change of a nation

As I am lying in my bed, my never ending mind continues on it's never ending quest to keep me awake at all hours of the night. Currently it is overflowing with ideas and thoughts - some of which must be dealt with immediately or I will spend hours lying in bed thinking about the same things for hours...which means no sleep ... which means a weary teacher.

In 8 days, we will have a new president. This is significant in itself. The MOST presidents that a high school student could have lived under is five. Considering that Clinton and Bush both held two terms - three different people now becomes the top number.

As someone who loves history and finds herself delving into books about the past on a regular basis, I often was frustrated when I was younger. I wanted to experience the "history" of tomorrow. My parents remember JFK's assassination - as well as MLK's. Not only that, but they lived through the Cold War, Man on the Moon, the Civil Rights movement, and the fall of the Berlin wall. My grandparents were alive during the tail end of the great depression, World War II , and Jackie Robinson's first game.

When I look into my 22 years of life, I find significant memories of "history" that I never really understood were to become the history of the future - such as Columbine. This time is different. I know that Obama's election and inauguration will change the face of this nation forever. No matter if you agree with the man's political views, it is impossible to not understand the importance of his election. 50 years ago, this nation was a different place...and I feel like we've come leaps and bounds since then. Do we have work to do? Of course. As teachers, our job requires us to help students understand the great wonders of our nation and the diversity that it encompasses. As HISTORY teachers, we need to make sure to catch the attention of our students when history is happening.

I will be attending the inauguration in 8 days. I couldn't be more excited about personally witnessing one of the big histories of my lifetime. I have the opportunity to listen to some amazing people speak, and wish that I could take my best history pals with me.

I have two thoughts for teachers (including myself).
1. Nominate kids for things that the Congressional Youth Leadership Council puts on. I was nominated by someone in high school and will be taking my second trip to DC becuase of it.
2. We need to help students connect the past to the future through our subject. History IS important...and although students don't need to remember everything, they do need to learn when significant things are happening around them.

My mother always laughed (and I think cringed a little) when I was insistant on saving massive amounts of newspapers. I guess I've always tried to capture the future history - and keep it a memory. What a memory the United States is about to put in the books... :)