In this essay, the author employs psychoanalytic inquiry (Britzman, 1998; Felman, 1992; Lacan, 1988) to think about the relationships between pedagogy, trauma, and crisis in the contexts of social studies and teacher education. The paper explores a potential space in social studies education that can acknowledge the psychic consequences of encountering "difficult knowledge" where and when pedagogy and representations of trauma meet (Britzman, 1998). To do so, the author examines a question posed by his students--"Why didn't I know this before?"--describes the context that gave rise to it, and then demonstrates a way for social studies educators to think about the psychical demands inherent in learning about the world. (Contains 2 footnotes.)