Social Discourse: The Current Dearth of Interest in Studying History Among Students

Prompt: Social Discourse: The Current Dearth of Interest in Studying History Among Students

Social Discourse: The Unfavorable Trend of Many Students Disliking History Class
 

I. Social Discourse Outline: The Unfavorable Trend of Many Students Disliking History Class (Standard)

- There exists a rather disheartening trend where, in increasingly modernized societies, individuals tend to forget the past, particularly at the age of students who seem to shun the subject of History.
- This painful reality is progressing significantly and becoming prevalent among all students, causing us to ponder and reflect.

2. Body of the Text

* What is History?
- History is a theoretical subject that does not require extensive research and reflection from individuals; it is a collection of events that have occurred in the past...(Continued)

>> See detailed outline of the Social Discourse: The Unfavorable Trend of Many Students Disliking History Class here

II. Sample Essay Social Discourse: The Unfavorable Trend of Many Students Disliking History Class (Standard)

Chairman Ho Chi Minh once taught: 'Our people must know our history to fortify our national roots,' the teachings of Uncle Ho are indeed correct and still hold value to this day. Studying history means understanding the history of the nation, to comprehend the past events, to strengthen our love and devotion for the S-shaped land. However, there exists a rather disheartening trend where, in increasingly modernized societies, individuals tend to forget the past, particularly at the age of students who seem to shun the subject of History, deeming it pointless and without tangible benefits. This painful reality is progressing significantly and becoming prevalent among all students, causing us to ponder and reflect on the values in today's life and the stark differences from the past.

History is a theoretical subject that does not require extensive research and reflection from individuals; it is a collection of events that have occurred in the past, the glorious pages of the nation's history during the heroic years of nation-building and defense. We see, understand the individuals who built the country, sacrificed for the country, with victories and losses, joys, and tears. Although a concise hundred pages may not suffice to depict all the significant events of the past, they mostly remind each of us about the fundamental aspects of the country's history in the process of nation-building and defense for over 4000 years.

We know that since birth, humans have an inherent love for their homeland, their ancestral land, where they have toiled and grown. Even if they wander far and wide, they can never abandon it. However, the sense of gratitude, national pride, and love for the country formed from instinct and common feelings in daily life desire to be strengthened and developed further; thus, it is essential for us to understand what is called the national history. We must witness and understand the hardships and sacrifices of our ancestors, how much they sacrificed for the homeland today, only then can we truly appreciate and cherish our homeland, only then can we truly understand the saying 'Gratefulness is the memory of the heart.'

Studying History also broadens one's intellectual horizon, as lessons learned through blood and sacrifice are always more valuable and profound. We learn about courage, solidarity, relentless effort, the spirit of sacrifice for the motherland. We also realize more that protecting the motherland is the duty and responsibility of every individual, that Vietnamese people must love their nation, protect every inch of their homeland, act and behave cautiously, not to let enemies take advantage...

History is inherently an intriguing subject, akin to a thick journal filled with countless stories, yet for some reason, many young people find it tedious. Many students share that whenever it's History class, they feel sleepy, hardly flip through the textbook all year, and if the teacher happens to cancel the class, it's a joyous occasion, as if a burden has been lifted. Some even bluntly state that whether they study History or not, it doesn't affect their lives much, so why bother dredging up the past for analysis, it's tiresome and dull. Then there are the regular tests, even midterms, where many students score below average, I'm surprised, is History truly that difficult? A few historical events are perplexing even for intelligent students? These are normal occurrences, nothing worth discussing much, until seeing high school seniors burning books, tearing up History syllabi in the schoolyard upon hearing they don't have to take the graduation exam for this subject, one realizes the seriousness of the matter. For the graduation exam, no student wants to choose History, but schools that require it for the exam are akin to dooming themselves; the passing score drops drastically, the failure rate soars, to the point where schools genuinely fear if they choose History as the graduation exam subject. In schools and society, sometimes I laugh at the historical knowledge of some young people; I once read a Facebook comment saying that Quang Trung and Nguyen Hue are siblings, and Ba Trung and Ba Trieu are sisters, they even confuse Chinese generals with Vietnamese ones,... Sometimes when asked about the Liberation Day of the South, many remain silent, unable to answer.

Reflecting on it, the prevalent issues of students' poor performance and disinterest in History mostly stem from adults, with their dry, rigid teaching methods, lack of mastery of the subject matter, making students feel disheartened. Some even feel embarrassed about national history. We always say that History is a necessary subject for students, yet in reality, the education sector has overlooked this subject; before being disregarded by students, in a week with dozens of periods, History only takes up 1.5-2 periods, sometimes even less. This clearly shows students that History is secondary! History textbooks are overloaded with event milestones, outdated, not improved, the language is poor, truly making it tedious, let alone reading through it. Furthermore, the exam-oriented teaching method only adds to students' disenchantment; teachers lecture while students copy everything, and at the end of the semester, they're told to study the entire book, then take the test. Historical events are not taught seriously, so for students, they hold little significance and are even seen as a burden. Sometimes it's amusing how Vietnam's numerous dynasties are unknown, yet China's history is well-known; this reflects poorly on our country's cultural history exploration. Historical films, documentaries are not invested in properly; on TV, there's an abundance of enticing, captivating Chinese, Korean historical dramas, attracting more attention. As for the students themselves, they haven't grasped the importance of History yet, still overly pragmatic about their future careers, if their field doesn't require History, why bother learning it? That's the reasoning of these students.

Recognizing this unfortunate reality, we need educational measures, propaganda to change students' perceptions of the importance of History. Teachers need to dedicate themselves to teaching, strive to creatively introduce new learning methods to capture students' attention, parents need to encourage their children to explore national history, gift them useful History books, tell them interesting historical stories. Each student needs to change their perception of History, treat it with equal importance to all subjects, find interest and motivation in learning, abandon passivity, and boredom. Speak out against disrespectful actions towards History and national heroes, deliberately forgetting the glorious history of the nation, lacking gratitude, love for the country, national pride.

History teaches us valuable lessons, it's the precious experiences of our ancestors, whether success or failure, History provides us with an understanding of people, of the country, so we can love our beautiful homeland even more. Those who respect History are the ones with love for the country and national pride, how can one living as a Vietnamese not know anything about the national history, it would be shameful if international friends found out?

"""""--END"""""---

In order to hone your skills in writing persuasive essays, alongside Social Discourse: The Reality of Many Students Disliking History Class, you can also refer to other persuasive essays in the collection of documents Excellent Essays for Grade 11 such as: Social Discourse: The Coldest Place is Not the North Pole but Where Affection is Absent, Social Discourse on the Relationship Between Parents and Children, Social Discourse: Love is the Happiness of Humanity, Persuasive Essay: Patriotism is a Sacred Sentiment for Every Individual;...