My Great Aunt Avis and Narrative History

My great Aunt Avis, our consummate family historian and storyteller, referred to the telling of history as “swapping lies”.  Her house was filled with boxes and file cabinets of primary and secondary source documents, from Quaker (Society of Friends) marriage certificates from the 17th and 18th centuries to late 19th century histories of Lynn, Massachusetts.  The best way to learn history, of course, was to sit on her porch overlooking the lake and listen to her “lies”.  History was a passion for her; and, so too for us as history teachers.

Sam Wineburg, Stanford professor of education and observer of teachers of history writes that “[h]istory teaches us a way to make choices, to balance opinions, to tell stories, and to become uneasy—when necessary—about the stories we tell.”   A core of teaching history is guiding students to read critically and write analytically.  Identifying coherent assertions, supporting evidence, and valid conclusions make for good historical thinking.  Peter Stearns reminds us that history is about developing “an ability to form an argument, using data for a purpose…[and refining] some capacity for handling diverse interpretations and testing theories about change.”   The analogy between the historian and the detective remains popular and is witnessed in the countless lessons online and in print that guide students to uncover evidence to support a thesis.  In so doing, students discover the power of telling stories that make sense of the past.

Great historical writing also engages through narrative and the imagination.  John Demos has commented on the importance of the imagination when doing historical work.  He writes:  “Clio is a time traveler, and we, her acolytes, delight in following her on long and varied journeys of the mind.  Works, pried loose from documents, carry us across the centuries.  Our experience if as full and rewarding as our imagination allows it to be.  And in these travels imagination is all.”   In my teaching, I have found it has often been narratives that develop from careful work with documents and artifacts that entice my students to make history their own.  My aim as a history teacher is to engage my students to explore documentary evidence—both analytically and imaginatively—and to embrace their historical imaginations.

Recently I participated as a panelist chaired by David Hackett Fischer (Kidger Award winner) at the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture Annual Conference in Boston.    To a largely university and college faculty audience, five pre-collegiate history teachers presented “Teaching Early American History in the Schools.”  What emerged over the course of the session was a clear sense that collaboration between the all levels of history teachers is strong and dynamic.  Middle and high school teachers are creating lessons that draw upon current scholarship, engaging students to do history with primary sources and informed by recent historiographic debates.  From Teaching American History grant partnerships, National History Day participation, Gilder Lehrman and other content-rich institutes, history teachers who seek out resources find them plentiful.

Practicing history empowers students to read, think, and write and express critically and imaginatively.  Wineburg reminds us “We’re deluged by conflicting, fragmented information that tries to steer us in particular directions.  We need to raise citizens who ask themselves, ‘Is this true? Who’s saying so? What’s the nature of the evidence?’  Taught this way, history is a training ground for democracy.”  Moreover, the need continues to be vital.  History comes alive when teachers participate in the historical process.

NEHTA is in unique position to support this noble endeavor.  As both the oldest and one of the most vibrant professional associations dedicated to the promotion of teaching history, our membership actively engages as scholar-teachers and models the practice of history for our students.  Our membership is dedicated to the best of historical scholarship.  We work hard every day not only to create lessons and empower students (lesson planning, teaching, grading essays), but also to stay current in our particular field of history (reading journals and books, attending conferences, researching and writing).  Moreover, our work is never done.  I challenge you to find ways to enrich your teaching of history with narrative.
Sources:

Samuel Wineburg, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts:  Charting the Future of Teaching the Past.  Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2001.
Peter N. Stearns, Thinking History.  Washington, DC:  American Historical Association, 2004.
John Demos, “Words and Things: A Review and Discussion of ‘New England Begins’”.  The William and Mary Quarterly, Third Series, Volume 40 (October 1983): 584.