Ebook: History's Children : History Wars in the Classroom

Robert (Year 12): I feel like in history Australian history is relevant but I get the feeling that all through high school there’s this massive push to be a patriot and to be involved and to understand about Australia. But I think it’s one of the most boring countries in the world, and I’d rather learn about America or China or something like that. Jeffrey (Year 12): At least America had the Civil War. What is it about Australian history? Students dismiss the subject for being boring while politicians and concerned parents fret over their lack of historical knowledge. Teachers struggle to get kids interested in Australia’s past while public debate on the subject rages all around them. The classroom has become the battleground of the ‘history wars’, yet no-one ever asks children what they think of Australian history and what they like – or don't like – about learning it. Through interviews with hundreds of students and teachers from around Australia, Anna Clark argues that we all need to go back to the classroom.