“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
When I was in first grade, I was taken out of public school and homeschooled by my mother. Through homeschooling, my mom designed our curriculum and it taught us in a variety of subjects; I learned the basic academics, like Math, English, Science, and History, and I also learned outlier topics that elementary school doesn’t usually teach— like Latin. During this time, I was a part of a Co-Op. We (my sister and I) went in with other students on Fridays to a building where we learned from multiple teachers (other homeschooling parents), and we touched on all the work we had done throughout the week for class.
Homeschool and my Co-Op taught me a lot, and it fed a deep love for the Humanities. I was encouraged to explore what I was interested in and to truly delve into those fields of study with the extra time I had. I fell in love with History — I still know my timeline of major events that goes from the forming of our Earth to 9/11 — and English and Art (even though I’m not particularly good at it). It is this background, this passion for History and the Humanities, that I find shapes my life (and the lives of those around me). Although others may not share this same love for historical events and locations, their lives are still sculpted by the world’s past.
The Humanities (please see definitions for elaboration) is often said to not be “applicable” in daily life. Mathematics majors often mention “You use math every day! It’s always needed!” Yet, when discussing a humanities field of study, many say “What can you even do with a History major anyway?” and “Major in STEM, it has more for you than the Humanities.” (And maybe that’s just my experience, but I think this idea that STEM is more applicable in life is definitely prominent in our society, and regardless is a stereotype of the Humanities.) And so, I found that History and the Humanities is applicable to our daily lives in all aspects, and this portfolio is designed and themed to demonstrate this in each facet of it.
Thank you for reading about the background to the theme. Please enjoy my portfolio and browse in whatever order you so desire.
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