Buried Treasure
International Museum Day is on 18th May 2026
by Brian Radcliffe
Suitable for No Key Stage Specified
Aims
To consider the value of past events and what we might learn from them.
Preparation and materials
- You will need the poem History Lessonby Steve Turner poem. This can be found at: https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/history-lesson/
- You will need a history teacher to be ready to take part in the assembly.
Assembly
- Explain that you want to introduce one of the most important people in the school. Ask the students to give them a warm welcome!
The nominated history teacher enters to rapturous applause from students! - Ask the question: Why is (name of teacher) so important?
Explain that it’s because they teach history, and you think that this is possibly the most important subject taught in school.
Point out that some students will be surprised by this statement, but that you are going to try to explain what you mean by quoting a poem. - The poet Steve Turner wrote the following poem:
History repeats itself.
Pause for effect.
Has to.
Pause for effect.
No-one listens.
Pause for effect. - Point out that like most poems, this needs a little thinking through. First, it’s true that history appears to repeat itself. The same mistakes are made time after time. The same roller coaster of political swings to the Left and to the right take place. The same innocent people get hurt. The same issues repeat in different countries. This happens time after time, because no-one appears to listen and learn from what’s taken place.
- That’s why History is such an important subject in school. History lessons give us the opportunity to listen and to learn from what’s happened in the past, so we don’t continue to make the same mistakes in the future.
Thank the history teacher as they exit.
Time for reflection
Today (adapt for the day on which the assembly is used) is International Museum Day.
Ask the question: Who enjoys visiting museums?
Listen to student responses and find out which museums they have visited and enjoyed.
Museums are like banks for history. We can see, hear and sometimes touch artefacts from the past, getting a sense of what life was like centuries, and even millennia, ago. We can visualise what it must have been like to live in such times, to walk in our ancestor’s shoes.
Sometimes museums tell stories of good times, discoveries, exploration and the gaining of new knowledge. But often there are also stories of bad times, of exploitation, repression, wars and suffering. I think this is what Steve Turner’s getting at. That’s what gets repeated.
People in our society have differing ideas as to whether some artefacts should be shown. Some would get rid of things which illustrate bad times in history. Others think that we shouldn’t ignore the past and what happened should be seen. They believe that we need to know what happened in the past, so that we can make sure that we learn and don’t make the same mistakes again.
Questions need to be asked as we look at history. Could we have stopped people suffering? Was the price worth it? What mistakes were made? What would have been better actions? In other words – let’s learn from mistakes and do better moving forwards.
Thinking about the past isn’t just for politicians and governments. Every day our relationships with one another matter. We all have past history with one another. We’ve probably all caused pain to people or suffered pain from one another. We’ve all made mistakes, just so we can have our little victories. Steve Turner’s observations apply just as much to us as to national leaders. So, as we visit museums, as we think back on our own history, let’s look, listen and learn.
