I’m a Geography and Indian history buff (Yeah, Mrs. Marcus and Mrs. Abraham, would you have ever guessed?) and try to read as much on the subjects as time permits. Heck, I must be one of the few people who freaks out if I don’t have my Oxford school atlas within arms reach at home on a lazy sunday afternoon (I know, I know … I have Google Earth installed too!).

However, this is not a post about subjects I still like, post-school. Nor is it a post about about why I still keep a paper-based, twine-bound atlas around. This is a post about what I feel History books fail to teach.

History is, primarily, a means of getting the newer generation excited about past accomplishments of a nation and culture. It is a means to getting the kids to love what their parents and forefathers worked on. What they fought for and built. More importantly, it is also a way to answer the why question. Why do we drive on the left side of the road? Why can we not build more flyovers faster, when our countrymen built the Taj Mahal and the Grand Trunk Road? Why is Bose’s violent approach as important as Gandhi’s non-violent one?

Often enough, schools, governments and other entities in charge screw up by forcing information down the throats of students who don’t know why they need to learn something. I am sure if most students were given an explanation and a choice, we would see more serious classes with better student interaction.

 

Education History Geography

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