it's all ancient history to the young

it's all ancient history to the young

fiction
edward w pritchard

Nothing is harder than teaching History to students in the public schools. For four years as a substitute teacher I taught 100 days per year and whenever possible I would try to get a History assignment with older students.

Imagine explaining to an eight year old about the Holocaust, our ancestors causing the subjugation
and deaths of tens of millions Native Americans and selective breeding and slavery as a profit center from 1808 to 1865.

To breach the subject of Ancient History if the classroom teacher left no handout or movie I would discuss for a minute or two the ancient salt mines under Cleveland and Akron where the students and I were at. An inland sea 400 million years old was the source of the diamond crystal salt in your Mother's kitchen.

More recently say 50,000 years ago gigantic herds of Buffalo ran one after the other across three large trails through Ohio in search of salt and various food sources. Herds often numbered in the tens of millions and eventually there were no wild buffalo in Ohio and about a hundred and twenty years ago Buffalo were nearly extinct in America from the attempted genocide of the original  native Americans.

As recently as 1000 years ago Native Americans may have hunted buffalo on a small scale in Ohio.
Now most native American tribes originally from Ohio are gone and forgotten. The rest is very complicated-read "Bury my heart at wounded knee" if interested.

Slavery should have been outlawed in America in 1787. Northern soldiers sang John Brown's body lies moulding in his grave because they didn't want to personally die. Slavery was a business with no heart or soul. Jim Crow and discrimination continued into the 21st century although most people
feel life isn't easy for them personally. Would you rather be you or one of the handicapped students in the special classes in a wheelchair down the hall.

The bells about to ring. Be sure put your name on your handout and leave  it on your teacher's desk so she can see you did your work today. Nice meeting you all. Wait for the bell please. Tonight's a
full Moon check out the night sky. Stay in your seats until the bell rings. Did  I tell you about the time I got robbed at gunpoint at the hotel I worked at?