Medal Ceremony and the Place of the Humanities in Our Schools

I’m sorry it’s taken me a few days to blog about the day at the White House this past Monday, but I’m just now getting my feet back on the ground.

It was a tremendouss event and honor for NHD.  The day started in the morning at the National Endowment for the Humanities.  The medalists (including me as representative of NHD) were on a panel and took questions from NEH staff and guests.  It was a lively discussion about the importance of the humanities, especially in students’ lives and education.  I sat with a distinguished group of academics who discussed the situation in higher education and I gave the k-12 perspective.  Mainly, I emphasized that by the time students enter college and become adults, it is almost too late.  Humanities education must begin at the elementary and secondary school levels.  The emphasis on STEM has not helped this situation so it is incumbent upon all of us to work with teachers, parents and students to engage them in a meaningful study and understanding of the humanities (and arts).  It is by doing so that we will help to create well-rounded future citizens.  Science and math are critical subjects, but so is history.  All together, these subjects are a beautiful combination in a human being.

In the afternoon, we went to the White House for the medal ceremony.  The President gave excellent remarks (which can be found on the NHD homepage.

If you missed the ceremony you can watch it here( I accept the award at the 18:01 minute mark!)

Medalists’ Dinner at American Indian Museum

The medalists were honored last night at a dinner at the National Museum of the American Indian.  It was quite a night!  Here is a picture of the group (that’s Al Pacino in the center!):

NHD Receives Prestigious Award

I am thrilled to inform you that on Monday I will accept the National Humanities Medal for National History Day from President Obama at a White House ceremony.  This is the ultimate honor for us all.

For the first time ever, an education program is receiving the medal.  The award honors individuals (and the occassional organization) for outstanding contributions to the promotion of the humanities (the National Medal for the Arts is given at the same time).

Everyone associated with NHD over the years should pat themselves on the back for contributing to this incredible program and now to this incredible moment.  This has always been one, big Senior Group Performance by students, teachers, parents, coordinators, judges, etc.!

The ceremony will be streaming live on the White house website at 1:45 p.m. EST:  www.WhiteHouse.gov/Live.

Check back for a recap and don’t forget to check out NHD’s Facebook page and Twitter @nationalhistory.

Congratulations to everyone!

CG

The Myths of NHD

Winter break is often the time that NHD students begin thinking about producing their entries such as exhibits, documentaries, etc.  So we thought it was a good time to correct a few assumptions out there:

1.  An exhibit must have a timeline.  Incorrect.  It can have a timeline if it works well for the topic and design, but there is no rule that says there must be a timeline.  If it works, great, but putting up a timeline for the sake of having a timeline is not a good idea.  And don’t forget:  student composed words on a timeline count toward the 500-word limit.

2.  To win, a performance must have a song.  Wrong.  Once again, if it works, great, but singing performers will not guarrantee a win (in fact, nothing with guarrantee a win).

3.  Bibliographies must indicate that students interviewed someone about their topic.  Nope.  This is not a requirement, but if it is possible to conduct an oral history interview with an individual who was a witness (primary source) to history students should try to get an interview.  But remember:  an interview with an expert–say a Civil War historian–cannot be considered an oral history interview; such an individual would be a secondary source.

Any other myths or confusion out there?

The Past Becomes History When…..

…..enough time has passed for us to place the topic into historical context and determine its effect on the course of human events.  Sounds easy, but it’s tricky.

What is “enough time?”  There is no formula.  Many teachers suggest that their students choose topics for study that are at least 20-25 years in the past.  That works most of the time but does not account for events that happened maybe 10 or 15 years ago that, in fact, can be historically examined and significance determined.

The study of history is the study of the course of human events and society.  It involves cause and effect, change over time and consequences.  Historians look for impact which is determined by placing the topic into historical context–the political, cultural, economic, social atmosphere of the time–and consider the “before and after” of the event or individual’s contribution.

For example, a few years after the 9/11 attacks some students wanted to choose 9/11 for their History Day projects.  They felt that they could explain the impact of the event and they were correct regarding initial and immediate fears, legislation, etc.  But it was too soon to examine the “historical” or long-term impact–how did the responses change America?  How did it impact elections, foreign affairs, the lives of everyday Americans?  I think that’s doable now even though it’s only been 10 years.  (And the fun aspect of studying history is that interpretations change with time as well; so it will be interesting to see how historians analyze 9/11 in another 10 or 20 years.)

The current events in the Middle East are another good test case.  We cannot yet determine historical significance of the events in Egypt or Libya.  We can say that Gaddafi was overthrown in Libya.  But what historical impact has that had?  We don’t know yet.  In other words, “So what?”  In which direction is Libya now going?  What kind of government will the country have and what kind of impact will it have on the country and the rest of the world?  It’s still too early to tell.  We cannot yet answer the question, “So what?”

So, it’s not so much about how many years have gone by, but more about whether or not we can see significant change–not just immediate reaction.

Having said that, it’s fine to set an arbitrary time period of 20-25 years in the past for student researchers.  It does make it a bit more clear for them.

When Does the Past Become History?

When is an event officially history?  One day after?  a week?  a month?  a year?  More?

What are the criteria for determing historical significance?

Everything has a past, but is everything historically significant?

Send us your thoughts!

NHD and the White House

I serve on the board of the (non-partisan) White house Historical Assocation.  The Assocation was started by Jackie Kennedy when she renovated the White House in 1961.  Since then, the Association has offered educational programs, purchased artifacts for the White House and contributed to preserving the building and its history.

The Assocation celebrated its 50th anniversary at the White House last Monday that included a brief ceremony at which First Lady Michelle Obama and Caroline Kennedy spoke.  I was fortunate to have about 20 seconds to meet Mrs. Obama.  Fortunately, I can speak quickly and I rattled off the very basics of NHD.  Her response was, “Well, why don’t we have the students here?”  She told me to talk with the WH social secretary about doing so in June.  NHD students certainly deserve such recognition and we will pursue the possibility.

In the meantime, for more information about the White House Historical Association and its excellent programs, got to http://www.whha.org/.

Understanding Current Events Through Historical Perspective

A few days ago, I attended a program at Whitman HIgh School in Bethesda, Maryland.  The event was part of a series in a news literacy project and included a discussion by Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne and New York Times columnist David Brooks.  It was moderated by CNN’s Chief White House correspondent, Jessica Yellin.

It was a fascinating discussion of current issues by a conservative and a liberal columnist.  They actually agreed on a few things!

But what I found most interesting was that for almost every question that Dionne addressed, he started by placing it into historical perspective.  In so doing, his answers were more clear and thoughtful and made one really think about what he was saying.  This, of course, is something we want students to learn, as those who participate in NHD do.  In the professional evaluation of NHD conducted by Rockman, et.al., NHD students out-performed their non-NHD peers in a variety of ways, including a self-assessment regarding their greater understanding of current issue because they learned to place such issues and events into historical context and perspective.

Connecting the dots of the past to the present will help young people grow into thoughtful voters and citizens.

Reflections on Learning in China

I’ve been back in the States for a week and mostly over the jetlag.  So I’ve had some time to reflect on my adventure in China.  First, my congratulations to Mark Johnson and Bryan Munson for a stimulating learning experience that mixed primary and secondary sources and included articles, poetry, podcasts, documentaries and videos in addition to visits to several historic sites.  In studying the Long March, students were urged to examine China’s culture as well as its history and to try to make sense of today’s China within historical and cultural perspectives.  One video in particular looked at Chinese civilization in a modern context: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/martin_jacques_understanding_the_rise_of_china.html.

This curriculum, along with discussions with Chinese university students and local individuals, helped our students work through the myths and state approved version of Mao and the Chinese Revolution (and all of its phases).  Our students examined varying perspectives to understand the legacy of the man and his impact on China in all its complexities.

Second, congratulations to Concordia International School Shanghai for its commitment to analytical learning.  In a country in which students learn through rote, Concordia’s curriculum emphasizes critical thinking, questioning, examining different viewpoints and drawing conclusions.  This is in strong contrast to even the university students with whom we had open conversations.  Several told me they thought history was a boring subject—not surprising since history there is generally taught with emphasis on details instead of discussion.

For me, in addition to the emersion in learning, the best part of the trip was interacting with the Concordia students and being part of their learning process.  And, of course, there was time for a few NHD discussions about this year’s theme, Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History. 

If anyone is interested in learning more about China’s fascinating history in the 20^th Century, here are a few titles:

Chang, Jung.  Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China.

Sun, Shuyun.  The Long March: the True History of Communist China’s Founding Myth.

And for a more recent look at the “New China”:

Hessler, Peter.  River Town.

Student Poetry

As part of the learning adventure in China, the students on the trip read and analyzed Mao’s poetry.  They were then asked to write their own poems.  Four agreed to allow me to post them, but to protect them and their school, we decided to post them on NHD’s Facebook page (which is blocked in their country): http://www.facebook.com/nationalhistoryday

Today, we posted an introduction by the teacher who led them through the process and one poem.  There will be three more poems, so stay tuned to NHD!