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In this episode, we speak with Lindsay Dann, who was a history teacher at Shepparton High School for 20 years. 

Listen in as Lindsay discusses his thoughts on the importance of history and the current state of education in Shepparton. He also goes down memory lane, commenting on the evolution of schools, students, and teachers throughout his career, and interactions with former students that make him proud to be a teacher. 

Key Highlights 

● [01:39] An introduction to Lindsay Dann and his love for history 

● [06:11] Characteristics of a good teacher and what we’re really supposed to take away from school 

● [09:44] What jobs one can get with a degree in history 

● [12:04] Why people seemed so much braver in the past (i.e. during wars) 

● [14:57] The history of epidemics 

● [16:29] What Australia did well to contain COVID-19 

● [17:23] Lindsay’s favourite moments in history 

● [18:11] A brief history of Australia 

● [25:57] How the study of history has helped Lindsay understand finances 

● [27:35] How student culture at Shepparton High School has changed over the past 20 years, and its future 

● [30:34] Why Shepparton’s tech schools shut down 

● [33:31] The difference between Alexander the Great and Hitler 

● [36:52] Do kids today lack a sense of purpose because there is no great war to overcome? 

● [38:00] Lindsay’s family history 

● [39:17] Why we gain a greater appreciation for history as we grow older 

● [42:42] How teachers have changed since the 1970s 

● [45:00] What Lindsay would say to someone who is aspiring to become a teacher 

● [48:05] How to stop confirmation bias 

● [49:43] How Lindsay feels about his career in hindsight 

● [51:20] Who locally inspires Lindsay? 

● [52:35] How Lindsay met his wife 

● [54:55] The secret to a successful relationship 

Powerful Quotes by Lindsay 

● It’s not about the job you can get from studying history, but the skills that you learn and improve on that will help you get a job: your thinking skills; writing skills; and your ability to look at a situation, form an opinion, and have an argument to back it up. 

● I enjoy the story of Australia. For such a small, populated country, we’ve had incredible successes, whether it be in literature, science, mathematics—it just goes on and on. I think Australians are inspirational. 

● I love being able to tell a story and then have someone argue with me about whether I was right or wrong. That was my way of getting students to think about what was going on in the past which affects them today.