Where do you stand on enjoying history?

I actually fit into a couple of these, because i did get my undergrad degree in history prior to going to seminary. I am also a history geek, i love old cemetaries, the history channels, antebellum homes, etc.

 

Among the best teachers in life are the experiences of other persons.

Bill

 

I am one of those people who live in a different world, and know it. I have a B.A., and M.A. in American History. Gave up the Ph.D. pursuit when the wife got sick. I actually make a considerable portion of my annual income from royalties on the books I have written, and am currently contractually bound for two new ones to come out for the Jamestown Exposition in 2007.

I have between 12,000-13,000 books in the house, 90% of them on some historic subject (including historic theology).

Currently in the midst of planning history symposium for October.

And remember, the past is another country.

 

Right now I'm looking over the History Book Club's latest offerings and debating over which couple books I DON'T want!

What I've done over the past few years is to purchase annually probably $300 - $400 worth of history books (HBC & Conservative Book Club are my primary sources) for the Christian day school operated by my church (80% of its student body are from other than our membership).

This helps them not just in having some good resources for reports, etc., but also for the school in its ongoing accreditation w/ the TN Assn of Christian Schools.

Who knows but that having a few current resources might stimulate a student I've never met from a church I've never attended to go on in studying history?

Writing off my purchases for their library on my federal taxes doesn't hurt either!

In my own life, I graduated w/ honors from a Bible college (now, unfortunately, defunct) in Clarksville, TN, in 1976.

Since the college was unaccredited, the VA at that time required me to take 18 SH per term in order to get 3/4's of my GI bill benefits.

That resulted in two things:
1) I quickly ran out of classes in which to enroll by my senior year, and
2) The 1/4 of my GI bill benefits that I did NOT get for 18 SH/term was still there.

One of the college instructors I had encouraged me to do what he did and that was to apply as a transfer student to the local state university to do graduate work in its history dept.

Having an unaccredited BA meant that they wouldn't accept any transfer credit, but that I'd have to enroll in at least 18 quarter hrs of 300-400 level undergrad history courses.

With GI bill benefits in hand, I enrolled in 28 qtr hrs, received an A in each one, went on to their MA program (receiving full benefits then) and graduated w/ honors in what was perhaps the university's last grad class before their grad program in history was merged into its philosophy dept.

Taught for 17 yrs in that church's Christian school and (while it still existed) in my alma mater--winding up as its last registrar.

What I'm doing today in order to pay my bills is in telecommunications, but what one does as one's LIVING is one thing----what one does for one's LIFE is another.

That's my story, and I'm sticking with it.

 

Ktn4eg: "What I've done over the past few years is
to purchase annually probably $300 - $400 worth
of history books (HBC & Conservative Book Club
are my primary sources) for the Christian day school
operated by my church (80% of its student body
are from other than our membership)."

God bless you for your ministry!!

I was fortunate when i was in High School (1957-1961)
because the American History (Junior) History
teacher, Mrs. Malloy, was on the Oklahoma state
textbook committee for History. She received all
kinds of prospective textbooks from textbook publishers
eager to be put on the Oklahoma approved list.
All these books were in the School Library.
I read a lot of them (not that high school textbooks
are a good source of history, but it is what i had).

I do have a gripe about history students.
I have a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education.
My specialty was Mathematics Education.
The math student had to take the same history courses
as the history student (albeit not as many).
The history student took math courses specially
designed for the non-math student. Needless to say
these watered down math courses weren't as
rigorous as the math courses the math students
took. Thank you, i like to say that every time
and again.

 

I am a genealogist and history fanatic. I have been interested in American history since I was a child, reading every biography of every famous statesman in the school library. I am especially interested in Civic War history and my family's place in it. Stonewall Jackson has always been my favorite American and I enjoy reading anything written about him.

 

EdEdwards--

As you've probably already heard ad infinitum,
"rigorous" (like beauty) is in the eye of the beholder.

To me, math is a four-letter word.

God seemed to never have gifted me w/ much of a mathematical mind as, perhaps, he may have you.
This is not to say that math is not important.

I cannot speak for why the course requirements at your secondary institution were as you described so I'll not even attempt.

Few are the individuals who naturally excel in both fields as history and math/sciences.

 

B = Bold
U = Unending
N = Noteworthy
K = Knowledge

 

me 2

 

Stephen

The symposisum still isn't official. Hopefully Friday week, and if all works out, and I believe it will, here is the gist of it

Location: Madame Russell United Methodist Church, Saltville, Virginia.

Date: October 1, 2005 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Cost: $40 - includes breakfast and lunch, registration materials, and tour.

Topics: Relate to the Civil War in Appalachian Virginia.

Date: October 2, 2005, day of remembrance for the members of the 5th & 6th U.S.C.C. who were massacred here on that date in 1864.

 

Although my current location is TN, I was born at (or pretty ---- near) the confluence of the triangulation of Independence Hall, Washington's Crossing, and Valley Forge.

Consequently my interests are different from those who choose to concentrate on still fighting the War of Northern Agression (this, BTW, coming from a native of the state that gave you Gettysburg!).

Just wish some of the other wars we fought would get a little more attn. Take the Mexican War for example. Many of the CW leaders got their hands dirty (bloody) in that one.

What about the War of US Aggression in 1898?

And, by golly, if there was a WW 2, there would have to have been a WW 1. (OK, just 'cause Sgt. Alvin C. York came from TN.....)!

Comments?