Browse Pedagogical Essays
Identify it, Define it, Do it: Military History and the AP US History Class
“The College Board doesn’t care about military history,” I tell my AP-bound Accelerated US History students—though always tongue in cheek, because what historians mean by military history often differs from student assumptions. While AP US History rarely covers grand strategy or the social history of the military in depth, it does offer space to explore military history as part of broader historical processes.

Interviewing Veterans: A High School’s Oral History Project
One well-intentioned assembly missed the mark. Here’s how a veteran engagement project went wrong and what it taught about meaningful student connections.

Drawing Back the Curtain, Part II: Yep, You Really Do Teach Military History
If you’re a secondary teacher, chances are you already teach military history—you just haven’t called it that. This post affirms your work without piling on more.

From the Corps to the Classroom: Teaching History As a Marine Veteran
This author thought he left the Marines behind. Sixteen years later, they were central to his teaching identity in ways he never expected.
Drawing Back the Curtain, Part I: What Academic Historians Should Know About How Military History is Taught at the Secondary Level
Wonder why your students haven’t heard of key battles or ideas? This post urges academics to grasp the realities of high school history instruction.