I have always been interested in history. In fact, I declared history as my major when I entered college. I had enjoyed all of my high school courses and looked forward to what was to come. Well, to make a long story short, I was disillusioned with the college professors who taught history. I was convinced that they did not like my philosophy.

During one test I asked my best friend to see her essay. She made as many points as I did, but received a much higher grade. I went to see the professor. He upped my grade some, but not enough to make me happy. I dropped that major and went with elementary education.

That was probably the best decision I made in college. I loved teaching the youngest children. In fact, my favorite grade to teach was kindergarten. It took me a while to get back there, but it was always my favorite.

I still really appreciate history. We used to watch the History channel on television. I remember a sequence of programs on the history of trains. Since I loved trains, that was of interest to me. I think I have gone on every train ride in this area. I also rode the train across Canada to Vancouver, another train in Alaska, and a train in southern Pennsylvania. The rides were all different, but they were always enjoyable.

The longest train ride was the one through Canada. We slept on that train. I had the upper berth so I had to climb in and out of bed. Sometimes when the train was going particularly fast, I bounced around up there. We spent a lot of time in the observation car with the glass ceiling. I recall when we got to the Rocky Mountains how awesome a view it was.

That is part of my history. The funny thing about history is that it is never forgotten. Once you see or experience something you never forget it.

We have gotten into a mode in this country, where we want to forget our history. I do not think that is possible. Oh, they have torn down the statues of those who they deemed offensive, but are we going to forget about the things they did? I think not. It is up to the current generation to instill in our young people the importance of these events. The young people will never see these events, but they can be told about them so they can learn from them.

What will they teach in school? It is anyone’s guess how history will be taught, but I assure you it cannot be completely forgotten. Slavery did exist. The Civil War did take place. World War I and World War II are part of our history. The Vietnam War really took place. September 11 was another event that stands out in history.

The important part of history is that it serves to keep us from making the same mistakes twice. We look at history and learn what worked and what did not work. To me it is one of the most basic courses that has to be taught.

I was not teaching history when the Berlin Wall came down, but it was in all of the newspapers. At the time my class was reading “USA Today.” We could not avoid talking about it. I had to teach history to get my students to understand why it was so significant. Once I reviewed what took place it all made sense to them.

Just because someone does not like the outcome, it does not disappear. History is like that. What is going on today will become part of our country’s history. How will the current administration be judged? What are people going to take from this current crisis? How about the COVID epidemic?

Everyone is pushing electric vehicles to make the air cleaner. What I want to know is how are we going to manufacture enough electric power to sustain it? It seems like the electrical grid is stressed as it is. Look at what happened in Texas last year.

How is the electric to be produced? It takes fuel to power our electric plants. Is everyone going to have to revamp their home electrical system to accommodate a charging station? I can hardly wait until the rural electric system gets up to speed! We cannot get a good connection to the Internet as it is out here. What about those charging stations that are going to need to be built so people can charge their cars away from home?

The electric cars are not only expensive, they continually lose value as people tire of them. They are not nearly as convenient as people say. I heard one lady on television tell the reporter that she does not pay anything for fuel with her electric car. I think she just does not see the cost.

That brings up another point. How are our roads going to get fixed? Right now, they are getting tax money to fix them. Will they tax our electricity usage? They need tax dollars from somewhere.

Think carefully while you are making the decision as to what type of car to purchase. There are so many issues that need to be resolved that I cannot foresee electric vehicles being sustainable for quite some time.

I know the New York legislature has passed a bill requiring school buses that are electric to begin being purchased in the near future. Wait and see what happens there. My guess is that the purchase date will get pushed back.

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell, Pa. Contact at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.