¡Viva España!

Reflections on teaching the Spanish Civil War for the first time.

Pretty sure I punked myself with this Spanish Civil War thing. I’m not complaining, just… well, the universe has a sense of humor.

Months ago administration encouraged me to essentially throw away the textbook and create anything I could think of that would interest my high school freshman students. First idea I had was ancient Rome. We started with Romulus and Remus then hopped, skipped, and jumped to the fall of Constantinople and Constantine XI’s final words, “The city has fallen but I am still alive!” The students seemed to like it. There was definitely a change in energy.

Anyone here speak Spanish? Thank Rome.

Anyone here Christian? Thank Rome.

Anyone here like pooping in a toliet? Thank Rome.

Anyone here like wine? HA, CAUGHT YOU. Also, thank Rome.

You get the idea. I was leaning hard into the Monty Python vibe but beyond that I saw an opportunity to introduce history basics. Why are things the way they are? How did we get here? What happened before you were born? How do we figure any of this out in the first place? About a dozen seemed to really get it (one wants to be a historian now!). Most were just amused in that obedient, “I just want to pass the class” kind of a way. Some slept, as is the wage of any high school social studies class.

By the time Spring Break rolled around, I needed something new. Niccolo Soldo had just started an essay series on the Spanish Civil War over at his Substack, Fisted with Foucault. I recalled how notoriously difficult this conflict is to understand and more importantly how much there is to unpack regarding world history, the 20th century, and how these things came together in a single event. Best of all? It would help explain the origins of modern Spain, a country that a large majority of my students have in common ancestry.

If you’ve been following my work for any amount of time, you can probably guess how I decided if this was the right call.

Fuck it, what’s the worst that could happen?

I’ve learned a lot since then and most crucially it actually worked. The best proof I can offer are the questions my students asked, the conversations we had, the pile of thank you cards, high fives, hugs, and even tears. It wasn’t perfect. Gods know what any of them will actually remember but at the end of the day I think many of them realized, perhaps for the first time, that the world is bigger than the little black screen they carry in their pockets.

Beyond that, I’ve got stuff to do for the rest of my life. Let’s take a closer look, where this goes from here, and give you all an opportunity to weigh in with your thoughts. The core lesson from this first go at teaching the Spanish Civil War is this: I am very lucky and have a deep responsibility to make the most of that luck for the betterment of my adopted hometown.

We all know the public school horror stories. Many of you are parents, so I won’t waste time on the subject. Let’s just recap something: I’ve got 20+ years of professional experience in the working world, a history degree, a halfway decent brain, and a mind-garage full of stuff from all over the place (DON’T TOUCH ANYTHING I KNOW WHERE IT ALL IS). Admin scooped me up after one interview, dropped me in an elective class for freshman, and were smart enough to see my vast content knowledge and passion to make good use of it. Will this last forever? No idea. That’s what folks call a “later problem.” For now, I’m throttling this opportunity in the throat with both barrels and no fucks given. I don’t have time to screw around, as this may never come ‘round again.

Let’s move on. I’ve got two goals next year:

First, create a maximally difficult curriculum that has no limit on how far students can take it while at the same time keeping the risk of failure low. Basically, I’m shooting for post-graduate level work with a dash of Starship Troopers’ History and Moral Philosophy with Mr. Dubois. In the book students had to take his class, in which he was merciless, but they didn’t have to pass it to graduate. What you learned was far more important than any grade could demonstrate anyway.

C’mon you apes, you wanna look at your phones forever?

Second is getting students reading. Read all the things. Read all the things forever. Why aren’t you reading? Put that phone in the trash where it belongs, pick up that book, and shut your mouth. Stop reading ever in your life and I’ll feed you to the Bugs myself.

Got it? Pretty straightforward. Another way to think of it is like how college used to be, where the professor taught as a totally awesome day job while writing and research was their real passion. If you were a good student, perhaps they’d reward you with a sneak peek. The best got to help. Regardless, the point of this is remembering what a true scholar actually is: someone who learns for the sake of it and in turn can’t help but bring others along. As it is above, so below in my little trench-corner of the war. Now that we’ve got the broad strategic goals, let’s talk tactics.

Next year I’ll do two semester long units. The first will be ancient Rome through to the fall of Constantinople. The goal here is toss ‘em in the pool, get them swimming. Every Friday we’ll do a special activity focusing on what students learned that week in their classes, more reading, and taking time to catch up if needed. Everyone works and manages their time, especially me. I think it’s worthwhile for students to see that built into the structure of the class and their teacher’s day to day. With reading specifically, I’m focusing on the tried and true method of know things, read stuff because you know those aforementioned things, and now because you know more things you can read more things and continue the virtuous cycle forever (unless you want to be Bug food). Read to learn, learn to read.

Second semester is the main event where all the students realize just how screwed they are.

Quick, someone call CNT/FAI. I’m all out of bubblegum.

First day of the new semester I’m slapping them with an essay from The Bloomsbury Handbook of the Spanish Civil War. They’re not going to know a damn fool thing about it, and that’s the point. We’re establishing a baseline. From there, we go through a brief survey of Spanish history up until 1931. Hit the first five years of the Second Spanish Republic, the war itself, and coast out on Franco’s dictatorship finishing up with his passing in 1975. The final exam will be the exact same essay only now they’ll see it with completely different eyes.

That’s the moment I’ve got them! I not only show them what they’ve learned but proved to them once and for all they can do it if they want to. Here’s why that matters. At the end of the day I think demoralization is the great plague of the 2020s. What’s the point in doing anything? Everyone is crazy. Everything is breaking. War, famine, and depression seem just over the horizon. This time it’ll be billions suffering and dying. Maybe. Maybe not. In any case? Fuck despair. You don’t get to chose the era in which you live, but you do have a choice in how you deal with it. Don’t mess it up, because it’s the only life you get.

Beyond that, remember! Everything that is comes from the stars. We walked out of Africa eons ago, spread across the Earth, and are still here. Yes, we have problems, but we’re the only game in town and any halfway decent soldier will tell you war happens with the army you got not the army you want. If this opportunity in a tiny town is the army I got, I will make of them such an end as to be worthy of remembrance. And guess what?

Not only them, but you too. Isn’t that fun?

Remember what I wrote at the beginning? I think I punked myself. I’m not just teaching this in the classroom but I’m also doing it here on Substack. Thus far we’ve got the Spanish Civil War Warehouse and this essay. What’s coming next? You’ll get more essays, discussions, salons, podcasts, interviews, and even a book. We’re in it for the long haul. Keep being great students, and I’ll keep letting you peek the good stuff. Gods know where it goes from here, but I’m confident all of us will be better for it.

For now, let me know what you think in the comments. If your kids were taking my class, what are your thoughts? Give me the good, bad, and the ugly. I’m sure this will excite quite a lot of you but I need your ideas to make it what it can be.

What’s the worst that could happen?

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