Teaching History Matters

I’m kind of an old school taskmaster. Last week, I made my US History students memorize the Preamble to the US Constitution. They complained, but the next day,  a few were eager to recite it for their peers in class. Jaime, an exchange student from Spain, literally leapt at the chance to recite it in English for his peers. He jumped out of his seat, smoothed down his clothes, and stood before his desk, and did it, even though he admitted he did not know what “Dome Est Teak –  Tron Qwheel Leetey” meant! The class applauded, and one by one they rose behind their desks to give it a shot. They stood and recited for their teacher and each other 54 of the most important words in American history! They competed  in standing, stumbling, and fumbling through it,  but when they left the classroom I could still hear the Preamble ringing out in the crowded hallways.

The so called lesson took on a life of its own. And in the nature of the current climate of teacher expectations, I reflect to myself, where is the value to this activity? Was it just entertainment? Should I  “monitor and adjust” and not allow it to unfold in other classes? For 20 minutes there was nothing but good natured fun and laughter coming from the class in peals. I suppose I could have had them do a internet search and fill in the blank activity. But when we met again and actually broke the words down, perhaps they took on greater meaning.

By the way, the other classes loved it too. Yep, especially when we wasted more time watching this clip afterwards. Got to teach them about Mayberry hometown values, too. Our inside joke in the classroom- “when you learn something, you learn it.”