Chagrin Falls, OH Registered by: Duncan Othen
Comments: I believed history was unimportant and that it was a waste of time to study the past. That was my opinion until the 7th grade when my history teacher Thomas Mattern made the subject come alive for me. The first day of class he told us that we study history to learn from the mistakes of the past. That profound statement caused me to reexamine my negative attitude. In the days and weeks that followed Mr. Mattern's interesting lessons on past events led me to change my mind about history. I soon began to read and enjoy books about various historic events outside of our school assignments. I have continued reading history books my entire life and learned priceless lessons from the decisions and mistakes of those who have gone before us.
