La même histoire

Things I learned this year:

• Happy people don't start revolutions. (Credits to Taylor)
  
• Most alliances are not lasting, and in some cases, not really trustworthy.
• There is usually a reason for something happening; societies don't stage upheavels because they are bored, fellow countries do not offer assistance because it is morally correct to do so. More often than not there is an ulterior motive.
• History is what we make of it, and the winner writes the story. Moral: be the winner.

While individual facts of history are surely important, the greatest purpose of school is to give us the tools necessary to learning and comprehending independently. This year in modern world history, I relearned the importance of the thesis and how it can make or break your argument. A thesis is like a boat; if it is supported by evidence and takes a firm stance, then it will float, but if it is faulty from the beginning, then it will sink your entire argument. The thesis must guide an essay, not the other way around, so that supporting ideas are organized around it.
My system for taking notes has also changed; what good does it really do to write down every single thing that a presenter or film tells you? Will you truly use your notes? No, it is better to note the concepts or events that, given research and time, will get you further. Leads. Connections. Emotions. These are both ephemeral and necessary - they will not come back, and they can be the beginnings of new arguments.
So though we learned so much, it is unlikely that I will remember most of it in two years. I will remember, however, how to write a good argumentative essay in history, how to take notes, how to "gut" a paper, what to look for in primary documents, how to look at a situation in the larger scope of things. All in all, it has been a successful year.