A passion to ensure that wrongs in the past are not repeated in the future. A curiosity about how people in the past thought differently or similarly to them even though their lives may be separated by hundreds of years. A determination to study hard and write with maturity and authority; accepting that a piece of writing or research may take time to develop and refine before it is completed.
By studying history, we develop knowledge and understanding of chronology, we can identify key features of historical periods, the role of significant individuals, events and turning points. History develops our understanding of continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity and difference, historians do this by making connections, analysing trends, and investigating big historical questions. History enables us to make connections between different aspects of the periods and themes studied; between local, regional, National and international history; between cultural, economic, social, political, religious and military history; and between short and long-term timescales.
Historians never stop questioning. They question why things happen. They question how they can truly know what happened. They even question other Historians! This ability to question and think critically encourages a confidence to communicate ideas and challenge injustice.