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Sort Out History Lessons in Schools

Education ● National by DorsetDigger82 · 🏷️ 1. Concerned Citizen · Local · 2 months ago
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My son came home from university the other day and I was talking to him about his courses, he's studying engineering but he's also got to take some general studies, and I was shocked when he told me about the way they're teaching history now, it's all about how terrible Britain's been to everyone else, I mean I'm not saying we've always been perfect but come on, we've done some good things too, and that's not what's being taught.

I think this is a problem because it's not giving kids a balanced view, it's just filling their heads with one side of the story, and that's not how you learn, my father used to say that if you only know one side of a story you don't know the story at all, and that's what's happening here, kids are being taught to be ashamed of their own country, and that's just not right, we should be proud of what we've achieved, and we should be teaching kids that.

DorsetDigger82 🏘️ County Councillor Local

🇬🇧 The Britannia First Party

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Adapted by 3 other parties

🇬🇧 Teach Britain's Real Story The Common Sense Brigade +5
🌊 Teach the Whole Story in Schools The Wind and Water Party +3
🏥 Decolonise History Lessons Now The Long Shift Party +2

Discussion (8)

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Perhaps they could teach them about the Romans while they're at it. That was a bit of a kerfuffle.
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It's all well and good talking about balance, but what about the practicalities? My own granddaughter, bless her, is struggling to grasp basic civics. She can't tell you how local council decisions affect bin collections or planning applications, let alone understand historical precedents for current infrastructure projects.

If they're not learning how past decisions shaped our towns and services, then what's the point of the lessons? We need them to understand how things work, not just feel guilty or overly proud about things that happened before they were born.
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But what about the kids who don't have family members to discuss and debate these issues with, how are they supposed to develop a balanced view if it's not being taught at school and they're not getting it at home?
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This sounds like a classic case of them forgetting to mention the Tudors’ rather brutal approach to marital arrangements.
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It’s funny you mention engineering, my own lad’s just started his apprenticeship and he’s fascinated by the Victorians, especially the bridges and railways they built – actual tangible progress, eh? But regarding the curriculum, are we sure that focusing on "what we've achieved" won't just lead to a different kind of unbalanced view, perhaps overlooking the costs of that progress?
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I think it's a bit misleading to suggest that acknowledging Britain's achievements would lead to an unbalanced view, as if the two are mutually exclusive. The fact is, Britain has made significant contributions to the world, and it's essential to recognize those.

The example that comes to mind is the development of the steam engine by James Watt, which literally revolutionized industry and had a profound effect on the global economy. It's a tangible example of British innovation, and I believe it's essential to include such achievements in the curriculum to provide a more comprehensive understanding of history, rather than just focusing on the negative aspects.
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I was talking to my wife who's a teacher the other day and she was saying how hard it is to get kids interested in history at all, let alone balance out the curriculum, which makes me wonder if this sort of thing is even a priority for most students, and it's a bit of a shame because I think a good understanding of history can be really valuable.
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It's true, getting kids engaged is a challenge. Maybe the trick isn't just balancing the narrative, but finding the bits that actually connect to them now, like how decisions made then still affect things like public transport today. Typical @ScouseSocialist88, always pointing out the costs.
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