I Am a Lazy Person.

Most of the stuff here on my blog was not written for the blog. It was written for a class or some other project then published here. This has to change. I won't be taking any more writing classes. Which means I have to motivate my self to write. It's not easy. I'm pretty busy with other stuff. But you can help me out. I am committing to publishing a new piece on the 1st and 15th of every month. If I do not do so, could the four of you who read this blog please be as annoying as possible in asking me why I haven't published. Thank you.

And now, another (and possibly the last) piece I wrote for a class. This time, I was asked why I am seeking a Masters Degree. My answer follows.

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I am a college graduate. I hold a Bachelor of Arts in History. This means I am qualified to do almost nothing. There are a few things I can do really well. I can use microfiche readers. I can perform complex boolean searches in obscure online databases. I can take information gleaned from microfilms, from online sources, and from books and articles and turn it into a coherent piece of original historical thought. Try putting that on a resume. For most open positions, having a history degree is roughly equivalent to speaking fluent Romanian. Interesting, but hardly useful.

History, like a few other select subjects (Latin, Feminist Studies, etc…) is a self sustaining field. Meaning that the only thing learning it qualifies you to do is teach it. (I find this ironic, since the very thing that drew me to History was the fact that its scope is limitless. There is literally no subject which cannot be studied under the banner of “History.” In fact many historians find themselves experts in other fields because they have studied the history of those fields so extensively.) Whether the act of teaching comes in the form of lecture at an institution of learning, or through the publication of a book, or through an appearance on a History Channel special presentation, the only thing historians do, other than study history, is teach it to other people. Which is convenient for me, because teaching is exactly what I want to do. I love history. I have a love of all things past, a fascination with how what once was has shaped what is today. And having the opportunity to inspire that fascination in others has been the driving force behind my entire academic career.

This is where my decision to seek a graduate degree comes in. I want to teach history. Specifically, I want to teach history at the middle/high school level. And while I have the history in “History Teacher” covered (I even know a little about the history of teaching. Socratic Method anyone?) the teaching part needs some work. I want to learn about connecting with students from different backgrounds. I want to learn about child development and psychology. I even want to learn about lesson plans and presentation methods. I am beginning the process of earning a Masters in Education because I want to be fully prepared to be a successful educator in today’s classroom. Also, no one will hire me with out it.