Brian,
Your survey reminds me of my brother
(archeology and cartography teacher) always has his students draw maps from
memory their first day in class. I keep telling him he should get
releases and publish a book one day. Have them draw the middle east or something
exotic like the provinces of
Best,
Leland
Leland Torrence Enterprises and the Guild
Office: 203-397-8505
Fax: 203-389-7516
Pager: 860-340-2174
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
www.LelandTorrenceEnterprises.com
From: The Listserv
that makes holes in Manhattan schist for free! [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Brian Robinson
Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2007 8:08
AM
To:
[log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [BP] Survey results
A couple of points about the survey.
The course was an undergraduate Intro to HP class. The survey gave me
the opportunity to discuss the importance of having at least a basic
comprehension of history if one is to pursue HP as a career. I am not a big
supporter of undergraduate historic preservation degrees in the first place. I
think that it is far better for a student to get a more general liberal arts
based education as an UG and then look to narrow their focus in grad school
by concentrating on HP. A chemistry or science background is also
great for those interested in pursuing materials technology and
conservation on a graduate level.
Another issue is that our high schools are graduating kids who are
completely illiterate in history. We seem more interested in preparing
kids for a living and not for a life. When a parent asks me "Can my kid
get a job in this HP thing?" I can't help but think that the entire
point of higher education is being forgotten. How can we protect the
foundations of our republic is our citizens don't know anything about our
past? Museums and historic sites are seeing a significant decline in
visitation. Is it any wonder why? We are not educating our children in the
history and values of our past. It has no meaning to them. We might as
well be discussing the melting of the Martian ice cap. "So what, who
cares...."
For many kids, history is just a bunch of facts and dates. They don't
have any established context on which to hang their concept of historical
study. I try to encourage my students to explore their own family
history in an effort to enlighten them as to how historical events have
impacted their personal situation. I had an uncle that was in the 82nd
Airborne and was killed on June 6, 1944 in
All this may seem like generational hand wringing, but I am telling
you, since the advent of public education in
It is all very frightening to me and leads me to think that our
current national educational path leads straight into the wilderness. We
will need more John the Baptist type preservationists out there to lead us
out toward the new shining city on the hill (Who is John the Baptist and what
shining city? Just shoot me!).
B
-- To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
http://listserv.icors.org/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html