History! Oh I love history!

I have loved history as long as I can remember. My grandmother told me stories of what it was like when she was young and in school. It was so facinating! As is usual of her generation she never told me anything about the Second World War specifically, but am pretty sure some stories did happen during it. Now I remember only sitting next to her listening and being fascinated.

All through school history was really easy subject for me and it was obvious I would go to university to study it. During my year in London I decided to apply for a British university to study it. Found myself in Hull and after my bachelor's degree moved back to Finland and started my master's degree in Tampere. 

I suppose one could say I didn't tale studying in universities as seriously as I should've. In Hull studying in a foreign language held me back a little, but got a 2:1. In Tampere life happened. During my studies I gave birth to two lovely daughters and just after second daughter was born the reason for my husband's sometimes strange behavious got a name. So being a mom and wife to severely depressed husband didn't give mych chance to studies. Enjoyment was taken away from the entire subject. Just wanted out and hence my degree is not brilliant. But I did manage to get into teacher training when husband got better. And enjoyed it.

I managed to get a job as a history and citizenship teacher in Finnish Lapland. During my time there I was told it was a miracle I got a job wit my crap degree. And it seems she is the majority. You have miniscule chances of getting a history teacher's job unles you have got a 1st or close to it. My love of history was ruined by harsh reality of academic axhievement failure.

Recently have found my love and enjoyment for history back. Have loved watching Time Team, the historical farm programmes and most recently Secrets of British Castles. But what has really done it is two things. 

Dan Snow's brilliant end enthusiastic HistoryHit podcasts. They are so energetic and have brilliant guests. Listening to the two part live podcast made really want to go back to the UK and have a better chance at taking part in events like that. 

Second is Peter Frankopan's Silk Roads book. It exploded my imagination!! So brilliantly written! It is not a dry account of Eurocentric history but vivid account concentrating how world histort has been shaped by the Orient, Asia and the silk road. What one thought was important and main point might not be.

 

 

So am not stressing that head masters are not willing to take a person who genuinely loves history and teaching and who knows what she doesn't know and READS it is their loss. Fantastic degree doesn't make a brilliant teacher. It can do but it is not always the case. It can be easier to teach at appropriate level if not everything is obvious to you.