To effectively teach a subject, the teacher should possess a certain passion for that it.

Most students will not experience a “real” history class until they reach college. Most will go through their general education with coaches placed in these classes.

One of the first questions asked in my first college history course dealt with how many students were taught by coaches in high school. Many students raised their hands.

History is one of the most important courses anyone may ever take. As a history major, I’ll admit I’m a little biased.

But history is the story of us, the story of people and understanding that story is vital to anyone’s understanding of the modern world. Without past events, the future would look a lot different.

One thing history has taught me is that the idea of black and white is ridiculous. There is never black and white— and if you think there is, you are over simplifying.

History is made up of a lot of gray. A lot of anger, frustration and violence.

Understanding the concept that the world is way more complicated than it looks is essential to understanding our past.

History is often taught in a deterministic fashion, in a way that feels like George Washington and the rest of the revolutionaries knew they were going to win against England. That couldn’t be any further from the truth. No one knows the future.

History should be taught the way it was lived, inclusive of all the struggle and fear felt during the period of study.

We should be teaching fact, not fiction. Leave behind the myth of the cherry tree and honest Abe and delve into the interesting truths.

Our classes should be teaching us the incredible stories of our founding fathers—who they really were and how they lived. All I knew about John Hancock before I entered college was that he signed the Declaration of Independence really big.  It wasn’t until my American history class that I realized just how in character that was for him, not to mention how cool John Hancock was.

Personally studying history gave me a wealth of knowledge on all sorts of historical figures and events, and it saddens me that not many people will know what I do.

I believe it should be mandatory that all history classes are taught by those who understand the importance of their subject. The same qualifications that apply to math and science teachers should apply to history teachers.

If the best applicants happen to be coaches, great! I personally have nothing against high school coaches. I do however have something against those who repeat dates, definitions, and myths and call it teaching.

I was raised to be a history buff. It runs in my family. History shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Like I said, it’s the story of humanity; and that story is pretty cool once it’s given a chance.