Why Study History?
“History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.”
At Belhaven Hill history is considered to be of great importance. The past influences all aspects of our lives. It shapes the customs and beliefs of the communities to which we belong. Learning about the past and the methods used to study it help pupils make sense of the world in which they live.
At Belhaven we use history to teach us, among other things, responsible citizenship and an improved grasp of cause and effect. It also provides a grasp of other welcome disciplines, not least independent thinking.
We hope that our pupils’ imagination is fired, especially in writing about history and interpreting it, and that they go on to enjoy the subject long after they have left both Belhaven and their Senior School.
What some other people thought of history:
“If you don't know history, then you don't know anything. You are a leaf that doesn't know it is part of a tree.” Michael Crichton
“The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.” George Orwell
“Study the past if you would define the future.” Confucius
“That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons that history has to teach.” Aldous Huxley
, Collected Essays