The Importance of Knowing History

AUTHOR: DR. GORDON TAYLOR

Region 10 Executive Director

Knowing history is beneficial; and really thoughtful adults will stand in line to attest to the benefits of knowing and understanding the past. I applaud the discussion that the State Board of Education (SBOE) had at its last meeting about a total rework of the Social Studies TEKS. Instead of students experiencing the current puzzle pieces of World, United States, and Texas History, the SBOE discussion seems to herald a move to a model that threads history together. This will allow students to understand how today’s events are influenced, caused, and linked to events and decisions in the past – in context with local, national, and worldwide events. The SBOE also seems to be on a track that will tie Geography, Economics, and Government/ Politics into the historical context rather than being addressed separately and independent of historical context. As a former History and Social Studies teacher, I reflect on how much better I could have communicated and helped students understand history if the state had provided TEKS (or Essential Elements) framed as is currently being discussed. All of my former students would have a better understanding of:

• How Texas oil/gas industry regulation was the model for OPEC, which coupled with the

geography of the Middle East, affects the economy of Russia. • How the history of European land wars, since the time of Napoleon, have been about the need for agricultural land, development of industry, and control of access to seaports and worldwide markets, which allows countries to diversify the economy and build the wealth of particular people with common cultural heritages. • How the two previous bullet points led to aggression by Russia against Ukraine, and how that follows the same pattern of World

War I starting when the Austro-Hungarians attacked Serbia and of World War II starting when Germany attacked Poland. I think we will be better at educating students to become the next generation of Texas, US, and world leaders with the changes that the SBOE is considering, because knowing history is beneficial.