Why Does History Matter?

Assignment 1: Why Does History Matter?

“What is History?—an unending dialogue between the present and the past.” (Carr, as quoted in Barton, 2011, p. 3)

Imagine this scenario:

You are a professor of early childhood teaching a course in Early Childhood Systems. Your students represent a range of professional backgrounds and career aspirations—many are new to this area of study, and all bring unique perspectives and diverse personal histories.

You have just completed today’s class session, which is one of your favorites. It included a multimedia presentation and a related discussion about the history of strands of services in early childhood education and significant factors that influenced that history.

As you are preparing to leave the classroom, a student approaches you and says, “I love the early childhood field and I’m in this program because I am looking forward to a career working for young children and their families. I am well aware that children’s earliest years are vital to their development, and I’m committed to advocating for them and their families. However, I’m confused. Our class today was all about the past, which doesn’t seem relevant to what I plan to do. Why do I need to know about history in order to understand early childhood systems, public policy, and advocacy?”

You not only want to support your student’s commitment to young children and families, but you also want to help her understand how history and contextual factors related to early childhood systems will contribute to her effectiveness in the roles to which she aspires.

For this assignment:

Create a compelling and convincing response to this student, including:

Why those involved in early childhood public policy and advocacy need to understand the roots and ramifications of history as illustrated by the multimedia presentation

What you learned from this assignment that will help you be a more effective early childhood professional, public policy advocate, and leader. Please explain your thinking.

Assignment length: 2–3 pages