested in delving more into the topic and make the lessons more interesting.
Hope this helps.
1) Avoid focus on events and dates without connecting to reasons for events...ie, tell a story with a morale vs just talk about events that happened
2) Use a cross-disciplinary approach to spice up the lessons..ie, how about blending human psychology with events and people ...ie, include psychoanalysis of events /people and discuss those in this context. Could be very interesting take on things..example ...take the worst figures in history (mass murderers, dictators, etc.. and delve in their motivations and interpret what they did that way. Can we develop a mental map that fits these types of figures accross time?
2) Connect the past with the present - don't forget that history repeats itself....events revolve around human nature and even though events are specific to the time and place, human nature is relatively consistent through time. So what makes history more interesting is how events of the past can be related to current events or events that are similar /reasons over time. So focusing on "patterns" in history will help students remember and connect individual dates/events better. Can we come up with a common pattern of events or sequence that has repeated over time and can be used to predict events in the future.
You can begin to see how history lessons can really come alive when you teach them in this way....the goal is to make students interested in delving more into the topic and make the lessons more interesting.
Hope this helps.