Students may have an interest in historical topics that instructors do not have the expertise to teach. Students may perceive relatively unexplored areas of history as more engaging or relevant than what instructors have traditionally taught. In England, instructors who are keen to exploit students' interest in American history often feel that they don't have the experience or resources to do so. Kathryn Cooper of the Loreto IV Forms College in Manchester, England writes, "We may not wish to admit this as teachers, but one issue is lack of expertise. We might be competent historians and good teachers, but few of us are trained in American history."
Educators who committ to teach an area or time period of history (be it Colonial American History, World War Two History, or any other historically significany event or era) undertake what could amount to hundreds or thousands of pages of history. Educators responsible for teaching volumes of information to unreceptive students are in a difficult situation. Covering the material in "encyclopedic" fashion entraps teachers. Rodney M. White of the Organization of American Historians writes "Information is poured into students' heads until the cup runs over. Using the textbook becomes the most expedient way to teach, and the student often becomes a passive receiver of more information than one could ever hope to comprehend, analyze, and encode."
A serious historian may never find the right or universally accepted historical perspective to teach. In the history of a conflict, the the two parties to the conflict will almost certainly offer two perspectives. Unfortunately, it is often the victor in battle or the powerful member of a conflicted society that can offer the most accessible history. Still, teaching post-conflict history when wounds are still raw presents a problem because it will very likely have bias and may perpetuate a conflict. The United States Institute of Peace website notes "Immediately after widespread violent conflict, some societies suspend the teaching of history because they cannot achieve consensus on how and what to teach. Instead they may concentrate on improving civics or human rights education. It may take a decade or more to reform history curricula."