Interview with Megan VanGorder

THE ILLINOIS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY has members from various fields, including but not restricted to journalism, law, libraries, museums, archives, publishing, and academia, and this does not include the many individuals simply passionate about Illinois history outside their professional lives. Many of us, however, have had experience in the classroom, whether at the primary, secondary, or higher education levels or as full-time or part-time teachers. In fact, engagement with the public about the past, whether at the local history society, through documentary filmmaking, historical reenactments, or presentations of historical markers, represents an act of teaching—proffering an important interpretation of the past with a larger community. In the classrooms, these moments often take on a fundamentally personal and intimate perspective as instruction becomes bound up with issues of personal growth and development, educational advancement, and career aspirations.Public engagement with history in the past few years has become increasingly challenging for a variety of reasons. From the "culture wars" to diminishing material resources to a steady erosion of faith in the efficacy of liberal arts education, the presentation of history to civil society is fraught with pitfalls that require careful and studious attention to not only the historical record but also diverse interpretations and the publics intended to receive such knowledge.As most of us first seriously engage with historical knowledge in the classroom, the Journal sought to initiate a dialogue with a veteran classroom teacher and promising scholar on the multi-varied issues of the historian as teacher. Professor Megan VanGorder of Governors State University serves on the Board of Directors of the Illinois State Historical Society and brings a wealth of experiences in pedagogy, historical research, and local and state history. Her insights below help illuminate both the challenges and rewards encountered by teachers in our discipline.JISHS: Megan, we are interested in the relationship between historical pedagogy and the state history of Illinois so we will be exploring a variety of subjects corresponding to those areas. First, let's begin with your own background in Illinois history. Presently you serve on the Board of Directors of the Illinois State Historical Society and write a regular column for Illinois Heritage. Why the continued interest in state history and how does that interest fit into your professional life?MV: As a middle school teacher, I had the opportunity to work with the McLean County Museum of History to create short units and plans to infuse local history into my curriculum. As I went through the research process as a teacher and then shared that information with my students, I saw the increased engagement and interest from my students as they read documents that resonated with and reflected their own experiences. That initial contact with the McLean County Museum of History sparked the idea for my master's thesis project. I took a similar localized approach for my dissertation. As I continue in my career, I'm interested in the ways that professional historians (and especially teacher educators) can empower local teachers and future teachers to continue to be historians through history research in their local contexts.JISHS: One of my professional regrets was as a first-year community college professor letting my dean talk me into eliminating a class (developed by former ISHS president Ray Hauser, by the way) on state history from our curriculum since it did not make enrollment nor meet state articulation standards. What may be the place for state and even regional history in college-level American history surveys?MV: I want my students to understand history from the place that they currently reside (even if only for four years) so that they can make meaningful connections to the national narratives that dominate US history textbooks. It's wonderful when an institution of higher education is able to include standalone courses on local history and other specializations. But when that course doesn't fill or is otherwise cut, it is certainly possible (and important!) to include state and regional history into the American history survey. I teach in an iterative inquiry process, where most of my units in the survey course begin with an inquiry in a local or regional case. In the process, students are grappling with primary sources, building critical thinking skills, and constructing arguments from evidence to be able to answer broader questions.Our textbooks choose case studies, too, but they do not often center on cases that have consistent geographic relevance or place meaning for students. For example, the harassment and dispossession of Native Americans hinged on a commitment to Manifest Destiny that occurred in every region of the United States. Most textbooks cover Cherokee Removal as the lone case study for this phenomenon, leaving students of history with limited knowledge about the complex devastation felt by Indigenous people. To localize the dispossession narratives, I constructed an inquiry on the Black Hawk war and Indigenous removal in Illinois to familiarize students with the regional story that covers similar thematic elements. Working with the DeKalb County History Center, I curated sources that can be used to compare the conflict between Shabbona and Black Hawk in the Midwest with the conflict between Major Ridge and John Ross in the Southeast. This type of work can be accomplished for every unit in the survey and helps students identify their state history in the national story.A real difficulty in postsecondary education is that there is no mandate to teach state history in the survey. It takes the commitment of the individual instructor to do work outside of the textbook to introduce students to local topics. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that this commitment is widespread, but I'm working to spread the good news of local history approaches.JISHS: How about K-12? I know the Illinois History Fair often highlights state history. Is there more robust instruction in elementary and secondary schools with regard to state or even local history?MV: At the K-12 level, there is a state law that requires state history instruction. However, local districts determine what the instruction includes, and as a result, it varies from district to district. In my experience now working with several different districts, the level of state and local history instruction is often directly related to the strength of relationship between the district and the local historical society or museum. If that relationship is strong and the history museums are collaborative and responsive to teachers' needs, there is a greater likelihood that districts are incorporating some meaningful local history into their curriculum.The biggest constraint on K-12 teachers is time—how can we fit all of this content in by the end of the year? The shift to skills-based standards in Illinois should encourage history teachers to go deep into the content, giving students space to be curious, explore multiple perspectives, and investigate complexities—just as historians do! These skills, fostered by supported reading of source materials and solving mysteries of the past with evidence, will serve our students well in other curricular areas. Teachers need the support of their administrators to shift their curriculum to adapt to new standards. This requires professional development, extra time for collaboration, and the willingness to modify the way curriculum is constructed to meet the standards and drive inquiry.JISHS: As both a scholar and teacher, what would you say are the most important themes or topics that have been neglected in scholarship, the classroom, and even public history?MV: If our students could understand that history is more about the process of knowing than the knowledge itself, I think we'd be in a better place in our society. We'd be much less certain of ourselves and perhaps, as a result, more willing to listen to new ideas that differ from our own. I love history precisely because there is so much that we don't yet know. Historians continue to ask questions of the past, informed by their own search for meaning and understanding to grasp the complicated nature of our humanity throughout time. History is popularly understood in terms of certainty, an encyclopedic catalog of facts and dates, while the beauty of the mysteries of the past become an afterthought. There is an opportunity in reading, discovering, writing, and teaching history to develop more tolerance, empathy, and orientation toward the collective good. We should be encouraging that type of history in the classroom, especially. Being "good at history," should not be synonymous with winning Trivial Pursuit but instead with the preservation of freedoms, engagement in our communities, and a lifelong pursuit of improvement.Regarding neglected themes and topics, there is much to be done in writing and teaching history that centers traditionally marginalized populations. We've made a lot of progress and this work is at the front of a lot of people's minds right now. Efforts like the TEAACH (Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History) Act in Illinois and the CRTL (Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning) standards are helping to drive us forward in thinking about how we situate pedagogy and scholarship.JISHS: One of the rewards of working with the Illinois State Historical Society is collaborating with a variety of individuals interested in our state, including professors, librarians, archivists, public historians, local history society members, and others. In what ways might those of us in the classroom better engage with our local historians?MV: To build on a previous answer, I think our teachers are doing the best they can to balance all the demands of the classroom. Most teachers I know are working hard to be the best that they can be for their students. That work is physically, emotionally, and intellectually exhausting! With that in mind, I'd love to see teachers use their local resources more regularly. Sometimes this can't happen because it doesn't exist (yet!). Sometimes teachers don't know it's there. Sometimes they don't have the bandwidth to add something else to their already pressed resources. Local historians and professional historians in local institutions need to reach out to local teachers to inform them about the available resources and begin relationships to develop materials for classroom use. They have a specialized knowledge in local sources and should know how to direct teachers toward usable history. They might ask, "Do you need a local primary source on the Great Depression? Check out this collection of letters to the mayor asking for jobs!" Teachers can easily contextualize such sources into their curriculum if they know it's ready for them to use. In turn, there needs to be a willingness for teachers to use new materials and think about new ways to teach content. Everyone must come to the table and collaborate.JISHS: You and I had a brief email exchange about contemporary graduate education opportunities in history. As someone interested in nurturing future history teachers, what advice would you offer those interested in secondary and higher education careers in the discipline?MV: Teaching history is good, hard work. If you have a passion for the content and a passion for kids, go for it! There are many excellent institutions around the state that will prepare you to be the best you can be for your future students. When I went for my master's degree while teaching, it was out of a desire to become a better teacher and content expert for my students. I'd encourage high school teachers to continue their education in history as a way to develop professionally and make more professional connections to enhance classroom teaching.The job market for professional historians after a terminal degree is tough right now! I have a lot more to say about it, so if any reader wants to have an off-the-record conversation, send me an email and we can chat. Ha!JISHS: The American Historical Association's monthly Perspectives magazine, among other topics, highlights contemporary issues regarding the practice and teaching of history. On the state and local levels, we seem to be witnessing considerable controversy over history instruction, especially regarding issues of race, ethnicity, sex, and gender as well as potential censorship of books on such topics offered through public institutions. Do you see these types of challenges increasing here in Illinois or possibly becoming part of future state political discourse?MV: For the moment, we are fortunate in Illinois to be able to continue to practice our discipline without the oversight of state government restricting academic freedom. To the ability that we can continue in the work toward equitable histories and equitable curriculum construction so that students and readers see themselves in history, we should do so with zeal. There are parts of our state and districts across Illinois that have constituents who see such efforts as too liberal, progressive, or "woke." On the other side, there are parts of the state and constituents who would say that efforts at equity don't go far enough. That's a hard needle for teachers to thread.Whenever historians or history teachers confront issues of race, ethnicity, sex, and gender (and they inevitably will), they have an opportunity to combat oppression and widen the perspective of others as they learn. This is a dramatic way to say it, but the preservation of our democracy and civilization is dependent on our ability to maintain a civil discourse. History as a discipline is an important tool to the maintenance of that discourse. In my experience teaching both sides of the political spectrum, inquiry is a great place to start. When we start with questions and genuine curiosity, we can't rely on a bank of preconceptions and known facts. We make ourselves vulnerable to be shaped by what we learn. I think that is how we move forward in this divisive political climate: humility and curiosity.JISHS: Finally, over the past quarter of a century there has been a very strong transnational focus in American historiography as well as a global reorientation for society as well. How do those of us interested in local and state history, which often bear upon more personal experiences and recollections, fit those stories into broader national and transnational narratives? Do they fit? Or, are they a different sort of history altogether?MV: Local history is global history. Small-scale histories become meaningful when they connect to large-scale realities. On the other hand, large-scale histories only become coherent when they point to small-scale realities. Both approaches need the other. Clifford Geertz wrote, "No one lives in the world in general." Every one of us is from some place and calls some place "home." All our stories start in local contexts and then connect to and resonate with other local contexts. I'll say this, though. When we learn our local histories, we cannot become insular and singularly focused on ourselves. The reality of our transnational and global world through technology means that we must and should engage with one another, learning as we go, seeing the ways that we are connected. Our local communities become so much richer when they include global knowledge and cultures.JISHS: Professor VanGorder, thank you for your time and thoughtful contributions to our Journal. We will look forward to reading your future columns in Illinois Heritage. Megan VanGorder is an assistant professor of history and the coordinator of secondary social studies education at Governors State University. She states, "As a historian and teacher educator, I'm passionate about bringing robust scholarship and historical thinking skills into the classroom. I'm working on a number of projects at the moment."Her first book, What Mother Meant: The Life and Legacy of Mary Bickerdyke, is currently under peer review at UNC press. In addition to her column with Illinois Heritage, Professor VanGorder is a teacher scholar for voting rights and civic engagement through Clemson University and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. She recently worked with the DeKalb County History Center to create educational materials for local teachers through their Arts in Action project at createchange.today.VanGorder is an Illinois native. She is from Normal and received her undergraduate degree in history and education from Illinois State University and taught at Olympia Middle School in Stanford for a number of years. During that time, she pursued a master of arts in American history from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and then earned a PhD in history from Northern Illinois University in 2022. She proudly claims, "I am constantly thinking about education and engaging with local history!"