Why do I need to study history?

I taught history for 27 years and loved most of my years - except for teaching world history. I did love American history and my own Louisiana state history.

"And it was then that I realized why I am a HISTORIAN.  I am a historian because each child that learns about American/Louisiana History from an outdated textbook, or is taught to believe that the study of history is only a grudging requirement for academic purposes, is being short-changed.  The history of our country/state is complicated, so chillingly complicated, that certainly there must be a parceling-out of that knowledge or a student would be overwhelmed.  But, to negate the reasons for studying our nation’s/state's past by not giving a better justification of why we study it is terrifying.

I hope my students will someday appreciate why their historian teacher made the effort to provide a fuller historical picture for them, countering the arguments presented in their limited school texts with each homework assignment.  If nothing else, the lesson I learned at school (albeit my student’s middle school) is that as a historian, sometimes it isn’t the big philosophical questions that matter, but the small, everyday questions that are critical.  That it is important to convey that History is not singular, but plural.  That point-of-view matters.  That History is a constantly evolving field, dependent upon curious scholars.  That History is more than old textbooks full of the long-dead; History is also our future.  And that is why we study History."

I know I need to get out to the country to cut grass again but it rains almost every day. I did get most- only most - of my city lot cut on Monday before it rained again.

I'm tired of looking at all the "going back to school" pictures on FB. I kills me because I can't be there with the kids of my former students. It just makes me sick.

So I just sit here creating one item after another for my store online. I have created about 15 different items in the past two to three weeks. Some have lead to others and those have lead me to - well you get the picture,

I've done several monthly activities celebrating its such as women, the Honey Bee, Military, Asian, Jazz,  etc, etc, etc. I have done a long list of them. See them at https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mres-History-Emporium/Category/Celebrate-the-Month-251062 I also created several for festivals. See them at https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mres-History-Emporium/Category/Festivals-300454

I've also been creating a big list on general history items plus I am running sales at TPT for these and most of the rest of my online store.