Students in the Play of History

Somewhere between Roos Roast coffees and the oppressive Art Fair heat I found myself sitting down with Dr. Chauncey Monte-Sano, discussing the myriad narratives of America coming out of the late-summer pre-election campaign frenzy. The thought experiment went like this: If all we had learned about the American story was what we heard from the news, what story would we believe? Clearly, we would not all be receiving the same story. Over the last two decades, how one learns American history has increasingly depended on what news channel you tuned into or what algorithm was curating your social media feed.

Eventually our conversation found itself returning to my classroom, with both of us reconsidering the many narratives interwoven into my course. Over the years, I’ve worked hard to include a variety of voices and stories into my curriculum, from a diverse range of political, ethnic, and social perspectives. History should not be uniform, but inclusive. Another goal I’ve always had is to emulate the real work historians do for students in the classroom. Whether that is asking big questions, studying a vast variety of sources, or critically evaluating common narratives, I want my students to see the real work of being a historian because it will help them develop the skills needed to critically evaluate information in their daily lives.

Although I am proud of the curriculum I’ve created so far, I know there is much work to do. In The Big Six Historical Thinking Concepts, Peter Sexias and Tom Morton describe the disconnect between the work of a historian and the narratives we study in the classroom by comparing the classroom to a stage production: “In some sense, [historians] are like the directors of a play. Too often, our students see only the play. We want them to peer backstage, to understand how the ropes and pulleys work that make the play possible.” Merely watching the play is no longer suitable in the twenty-first century classroom. In order for students to see the value in history, they need to see themselves in the history and participate in crafting it. Without honest engagement in the creation and analysis of historical narratives, students become disconnected from the historical process.

I knew that my solution plan would involve creating something that would be a meaningful way for my students to engage in the work of a historian, while also seeing themselves in the history we are studying. I settled on the idea of a family history project, inspired by Dr. Sleeter’s work in family histories. The plan is to have a 12-day contained unit near the end of the year, where students conduct oral history interviews with a family member. They will be tasked with preparing, recording, transcribing, and analyzing these interviews. As a class, we will investigate how Novi came to be the city it is today and where we all fit in that story. The guiding central question for my students will be: By exploring our family histories, what can we uncover about why people have moved to and within the United States, and how those movements have shaped our community? This allows students to piece together their own history as well as see themselves in the larger narratives of U.S. History we have been studying. We have been building historical thinking skills and content knowledge all year long. It’s time to do history.

I also set out to create a project that would last. All too often schools will launch great initiatives only to abandon them shortly after beginning. The reality of being a teacher is that you are constantly pulled in dozens of directions and it isn’t always realistic to add “one more thing” onto your plate. If I want this project to be a core component of the U.S History curriculum at Novi High School, I need it to be accessible to the other teachers who teach this course. I spent months refining the project and constantly considering its rollout: What tools do I need to support my students in their investigations? If I take 12 days out to do this project, that’s 12 days I lose in other units, and I’m already pressed for time, how do I deal with that? Creating this project was a balancing act between the realities of teaching and my own desire to improve as an educator.

This upcoming May, 64 Novi High School U.S. History students will pull back the curtain of the production that is United States History. They will be responsible for not only engaging the pulleys but also developing the script. Through a deep dive into family histories, students will take on the role of the playwright, rather than the audience. They will make decisions about what to include and what to exclude in their narratives, just as those historians do that write the texts we study. They will consider their own lives within the complicated and messy context of American history in an effort to understand not only their past, but our nation’s past. “When all is said and done,” says historian Marc Bloch, “a single word, ‘understanding’, is the beacon light of our studies… ‘Understanding’, in all honesty, is a word pregnant with difficulties, but also with hope.”

I do not expect this project to be without its share of difficulties. I anticipate changes will be made to its structure and logistics after this year and before it is rolled out to all 500+ Novi High School U.S. History students next year. I am thinking about what to say when a family is understandably cautious about sharing family history due to our nation’s climate surrounding immigration. I am developing backup plans for students who are not able to complete their oral histories in time or have a personal reason for why they are unable to complete the interviews. Despite the challenges, I am hopeful that oral histories and the narratives my students develop help shed light on the value and meaning of history.