No matter the history class, one thing that is easily agreeable among many students is the amount of information taken in. From AP European History to American History, hundreds of years are studied and hundreds of changes are documented. When students think about these times, would it be more ideal for them to live then vs. now? 

Things are very different when it comes to life now in comparison to life in the past. Depending on the situation, it might be fun to

live in the past. Skylenn Vargas, 12, is a student in an AP Government class. Vargas has a very strong opinion about living in the 1780’s.

“God no! I wouldn’t want to live then. For example, there were a lot more problems then. When they were making the Bill of Rights everybody was arguing about it, and now we have our rights so we don’t have that issue,” they explained. Vargas believes that maybe if they were a man it would be better.Nonetheless, they’d much rather live now, where things are more stable.

Even on the other end of the spectrum in Kelley Colwell’s freshman Global Exploration class, opinions seem to stay the same. 

After finishing their unit over Latin America, Jerah Mills, 9, says, “[I would rather live] where we are because in Latin America, there seems to be lots of crime and a large income gap that can lead to worse conditions to live in.” When looking back on what has been taught, they can easily come to the conclusion that the opportunities and conditions in America would be much preferred over Latin America. 

It seems that, even though the past or different locations may seem more fun or even better in certain circumstances, where we are now is preferred for a handful of students. Being able to go in depth on the history of different areas and time periods really helps put things into perspective for many students, and although the present isn’t always enjoyable for all, many think that it is still an improvement from the past.