The Development of a History Nerd
I started thinking the following thoughts after reading this post by a secular home-schooling mom. She’s chronicling the year as she and her son learn about US history together.
As an adult who loves history, I remember that my earliest joys with the subject were also all about the heroes. They were inspiring and certainly much more interesting than the people of today.
I, too, wanted to tramp around the woods and test my mettle against the elements and the world—to rectify wrongs through the glory of gunfire.
It wasn’t until high school that the grays of life crept in. Heroes weren’t all good and villains weren’t all bad. But I had to wait until college to really have access to the full-bodied knowledge that does exist.
Still, I know that I wouldn’t have been able to process this information as a child. My early love, though, allowed me to stay with the subject and eventually develop more balanced interpretations.
I know that I also feel the urge to push moral developments when sharing my enthusiasm for history with children. It’s frustrating to know that restraint is the better course. I can only imagine how much more difficult this process would be if I was teaching my own son.
I’ve read through the first sections of this mom’s blog so far. I’m in admiration.
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