Working History: James Dykstra

Name: James Dykstra
Title: Teacher
Employer:
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Years in the field:

What are the regular tasks for your job?
I prepare lessons for my students, evaluate their activites and measure their progress with report cards.

What is the best part of your job?
The best part of my job is when I get to tell stories. Much of history is about telling stories, and when I've got a good one that really grabs the kids' attention... well, that's a good day.

What’s the most challenging part of your job?
Keeping the kids interested. I love history and see the need for it, but a 14-year-old sometimes can't. When that happens (which is most of the time), I try to find ways to keep them excited and interested about history even if they're not old enough to understand the need for it. History is fun, quirky, and intriguing but getting the kids to see that isn't always easy.

How did you get interested in history?
I've always been interested by historical stories, but it was two of my profs who really got me going. Dr. Groenewold taught me the gravity of history. He really understood how and why it shaped our life and beliefs and helped us evaluate our response to that. Dr. Ken Munro taught me about the passion of history. The people he talked about in his French Canadian history course were not merely famous dead people. They seemed like old friends that he'd go out with, have dinner, and talk about old times.

What advice would you give to students who are interested in a similar job?
Volunteer at a school. There's a lot of things about teaching that surprise you when you see them first from the teacher's vantage point. Spending time in a school before you're in charge helps prepare you for that.

Step outside the box. There are so many cool things you can do in a history or social studies class that it would be a shame if you spent most of your time lecturing. You can do primary source research over the Internet, or send your kids to a Heritage Fair. There are more opportunities than you can possibly take advantage of, but do take advantage of some of them.