What History Teaches

I caught myself this morning thinking of a teacher I had in high school. Betty Reed taught World History and American History, primarily to 10th and 11th graders. Bar none, Mrs. Reed was my favorite teacher, although it didn't start out that way. Over the last 20 years, I've often thought of her, in part because our relationship was at times, shall we say, volatile. But mostly, I remember the transformation in my thinking and awareness that occurred the day she let down her guard and allowed me to see her classroom and students from a teacher's perspective. That moment of transparency would eventually lead to a reorientation of my approach to history, and to thinking in general.

For many, history is labeled as one of the most boring subjects of all time. And I agree, for when history is reduced to dry facts and dates set apart from the context of the philosophies and perspectives of those who experienced those events, history can indeed seem a little dull. Mrs. Reed, however, understood that from the beginning. Constrained to a point by the curriculum, her approach to breaking through the barrier of glazed-over eyes erected by semi-comatose students was to introduce the absurd and hypothetical into the dialog. She would be discussing some topic, and then out of the blue, she would offer a patently ridiculous and indefensible supposition and declare it as fact. Never one to let an argument go by, I would often tackle her conjecture head on. I remember one day, she introduced what I believed to be an absolute whopper - that the devastating wars of human civilization would not have occurred if society was matriarchal. If I remember correctly, we were discussing Cleopatra and Egypt's eventual absorption into the Roman Empire (which is interesting in itself, given the Ptolemaic dynasty's Hellenistic roots, but I digress), when Mrs. Reed loudly declared that if a woman had ruled the Roman Empire, it never would have fallen, because a woman would have governed better. For a few stunned moments, no one responded. A few were looking around, wondering if they had heard her correctly. Of course, I dove into the breach - basically dismissing her argument and challenging her to back it up. I wish I could remember the particulars, because that one was quite energized. Always spirited, these "debates" - which included one or two other students in the room - almost always ended up with Mrs. Reed claiming the last word, if not the victory. At the time, I can't say that I really liked her, and my attitude during these discussions was hardly friendly. I got into trouble fairly frequently, because I would often cross the line. Most notably was the episode that led to the moment of transparency I alluded to earlier.

We were finishing up a Friday test, using those good old Scantron forms. Mrs. Reed called for the forms to be turned in. However, I wasn't finished, and belligerently, I decided I was going to finish my test. I completed the test, and went up to her desk to turn it in. She glared at me, and stated that I was getting a zero, because she had called for papers 2 minutes before, and they were already on their way to the office to get scanned and graded. Fuming, I waited until she turned her attention to another student, and then I proceeded to walk out of the room and straight to the office, where I slipped my Scantron form into the stack with the rest. Before I could get out of the office, Mrs. Reed stormed up to me telling me I could just stay in the office and not to bother coming back to the class that day. The vice principal was trying to hide his amusement - because I certainly was not a typical troublemaker. That stunt landed me a month's worth of detention, of which I only served 3 days. Not that I didn't deserve it - I was willing to accept the full consequences of my action, and really wasn't bothered with the detention. When I screw up, and make a poor choice, I'm generally willing to pay the price.

I served 3 full days of after-school detention, beginning on a Monday. Mrs. Reed added to the punishment by making me sit at the desk next to hers in class. But I had reverted back to giving her the proper respect, and frankly I wasn't even upset anymore. In class that Thursday, Mrs. Reed assigned the class to read a chapter for the rest of period. I finished early. Noticing that I had finished, Mrs. Reed and I began to talk. She said,

"Look out there. They are sleeping through the most important part of their lives. Now is their opportunity, and instead of taking it, they are letting it slip all away. If they don't start to learn how to think now, it will be almost impossible for them to succeed later. I try and I try to break through, and a few of you are smart enough to challenge yourselves and defend your positions. But the rest simply don't put forth the mental effort. I'm grateful for the few, and I love to see the light come on when students start to truly think for themselves, but I truly grieve over the rest."

It was at that moment that I understood that her method of sparking dialog through outlandish statements was akin to using a defibrillator on a dying patient. She was literally trying to shock her students minds awake, to bring life to a sadly dormant muscle. We talked for a while longer, and for the first time, I began to think about others in a completely different way. And then she waived the remainder of my detention. Our relationship changed for the better after that.

We each observe the world in which we live through our own set of preconceived notions and filters. We take positions of matters of both little and great importance. We should welcome challenges to our ways of thinking, if only to ensure that we are able to better articulate a defense of our views. We would do well not to isolate a single historical event outside the context of all the influencing factors of society and civilization, but neither should we impose our notions of those factors absent a proper understanding of its underlying cultural characteristics. Understanding causes and effects within a human population is not a simple exercise, but it is not entirely impossible either. Being able to rationally evaluate actions and their possible consequences is a fundamental, but learned skill that all of us should endeavor to improve upon. Emotion plays a role, but it shouldn't be the primary factor. Our decisions may not always be right, but if they are thoughtful, there's a better chance they will be.

I am indebted to Mrs. Reed for giving me a new perspective, and encouraging me to observe and to a degree embrace (or at least acknowledge) a bigger picture. In her own way, she jolted me out of my narrow world view and awakened in me a certain desire to educate. I too find joy when eyes light up with understanding, and grieve for those whose eyes remain dark of their own choosing. History teaches me that life is wonderfully complex, and that the stories and events that shape our lives are marvelously connected. It is not merely who, what, where and when, but most importantly, a true understanding asks the question "why" - and then seeks the answer. It is that mystery, that combination, which makes history so interesting to me. I certainly don't fathom it all now, but I do look forward to that day when all will be made clear. In the meantime, I will continue to learn, and perhaps, grow.