I’m considering changing my major (again). I don’t enjoy the classes required for a psych major. When I don’t like something, I tend not to do it and therefore end up with crap grades at the end of the semester or dropping the class several weeks in. I’m considering changing to history with a goal of eventually teaching it. I’d prefer the collegiate level, but a better option is on the secondary level.

Most people hate history. To them, it was just years of rote memorization of names, places, and dates from a long time ago. Read the chapters and answer the questions at the end, then do a worksheet. Memorize all the dates and events on this timeline. Memorize and recite this famous document, but receive no explanation of why it’s still relevant a thousand years later.

For current students, it’s even worse. Today Social Studies (and most other classes) are all about test preparation. You know, the state tests where if you fail, you don’t move on to the next grade (or graduate, depending on year), your teachers’ jobs are in danger, and the school just might be taken over by the government (if enough of you do poorly). So the curriculum is altered to only cover things found on the test and students get buried in work by teachers trying to get it all in.

In many districts, for a person to coach a sports team, they must teach a class. Many of these people are not teachers (although they may get certified later) and are often assigned, you guessed it, history and other social studies courses. These “teachers” are only teaching because they need to be in a classroom for an hour and thus do not teach at all. They give out worksheets and other busy work and may have students read the chapters out loud to fill the time, but that is it. They don’t want to be there, and neither do the students.

It is not until college that most students begin to become engaged by history. There are of course those who draw a boring professor or are just not interested and never learn to enjoy it. It takes a professor who can turn the past into more than just facts. One who can tell compelling stories of all these things that happened so long ago. One that can lead discussions and evoke thoughtful dialogue among students. People emerge from these classes with a newly found enjoyment for the subject and some even make it their primary field of study.

Why can’t this happen on the lower levels? Eliminate No Child Left Behind. Reform education. Hire qualified teachers who are passionate about the subjects they teach and let them inspire that same passion in their students.

This is something that can and should be done and not just for history and other social science classes. How many people are turned off of math or science due to similar policies? When we don’t educate those that are our future well, the future starts looking a lot like this.

I completely and totally failed the NaBloPoMo challenge. I lasted maybe four or five days. It’s not that I didn’t have things to write about, I just didn’t write. *sigh*

Yet another example of today’s best and brightest and the completely brilliant questions they ask occurred yesterday. A student comes to the desk and asks while staring blankly at the sign that lists our hours: “What time do you close tonight?”

Thousands gathered today in downtown Salt Lake City to protest The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for their involvement in the passage of California’s Proposition 8 (hereafter referred to as H8). LDS donors made up approximately 78% of donations and the Church itself donated $2000 to the cause. Members were directed to give their time as well for the cause.

The partner, puppy, and I attended as well. The energy was amazing. An estimated three to five thousand + people came out, much higher than original predictions. Several legislators and our former mayor spoke while more protesters stood on street corners holding signs. Then we marched, flooding into the streets around Temple Square. There was chanting and songs. One of my favorites was when a three or four year old boy started a chant of “Separate Church and State”. Spirited debates with the counter-protesters. Some yelled. Some attempted to use logic. Some showed affection towards their partners. I was called a bigot by an evangelical hatemonger, but I also had enlightening, civil discourse with a young LDS woman who wanted to spread her “testimony” of peace and mutual respect.

Several hours later, I come home to see media coverage of the protest only to find that boycotts are being called for. Not for the LDS Church and it’s businesses, but for Sundance, the ski resorts, and the state of Utah as a whole! I am angered and disappointed.

The Sundance Film Festival is not owned by or affiliated with the Mormon church. The city in which it is hosted, Park City, is overwhelmingly comprised of liberal non-Mormons. As are Moab (tourist destination best known for proximity to Arches National Park) and Salt Lake City itself. When you target these places, you are hurting those who are on your side. Boycotting Sundance will have little to no effect on the LDS Church. In fact, I’m sure they’ll be glad to see it go.

If you want to hurt the LDS Church for their involvement in the passage of H8, target the Church itself. Boycott its businesses. Lists of companies owned and/or controlled by them are readily available online. Work to remove its tax-exempt status so that it’ll be treated as the business entity it truly is. But please, do not punish those of us who oppose H8 and the LDS Church itself just because we make our homes in Utah.

And remember, as so many of us chanted tonight: Love Conquers Hate.

There are still several hours before the polls close. That’s plenty of time to educate yourself about the various candidates, propositions, amendments, referendum, retentions, and whatever else is on the ballot before voting.

You can use Google Maps or the website of your county’s clerk to find where to go if you don’t already know.

Depending on which state you’re in, you might get paid time off work to vote.

Starbucks, Ben & Jerry’s, Krispy Kreme, Chik-Fil-A and several others are giving away freebies on election day.

One more thing: DEMOCRATS FTW!

Why is it so hard to understand that a library does not sell textbooks? We have a limited amount of textbooks that can be checked out for use in-house, but we do not sell them. At all. The only books we ever sell are ancient ones that have been weeded from the collection. Even after telling a student this, she still insisted on knowing how much she could buy it from us for.

What’s worse is that she called a few minutes before coming in, and was told by my co-worker that we do not sell them. I finally convinced her that the book she wanted was not for sale and pointed her in the direction of the bookstore.

This is not the first time such a thing has happened unfortunately. Usually it’s much earlier in the semester and they are not quite as persistent (read: oblivious). And these people are all college students…. *sigh*