To tell you the truth I could care less if anyone knows exact date trivia. The knowledge is of no practical consequence except for Jeopardy-type games. Rote memorization of very few things beyond beginning multiplication tables holds much use for most people beyond passing exams and neither does it improve analytic ability nor critical thinking skills.
In terms of history, I want the kids to learn from it, basically. This means not trivia but an appreciation of historical themes, movements, processes and outcomes, all considered within a moral framework. This sounds abstract and it is, but when faced with situations in contemporary society which mirror history, I want them to have the benefit of someone's past experience in recognizing and dealing with them.
“To tell you the truth I could care less if anyone knows exact date trivia. “
That’s like saying “I just want people to understand why math is important, actually being able to solve an algebraic equations is something I could care less about.”
Sorry, dates ARE an important part of history. It is very important to understand timelines and sequencing. If you don’t know dates then you can get suckered by people who play fast and loose with the truth trying to say “a” caused “b.” For sure not if “b” happened before “a.”
The phrase you are grasping for is “I COULD’T care less.” To say that you “could care less” means that you are not at rock bottom.
All that is great. But, what they also need to know is facts.Dates. Just like rote memorization of math facts, science facts (formulas) is imperative to understanding so is history facts. So is grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc.