There have been moments where I told some people I wanted to be a history teacher, and their response was that I was going into a useless profession. They did not have an issue with education, but felt that history itself had little value outside if playing trivial pursuit. As a result I have had to think of the important skills or the importance of content in history to defend my future career. However recently I realized I was thinking too much into the present and had to begin thinking about how this subject into the future, like say…2025.
Content knowledge will serve multiple purposes for a student in 2025. Reasons that rank low on importance include mere recreational interest or honoring those who came before us and what they accomplished. For me the most important use of content knowledge is that it explains why things are as they are now. I feel that history is the psychology of nations. By analyzing the geography and history of a region it becomes possible to understand how cultures and politics came to be. From there it becomes easier for the students to make educated guesses about the future for certain regions as important events occur. Content also serves as a proving ground for improving a student’s critical thinking skills. Through their knowledge of historical facts, or at the very least where to find them students will be able to use the historical method to solve historical problems or be able to infer the future of current events. However the skills that are practiced in a history class are perhaps the most versatile asset gained from class.
Many of the skills that will be important in 2025 are practiced in history classes. There are the basic skills that are gained in several classes first, such as reading and writing, and problem solving. Almost all classes by 2025 will involve computers in some way, so students will have plenty of opportunities to improve their technological skills. Through reading historical documents, students will know to question the validity of sources and the information that they contain, building on their critical thinking skills. Communication skills will grow as a result of writing reports, giving presentations and group activity. However the skill I think will be most important in 2025 are interpersonal skills. The economy is becoming increasingly globalized, this means for students to make it in far in the business world they will need to understand how to relate to people not of the same culture and be able to place themselves in another’s shoes. This opinion has been reinforced after reading The Nine Shift, which writes about how many jobs will be done through internet based offices. The book writes about how more people will be working in teams with others all over the world. This makes knowledge with cultures or the ability to recognize not everyone has the same point of view even more valuable. Right now many people can make a successful living without ever having to deal with people of drastically different cultures, this however is becoming less so as time goes on.
History is an important subject that is taught in school. Its ability to teach a student how to deal with other people, and realize the relationship between cause and effect in the world makes it as vital as Science or Math.
