History Lessons

History. Who likes to learn about history? It’s usually pretty dry and boring. A bunch of names and dates, someone did this or that, what does it all really mean and why in the name of all that is good do I have to learn about a bunch of dusty old farts who died long before I was even a sparkle in my father’s eye? I think history can be fascinating, but usually it is represented in such a manner that I pass out in class before the teacher is done taking attendance. Not so with my current History Professor. He makes history come alive with various class activities designed to get the students involved. A recent activity we performed in class ranked right near the top with potential to make students skip class had we known before hand what he had planned. We were told in the previous class that he had something special and fun in store for us. When I arrived in class on the appointed day all the chairs and tables were moved to the edges of the room so as to leave the center of the classroom clear. Then after attendance was taken we were told that we were going to learn the Virginia Reel. Yes, that’s right, we were going to learn a social dance in history class. Something “special and fun”... um... sure... I guess. It ended up being the most fun I’ve had sharing public humiliation, ever! And since this is supposed to be a learning environment, what did I learn from this lesson besides the steps to the Virginia Reel? I learned that I don't actually have two left feet.