About Teaching, Academic Life, Politics, and History
We traveled to the town close to the national forest only to discover this street:
I am wondering what kind of people are willing to live on a street with this name? I will not be moving to Paris, Arkansas. I guess if it is a sundown town, this street sign did it for me. Oh, it is adjacent to a church. I do favor free speech, but you must wonder about the people in a community that would allow this.
Our trek through the Ozark National Forest was good; the route was okay — though not the most scenic one; it was also pretty tough task. the best part about the trip was the bear. We woke up at 1:00 AM to a bear in our camp looking for food; it made its way around the tent a few times before leaving. After the hike, we went down to Hot Springs to stay in the Arlington Hotel. Here are a few pictures:
Above: Janette packing up camp
Above: Because of the drought, water sources were scarce. Thus, I packed some and used my filter anytime a water source appeared. You would not believe the places I pumped water from; I thought it tasted better than Houston’s water.
Above: My pack was heavier than I wanted; however, I knew water and other factors would be an issue — so I was more than ready.
Above: I am thinking about that bear… not really! Nights were cooler than I had anticipated.
Above: Yes, we took Abbey. She had a tough time with the heat. She was good, though.
Above: This bad boy MSR can take anything. Nothing better than dried food mixed with hot water. I think I am about to prepare a spaghetti dish.
We are spending tonight with family in Austin, then we are off to Paris, Arkansas to conduct a 40-mile hike starting at Mt. Magazine; I have invested a great deal in building my climbing and trekking equipment. Above is a picture of my $500 mountain tent; it is supposed to withstand high winds and low temps — though my overpriced sleeping bag does a nice job with that; however, the temps are expected to be around 96 – 99 degrees this week. I do not have to worry too much about snow. Thus, I hope to post an updated picture of us in high temps hiding inside my overpriced but worthy tent.
In the neighborhood I grew up in… brothers did not do the things I am interested in doing; I blame much of this on my friend and climbing/trekking/marathon buddy Chris Bell, who got me interested in much of this stuff. By my junior year of college, I was running races, climbing walls with high tech gear and a degree of specialized skills, as well as dreaming about doing a number of dumb things. My boys back in the hood would tell me that this is stuff for silly crazy white people. I have skied in the likes of Idaho, Montana, Colorado, and yes the Swiss Alps. I have scaled rough walls and conducted highly unorganized cave dives with people who knew less than I. There are a number of things I would like to do as I continue my growing interest in the outdoors. I hope to do more trekking, climbing, and cave dives. Next summer, I have had minor discussions with one of my students about a bike trip across Texas. Dillon, if you hear me, I am not in much shape for this. If not next summer, maybe as part of your graduation.
So, here are the top things on my wish list:
Of the top 5, the Continental Divide will be the toughest. Though, I do have my summers to get this done. The most difficult will be Mt. McKinley; however, a Boston Q time might prove to be tougher than my ego is telling me. Here is a short description of the trail:
Length: 40 miles, only .6 mile is within the state park boundaries
Difficulty: Moderate – StrenuousDescription: This is the only multi-use trail in the state park. Horses and motorized vehicles are not allowed on any other trail listed here. From the horse camp down to the highway, this old wagon road drops 200 feet.
A few years ago I heard a speaker talk about how terrible the 1960s were; his contention was that it was a period marked by immorality, crime, and vice; sure, those things took place as they did in the 1920 or the 1950s — two decades often thought to be a period of morality and righteousness. Moreover, the premise of those two decades was constructed around a sense of myth and falsities. Why not address the lynchings of blacks or the domestic oppression of women? How about the wage earner? Those who were exploited for their labor much like many Mexicans continue to be. I do believe that the 1960s was the greatest decade ever; it allowed for a transformation that inculcated a belief in true liberty and civil rights. The construction of the constitution failed to do this for the obvious reasons I have stated before:
Democratic ideas are most likely to take root among discontented and oppressed classes, rising middle classes, or perhaps some sections of an old, alienated, and partially disinherited aristocracy, but they do not appeal to a privileged class that is still amplifying its privileges. With a half dozen exceptions at most, the men who had considerable position and wealth, and as a group they had advanced well beyond their fathers.
One of the things Hofstadter writes about in his many works is that of economic elitism. He described the framers as men who created an oligarchy via the Constitution only as an instrument to protect their wealth and status; he questions the democratic nature of the founders and the Constitution. Moreover, he discusses history as an entity protected by the very men who used it to enhance their status.
Howard Zinn writes in his piece on the Greatest Generation:
I would propose other choices if we are to educate the young people of our time in the values of peace and justice.
We might take the generation of the American Revolution, another generation almost universally considered “great.” I would not choose the Founding Fathers to represent it. Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton, Madison have had enough adulation, and their biographies clog the book review sections of the major media.
The Founding Fathers did lead the war for independence from Britain. But they did not do it for the equal right of all to life, liberty, and equality. Their intention was to set up a new government that would protect the property of slave owners, land speculators, merchants, and bondholders. Independence from England had already been secured in parts of the country by grassroots rebellion a year before the battles at Lexington and Concord that initiated hostilities with Britain. (See Ray Raphael’s A Peoples History of the American Revolution, New Press, 2001.) It is one of the phenomena of modern times that revolutions are not favored unless they are led by people who are not revolutionaries at heart.Zinn goes on to state:
Those who saw combat in World War II, whether they lived or died, are celebrated as heroes. But it seems clear that the degree of heroism attributed to soldiers varies according to the moral reputation of the war. The fighters of World War II share a special glory because that war has always been considered a “good war,” more easily justified (except by those who refuse to justify any war) than the wars our nation waged against Vietnam or Korea or Iraq or Panama or Grenada. And so they are “the greatest generation.”
What makes them so great? These men-the sailors of Pearl Harbor, the soldiers of the D-Day invasion, the crews of the bombers and fighters- risked their lives in war, perhaps because they believed the war was just, perhaps because they wanted to save a friend, perhaps because they had some vague idea they were doing this “for my country.” And even if I believe that there is no such thing as a just war, even if I think that men do not fight for “our country” but for those who run our country, the sacrifice of soldiers who believe, even wrongly, that they are fighting for a good cause is to be acknowledged. But not admired.
I refuse to celebrate them as “the greatest generation” because in doing so we are celebrating courage and sacrifice in the cause of war. And we are miseducating the young to believe that military heroism is the noblest form of heroism, when it should be remembered only as the tragic accompaniment of horrendous policies driven by power and profit. Indeed, the current infatuation with World War II prepares us-innocently on the part of some, deliberately on the part of others-for more war, more military adventures, more attempts to emulate the military heroes of the past.
I think Zinn presents a few pointos to ponder and think about, though I do not wholly agree withh all of his conclusions; however, he does give me something to take and wrestle with.
It has been an excellent week at Colorado State University in Fort Collins – - site of the 2009 European history read. We spent our days reading essays while attending seminars, lectures, and forums at night; I found myself dinning most nights with bright scholars, ambitious teachers, learners, and colleagues. Honestly, to call them just a colleague is an injustice. I see some of them every year at the reading, at the national conference, or other venues that requires both work and play. This was my second year to serve as Table Leader for the read; it was made easy by those I was leading through the reading process at my table. The writing process on exams is a complex task that many students are not equipped to do. I have been fortunate to teach a number of highly intelligent students; I have discovered, though, that not all students can do this type of work …. Some on my campus and others.
AP history exams require students to answer 80 complex multiple choice questions in a span of 55 minutes; they have to write a total of three highly organized essays showcasing their ability to construct a well developed thesis that is categorically supported by relevant facts. Of the three essays, one is a document based question (DBQ). A student has 60 minutes to study, analyze, evaluate, and categorize 10 – 12 primary documents in a constructive manner that answers the DBQ question. If a student achieves a score of 3 (out of 5) or better, he or she depending on the college will earn college credit. AP courses by nature are very demanding.
The Advanced Placement European History reading is done; I read this essay question in which students had to write (below is 1 of the 3). I learned that many students do not know the difference between a Nazis and a communist.
Analyze the long-term and short-term factors responsible for the disintegration of communists rule in TWO of the following states: Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland.
Below are a few comments students “actually” wrote on their exam. If you know much about eastern European history and the Cold War, you will find much humor here:
1. Germany was divided into two parts with Otto Von Bismarck controlling one part of Germany and Hitler controlling East Germany after he erected the Berlin Wall.
2. Communist leader Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia and forced communism on the people.
3. As a result of the Marshall Plan, Czechoslovakia gained its independence.
4. At the end of WWII, communism collapsed in Eastern Europe.
5. The Belgium Wall was erected in Czechoslovakia.
6. The Eastern Bloc countries were not really countries.
7. The European Empire was a dominate force in history.
8. The Social Democratic Party of Germany was against imperialization of Africa because the socialists do not like capitalism and that was the impetus of invading the country of Africa. In addition, the Democrats did not support the conquering of Africa because they are peaceful and are not mean like that.
9. Communism was doomed to failure because of all the unstable leaders.
10. Pope Julius II was instrumental in the rise of Polish solidarity. He, along with Lech Welesa, brought an end to communism.
11. In East Germany, Hitler was a major reason for the switch from communism to Nazism.
12. The Truman Doctrine helped the Czech’s gain independence.
13. Napoleon led the Czechs to overthrow communist rule.
14. The USSR emerged as a power within Russia alongside the Bolsheviks and Lenin.
15. Hitler wrote a book a called the Kulturkampf.
16. After WWII, Germany was split into pieces to be looked after and rebuilt. Once rebuilt, Eastern Germany got the Soviet Union as its ruler. Germany happened to be democratic and allowed Hitler to hold annual elections that brought about communism.
Hopwood v. Texas, 78 F.3d 932 (5th Cir. 1996), was the first successful legal challenge to a university’s affirmative action policy in student admissions since Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, 438 U.S. 265 (1978). In Hopwood, four white plaintiffs who had been rejected from The University of Texas School of Law challenged the institution’s admissions policy on equal protection grounds and prevailed. After seven years as a precedent in the Fifth Circuit, the Hopwood decision was abrogated by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003.
A proposal to scale back the state’s automatic admission law for public universities was tentatively approved Tuesday by the Texas Senate after several hours of debate.
The vote was 22-8. Senators are expected to grant final approval to the measure today. Then it would go to the House, where its prospects are uncertain.
The proposal, authored by Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, would modify a 1997 law that entitles any student graduating in the top 10 percent of a Texas high school to enroll at any of the state’s 35 public universities.
The University of Texas increasingly has been the school of choice, with 81 percent of its current crop of freshmen from Texas having enrolled under the law.
“A university needs the ability to consider criteria other than just class rank,” Shapiro said.
UT officials say the rising influx of top 10 percent students leaves too little discretion to admit students with artistic, musical, leadership and other skills who don’t rank that high. No other public university in the state enrolls such a large contingent of top 10 percent students or has called for limits on the law.
Shapiro’s measure, as amended on the Senate floor, would allow UT and any other public university to limit top 10 percent students to 60 percent of entering freshmen from Texas.
The first 50 percent would be filled out by accepting the top 1 percent, 2 percent and so forth. The additional 10 percent would be chosen from the pool of remaining top 10 percent students based on numerous factors in addition to class rank. A university would be free to choose from top 10 percent and non-top 10 percent students for the final 40 percent.
The proposal includes a provision that, subject to getting funding, would allow an undetermined number of top 10 percent students with financial need to receive grants of up to the full cost of tuition to attend any of the state’s public universities. Details would be left up to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, who is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said he wants to set aside $56 million for such aid.
Shapiro’s measure includes a provision that would “sunset” the limitations on the top 10 percent law after eight years — meaning they would expire at that time unless the Legislature extends the limits. That is intended to pressure UT to use its additional discretion on admissions to boost enrollment of blacks and Hispanics, a primary purpose of the 1997 law.
The proposal could face a tough fight in the House, which rejected a nearly identical measure two years ago after approving similar bills in two previous legislative sessions.
Some House members and leaders of civil rights and minority organizations have vowed to fight any weakening of the law. It has become a touchstone of merit-based opportunity for its supporters even though enrollment of black and Hispanic students at UT has not increased dramatically since its passage.
Above: Downtown Fort Collins
For the third year in a row, I am spending the second week of June doing European history work and reading at Colorado State University. It is safe to say that I love this college town; it has all of the ingredients one would want: shops, bookstores, restaurants, bars, live music, and outdoor recreational spots. Moreover, there is a healthy relationship between CSU and Ft. Collins. I like to spend my mornings on a run through downtown. The community of Searcy, AR — where I went to school, was not a college town; it was an ideal place for those ready to get married, have kids, and build a picket fence for the dog; it rested in a very conservative community that was dry. Better yet, I am sure the Temperance Movement held its annual meetings there. With the exception of Race Street, it had some pedestrian qualities to it.
One of the questions that came up last night and has come up before is that of alcohol: academics here at this meeting and every other meeting I attend believe that the drinking age of 21 is too old. They contend that it should be lowered to 18. There are two ways of looking at the conversation brewing among academics: on one hand, the Puritanical nature of restricting alcohol as some moral and biblical sin is false and unjustified; I do know that a number of religious conservative bodies (Ex: Southern Baptist & church of Christ) illustrate via teaching that anything bad for the temple (or body) that God created is bad in general. Keep in mind that the United States is driven by fast food. I have read and studied the Bible; it says nothing about the evils of alcohol. Schools that restrict this such as my alma mater (Harding University) and Baylor University, as well as countless others due to scripture, are practicing the art of in loco parentis.It is hard to imagine that there are institutions that restrict the consumption of alcohol by adults.
The Puritanical nature and treatment of alcohol vis-à-vis temperance has not worked. Young people have not seen the consumption of wine or beer modeled to them at home. Thus, they seek to consume alcohol in an irresponsible way. Academics and college presidents have pushed to review the “18″ and “21″ drinking matter. They seem to think the current age limit exacerbates the problem by pushing the drinking “underground” and making it more dangerous. But some are accusing these officials of wanting to shirk their responsibility to enforce the laws. Then there’s the problem of a young person’s brain not being fully developed until 25. Whether the legal age is 21 or 18, the risk-taking behavior will be part of the equation.
People fail to realize that the Constitution does not set age limits on drinking. That is a 10th Amendment issue. However, the federal government has influenced states to set the limit at 21 if it hope to receive federal dollars on highways. In essence, this is part of the political nature that has caught the true attention of college presidents:
The college presidents supporting the initiative have signed a statement that does not specifically call for the drinking age to be reduced from 21 to 18, but seeks a debate of the law that tied states’ adoption of 21 as the legal drinking age to eligibility for federal highway funds. The statement does indicate that the presidents believe the laws are not working on college campuses, where they say a “culture of dangerous, clandestine binge drinking” has taken hold.
There seems to be two major arguments about this matter. Argument for the change is this:
The United States has the highest legal drinking age in the world. Most countries allow people to drink at 16 or 18 years of age. Others, like China, Portugal, and Vietnam, have no minimum drinking age at all.
Legislators argue that men and women who are old enough to vote, get married, adopt children, purchase firearms, and defend our country can be trusted to drink responsibly. Libertarian groups and some conservative economic foundations have long advocated for lowering the drinking age, and in recent years many academics and non-partisan policy groups have joined the cause.
Proponents of the idea argue that the current law has forced youths to hide and sneak alcohol, which means lawmakers and responsible adults have no control over underage drinking. These groups argue the law doesn’t actually reduce drinking among people under 21 years of age, which renders the law ineffective. In support of their position, they point to the federal government’s 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which found that 85 percent of 20-year-old Americans had used alcohol. Two out of five said they had binged (on five or more drinks at one time) within the previous month.
By offering better education and taking away the appeal of doing something “forbidden,” some groups believe a lower drinking age will actually keep people safer. Nonprofit group Choose Responsibility proposes lowering the drinking age to 18, but only in conjunction with “drinking licenses” and mandatory alcohol education. The group believes this change would educate young people about how to drink responsibly with the oversight and guidance of older adults. [see reference note]
An argument against the change:
During the Vietnam War era, 29 states lowered the drinking age to 18, reasoning that thousands of men and women were dying for their country without even having the right to drink legally. Within a short time, the lower drinking age resulted in a significant increase in alcohol-related traffic fatalities.
Those who oppose the lower drinking age argue the law saves lives. Based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s review of nearly 50 peer-reviewed studies, it found that lowering the minimum drinking age to 18 increases fatalities by 10 percent.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says laws setting the drinking age at 21 have cut traffic fatalities involving drivers ages 18-20 by 13 percent and have saved an estimated 19,121 lives since 1975. When Vermont voted to increase the age in 1985, alcohol-related traffic fatalities reportedly dropped by 40 percent, according to Vermont State Police. Since alcohol is still the leading cause of death among teenagers in highway crashes, activist groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving argue the law is serving a valuable purpose.
Since states would pay a high price – 10 percent of their federal highway funds – to lower the drinking age, it is unlikely the movement will gain any ground. In most states, the legislative efforts have died without much support. Some organizations are hoping to reopen the issue for the 2010 election. [see reference note]
In the world of independent schools, most places have an evaluation process in place in which students mark evaluation forms of their instructors. For the most part, I have enjoyed the feedback from students on my teaching and the general nature of my courses. Before students evaluate me, I always ask them to write a comment or two offering constructive criticism. What can I improve on in my teaching. I have found the best mode of evaluation to come in a more informal manner: having lunch or dinner with students during or after the academic year so that I might ask them questions about my course(s). I am known to walk in the classroom and ask: “how are we feeling about the material and the direction of the course?” Students are good at being open; some will even offer instructional advice on something that might help them understand the material; I have found that students themselves are the best teachers. They can explain topics in a way that all students “fully” understand. Thus this is the reason I utilize the seminar method of instruction.
Not all students are fair in their evaluations, though. When I was in college, I recall some students saying that they were going to give so and so a bad evaluation because he/she was too hard or “unfair.” This does not help anyone. I do not know the extent to which HCHS students do this; I hope they do not. I have not had to deal with this issue so far. I wish we had a system of student evaluation at my former school (CAC), though my first year evaluations would have been brutal. I will admit that my courses were far more difficult at CAC than they are now. Much of this has to do with a change in my teaching philosophy.
I am not a fan of Rate My Teacher/Professor. I am not sure what purpose it serves. Moreover, it is clearly not a valid system of evaluation seeing that I have read ratings of teachers I deem to be outstanding. I have received pretty good marks on this site. If you have never been to it, here is how it works: a person gives a rating on a scale of 1 to 5. A person can also leave a comment that is approved or disapproved via moderator.
Below showcases my easiness, helpfulness, and clarity. A 1 means hard and a 5 is easy.
8/26/08
10/15/06
9/28/05
8/06/05
8/05/05
8/01/05
4/23/05
Here are some thoughts from my CAC days. I have not taught here since May of 2004.
10/14/05
6/27/07
4/03/06
10/16/05
9/19/05
4/22/05
7/21/04
3/17/04
12/11/03
My Saturday was packed; it started with a 7:30 AM meeting on campus with two students: Joel Turman and Sarah Salinas. A few students and faculty members are taking a trek in China this week. Jim Kelly, my friend in the science department and Christine Metoyer, my chair, along with Head of School Steve Livingston are set to leave on Tuesday. In preparation for this, I met with Turman and Salinas for a conditioning workout. While at a graduation pool party with a group of students earlier in the week, I told Turman and Salinas that I would train for climbing trips and treks by loading my pack with 4 – 5 gallons of water as I ran bleachers. Thus we agreed to do this. It was a great run with two of my favorites. I will write more about the multiple graduation parties attended as well as one Eagle Scout induction. I do have great students. They do a great job supporting me. I hope I can do the same for them.
Above: Carson and Abbey
Above: Sarah Salinas, Joel Turman, and me on a sprint.
Above: Catching my breath
Above: Im still catching my breath. Joel was a monster.
Above: Sarah after a quick trip to the top. She is also a competitive soccer player.
Above: Joel is a big time swimmer on our swim team.
Above: Jenny Drews sent me this picture; I got a chance to briefly catch up with her at Sam Driver’s and Jon Magiera’s post-graduation party. It was great gathering as I spoke with a number of parents, colleagues, former students, and people I did not know. Jenny will be attending LSU to study history. She is already a member of the American Historical Association.
Above: Jon’s gift from Ana Resende. I want one of these shirts. I had a blast talking politics with Jon, Sam, and Ana this past year. Jon plans to attend the University of Texas at san Antonio.
Above: I attended mt second ever Eagle Scout induction. Congrats former students on reaching what only 2% of all scouts ever attain. Sam, positioned to the far right, will attend Boston College.
Above: Sam, Ana, Emilly, and Izzie. Ana will be attending NYU, Emilly is off to Baylor, and Izzie is set to attend Loyola Marymount University.
Above: This is Katherine Driver — older sister to Sam; she has long been a favorite; I taught her in AP US and AP European history; she is now a senior at Texas A&M University majoring in sociology. Oh we have had a number of excellent conversations about race, gender, and happy hour.
Above: Shelby See and Hannah Turner. I have taught both ladies for the past two years. I was excited to visit with them some at their post-graduation party and watch them practice the wedding cake cut. Shelby is off to Maryville College and Hannah will be attending Trinity University.
Above: Metoyer (chair), Sivils, Malouf, Bourland, Phenicie, and Carson
The history department took a second to take this departmental picture just before HCHS 2009 commencement.
Kate Kreager, my top student in AP European history and this year’s valedictorian, delivered an excellent speech to her peers. Kate, who will attend the University of Texas Phase II honors program in the fall, is set to study history. She will probably return and take my job. That gives me four years to enter the national market.
Dr. David Patterson, the senior minister at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, served as the keynote speaker; he also serves on the board of trustees at HCHS; he did an excellent job challenging the class of 2009 to find their mission — the one Christ has set out for them.
Katrina Ong, the class of 2009 class president and one of the most interesting students I have taught, will study at Vanderbilt University in the fall; I cannot count the number of excellent conversations I have had with Ong.
Dr. Steve Livingston, the current Head of School, presenting his opening remarks to the faculty and class of 2009.
Jamie Ferguson, Rachel Gracy, and ashley Giffen after commencement. They are screaming my name. It is Edward, ladies — not Eddie.
Tuition at several elite private schools in Los Angeles County will reach $25,000 or close to it next school year. We have a very competitive independent school market in Houston; it is made up of a host of excellent schools. Thus tuition here in Houston tends to be high on most reputable campuses. Though our tuition runs around $16,000 per year — I do believe you get what you pay for. It is a good thing Houston is not L.A.
Tuition at selected Los Angeles private schools
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | |
| Marlborough School | $23,750 | $25,250 |
| Brentwood School | 23,400 | 24,800 |
| The Buckley School | 23,250 | 24,775 |
| Harvard-Westlake | 22,700 | 23,850 |
| Oakwood School | 22,000 | 23,550 |
| Campbell Hall | 20,670 | 22,110 |
| Chadwick School | 20,375 | 21,554 |
Tuition at selected Los Angeles universities
| 2005-06 | |
| USC | $30,703 |
| UCLA* (state resident) | 7,062 |
| UCLA (nonresident) | 24,882 |
| Cal State L.A.* (state resident) | 3,035 |
| Cal State L.A. (nonresident) | 3,035 plus $225 per unit |
* UCLA and Cal State charge state residents fees only. Charges to nonresidents include fees and tuition.
Median private school tuition, selected cities
| 2005-06 | |
| New York City | $27,200 |
| San Francisco | 24,940 |
| Washington | 24,367 |
| Los Angeles | 22,874 |
| St. Louis | 18,513 |
| Nationwide | 16,970 |
All tuition figures are for one year. At the private schools, tuition shown is for 12th grade; at the universities, it is for undergraduates.
Sarah Salinas came by today to hand me a great thank you note and a gift filled with chocolates; I am a big snacker, especially as it relates to junk food; I justify this as fuel for some big run. Hey, I am scheduled to do an 8 mile run today at my marathon goal pace, which is a 7 minute and 15 second per mile pace. Keep in mind that I must maintain this for 26.2 miles.
At the end of each year, HCHS has an award ceremony in which we honor a number of students for outstanding academic achievements. It is safe to say that I hate this day. Sarah was my most outstanding student participant for her work and efforts in AP United States history. I hate this day because there are always multiple students I can hand this award to. This year was no exception. My list started off with 8 students. I was able to narrow it to 4, then 2. Although Sarah’s academic work was top notch — which was the case for a number of students, I had to look at other factors. Though grades are important, I also weigh other things, such as:
As one can tell, it is always difficult selecting just one student for an award that others qualify for, too; however, in the end, Sarah was a great choice for this award. I am looking forward to having her in my AP European history course come the 2009 – 2010 academic year. The history and social science department also awards what we call the “citizenship” award. This top honor goes to a sophomore and a junior that illustrates a genuine interest for their country and fellow peers. This year we awarded Nathan Moore and Tyler Look.
I gave my world history section their final exam today; it is the only final I have to give since Advanced Placement students at Houston Christian are exempt. One of the things I teach in what is “truly” a world history course is the concept of global history. Too often teachers at all levels teach what is nothing more than a European history course masked under the title of world history. For the roughly ten years that I have been teaching this course, I have adopted the mission statement of the World History Association:
World History is the study of human history around the globe and through time. World History is NOT an adaptation of European History nor is it a series of area studies. World History is a global perspective of the human story. World historians study global forces and large historical themes. Among these themes are climatic changes, the spread of diseases and religions, and the expansion of a global economy. In World History, the story of Columbus is not simply the discovery of a “new world”. Instead, it is the “Columbian Exchange”, a story of human migrations, transatlantic trade, and the exchange of plants, animals, diseases, art, and technology between the eastern and western hemispheres. World History transcends civilizations and nation-states to form a macro history of the human past. This course focuses on the global impact that change and continuity has brought forth. (World History Association)
Instead of giving my class the same old general essay and multiple-choice final, I asked them to construct from memory a map of the world as it relates to their question. Because we construct so many maps in this course, it is my expectation that students will be able to construct one without the use of a memory aid. Moreover, students are asked to do a number of analytical things with the maps we construct throughout the year. So, I assure you that students are not paying $16,000 a year to draw and color maps.
Here is an example of a map constructed earlier in the year. This map addresses the periodization in world history from 1000 to 1450:
For this final, I gave students seven questions to prepare. Until they arrived today to write their response, they did not know which two of the seven they would have to select. Here are the two questions given today. The seven questions covered from the early ancient societies to the rise of the Cold war and decolonization.
Question One:
World History Final Exam, 2009
Using the paper that has been provided for you, construct a map of the world that puts in place the key regions needed to analyze the movement of each traveler. Using a color pencil, mark the routs in which each traveler traveled. Be sure to create a color key. On the back of your map, you should note the impact each migrant had on the route traveled, the region of final destination, and some type of political, social, and economic change brought about due to their movements. You must address at least one example per category for each traveler.
Explain the movement and impact of the following travelers between 1000 – 1450:
Zheng He
Mongols
Plague
Crusaders
Ibn Battuta
Question Two:
Using the paper that has been provided for you, construct a map of the world that puts in place the key regions needed to analyze the three major empires addressed below. On your map, put in place the general areas occupied by each empire. Using lines, arrows, keys, and other symbols… illustrate graphically and by the use of notes how ideas, religion, and goods moved. Furthermore, on the back of your map, address the problems brought about due to the collapse of this network by way of the Hun and German nomads.
During the classical period, there existed three major empires: Rome, Gupta, and Han China. Explain the impact each had on world history and the extent to which they protected the major route by addressing the following:
Spread of Ideas
Religion
Trade
Interracial marriages are on the rise. I find this to be a good thing seeing that we live in a world that should embrace differences. Life is far more enjoyable. Living here in Houston, one cannot help but take not of the vast diversity that exists. I pointed out a few positives from an MSNBC report. This article pointed out a few interesting points about our changing demographics:
As early summer approaches and my classes have come to an end, I have been debating on what to read. I contemplated Lionel Trilling’s Matthew Arnold, but then concluded it would be a bit much for an early summer read; it is a monster of a work. I will read it by the end of the summer, just not at the beginning. After talking to a friend about my struggles on what to read, I have concluded that I will revisit Richard Hofstadter and his Anti-Intellectualism in American Life. This work compliments my earlier reading of The Age of American Unreason, which I blogged about earlier.
Here is what Anti-Intellectualism in American Life is about:
In many ways, Anti-intellectualism in American Life was a commentary on the increasing influence of Protestant evangelicalism, political egalitarianism, and the rising cult of practicality as the new criteria for assessing the private and public worlds. Hofstadter accused religion, politics, and the public schools of fostering in common people a resentment and suspicion of intellect, of the life of the mind, and of those who devote their lives to it. He charged that local evangelical preachers and small town lawyers and businessmen masked their bias against intellect with the rhetoric of morality, democracy, utility, and practicality. Thus, as the twentieth century chipped away at village culture, it was regrettable though not surprising that common folk, made suspicious of urbanity and learning by community leaders, reacted with a “righteous” vengeance to change and those who celebrated it. However, though Hofstadter deplored the anti-intellectualism of village life, he sympathized with those whose way of life was being swept away by the rush of events in the latter half of the twentieth century. He noted the “patience and generosity” of the common American in the face of monumental change. He suggested that the animosity between intellectuals and the common people was not solely the fault of the commoner. He recognized that the life of the villager was at odds with the life of the mind. Where common folk lead hard, belabored lives, intellectuals lead more leisured ones — lives that involved extensive education and time to read, think, and write. Hofstadter also noted that intellectuals were often at odds with their fellow Americans, but perhaps more so with their democratic beliefs. (source for this)
I spend a bit of time in my United States History course talking about the greatness of Malcolm X; I do contend that by his death he had not reasoned with his hate, but instead, moved past it towards a conclusion of racial reconciliation. I will admit that I admire Malcolm X — not so much for his early views on segregation and a violent revolution, but for his change; it was his change and the power he held that scared many black nationalist Muslims. While presenting at a seminar in the Dallas area last summer, I came across this street: N. Malcolm X BLVD. As always, I could not help but notice that many of the schools and streets named after black civil rights leaders are located on the lower socioeconomic side of cities — the black side, whereas it is not unusual to find schools such as Abraham Lincoln or Thomas Jefferson located in black communities, too… but one does not see too many schools named after King in the upper side of communities.
After Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream Speech” in Washington D.C., Malcolm X would state — as noted:
The Negroes were out there in the streets. They were talking about how they were going to march on Washington…. That they were going to march on Washington, march on the senate, march on the White House, march on Congress, and tie it up, bring it to a halt, not let the government proceed. They even said they were going out to the airport and lay down on the runway and not let any airplanes land. I’m telling you what they said. That was revolution. That was revolution. That was the black revolution.
Malcolm X was able to capture the ears of many blacks who grew frustrated with America’s lack of political and economic progress for them. Moreover, with that heighten sense for change, King started to see his voice silenced within many of the black community. Thus king would write in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail:
You speak of our activity in Birmingham as extreme. At first I was rather disappointed that fellow clergymen would see my nonviolent efforts as those of an extremist. I began thinking about the fact that I stand in the middle of two opposing forces in the Negro community. One is a force of complacency, made up in part of Negroes who, as a result of long years of oppression, are so drained of self respect and a sense of “somebodiness” that they have adjusted to segregation; and in part of a few middle-class Negroes who, because of a degree of academic and economic security and because in some ways they profit by segregation, have become insensitive to the problems of the masses. The other force is one of bitterness and hatred, and it comes perilously close to advocating violence. It is expressed in the various black nationalist groups that are springing up across the nation, the largest and best known being Elijah Muhammad’s Muslim movement. Nourished by the Negro’s frustration over the continued existence of racial discrimination, this movement is made up of people who have lost faith in America, who have absolutely repudiated Christianity, and who have concluded that the white man is an incorrigible “devil.”
King had become aware of the challenges of Malcolm X and many black nationalist groups; his voice was soft and passive, though he was a very powerful and articulate speaker. Black’s sense of Christianity was one of division. Why follow a church and a God that allows such hatred to take place — many contended; King also feared the evils of materialism and comfort as many who made up the black bourgeoisie became comfortable with their status in life. As I stated before, today the black middle class is far more conservative than many realize.
The debate over true liberalism among blacks still exist. I have found the upper black middle class to be far more conservative and less active towards civil rights and social policy of late. I am concerned that the black bourgeoisie is willing to shift its focus away from the liberalism that put them in their position for racial acceptance. I believe integration is vital to a liberal society as noted by my neighborhood, friends, and place of employment; however, I do not think the black middle class should play the conservative card that carries with it values, attitudes, and behaviors that do not represent progress for all minority groups. Sure 90% of blacks vote in a solid block for the Democratic Party, but that block is not as tight as it used to be.
Here are a few observations about the thinking of the black middle class:
I am notorious for constructing from memory (as you can tell) a map of the world. The one above is a pretty rough rendition, but it suffice to say the least. In teaching my World History course, I stay away from Europe as a prime actor. Clearly due to European elements of nationalism, industrialism, and imperialism… the primary focus of this conflict is centered in Europe; however, I try to teach students that WWI’s impact is far more reaching than just the trenches of Western Europe. Above is my map linking all of the various regions and actors that took part in this conflict. Most people do not realize that Panama, Brazil, Siam, China, Jamaica, and Cuba were involved. I try to shape this conflict as one driven by Europe’s concept of modernity born out of the 18th century enlightenment. Hence, the notion of communities and nationalism of the 18th and 19th century shaped much of the problems in the 20th century. The process of this conflict goes far beyond a discussion about tactics, battles, and munitions. In many ways, one can easily focus on WWI from the perspective of intellectual history.
I think Benedict Anderson’s Imagined Communities concludes my above point and why wars should be taught from an intellectual perspective.
“In an anthropological spirit, then, I propose the following definition of the nation: it is an imagined political community – - and imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign.
“It is imagined because the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion. Renan referred to this imagining in his suavely back-handed way when he wrote that ‘Or l’essence d’une nation est que tons les individus aient beaucoup de choses en commun, et aussi que tous aient oublié bien des choses.” With a certain ferocity Gellner makes a comparable point when he rules that ‘Nationalism is not the awakening of nations to self-consciousness: it invents nations where they do not exist.’ The drawback to this formulation, however, is that Gellner is so anxious to show that nationalism masquerades under false pretences that he assimilates ‘invention’ to ‘fabrication’ and ‘falsity’, rather than to ‘imagining’ and ‘creation’. In this way he implies that ‘true’ communities exist which can be advantageously juxtaposed to nations. In fact, all communities larger than primordial villages of face-to-face contact (and perhaps even these) are imagined. Communities are to be distinguished, not by their falsity/genuineness, but by the style in which they are imagined. Javanese villagers have always known that they are connected to people they have never seen, but these ties were once imagined particularistically-as indefinitely stretchable nets of kinship and clientship. Until quite recently, the Javanese language had no word meaning the abstraction ’society.’ We may today think of the French aristocracy of the ancien régime as a class; but surely it was imagined this way only very late. To the question ‘Who is the ‘Comte de X?’ the normal answer would have been, not ‘a member of the aristocracy,’ but ‘the lord of X, ‘the uncle of the Baronne de Y,’or ‘a client of the Duc de Z.’
“The nation is imagined as limited because even the largest of them encompassing perhaps a billion living human beings, has finite, if elastic boundaries, beyond which lie other nations. No nation imagines itself coterminous with mankind. The most messianic nationalists do not dream of a day when all the members of the human race will join their nation in the way that it was possible, in certain epochs, for, say, Christians to dream of a wholly Christian planet.
“It is imagined as sovereign because the concept was born in an age in which Enlightenment and Revolution were destorying the legitamcy of the divinely-ordained, hierarchical dynastic realm. Coming to maturity at a stage of human history when even the most devout adherents of any universal religion were inescapably confronted with the living pluralism of such religions, and the allomorphism between each faith’s ontological claims and territorial stretch, nations dream of being free, and, if under God, directly so. The gage and emblem of this freedom is the sovereign state.
“Finally, it is imagined as a community, because, regardless of the actual inequality and exploitation that may prevail in each, the nation is always conceived as a deep, horizontal comradeship. Ultimately it is this fraternity that makes it possible, over the past two centuries, for so many millions of people, not so much to kill, as willingly to die for such limited imaginings.
“These deaths bring us abruptly face to face with the central problem posed by nationalism: what makes the shrunken imaginings of recent history (scarcely more than two centuries) generate such colossal sacrifices? I believe that the beginnings of an answer lie in the cultural roots of nationalism.”
It is safe to say that not all schools are created equal. There are clear benefits to being a faculty member in an independent school environment. However, one must compete with a number of highly qualified candidates to get through the gate. After nine years of teaching, I only know and fully understand private school culture. Guybe Slangen [see note below] gives a take on being a faculty member in a private school:
Taking all this into consideration, here is a partial list of privileges that I receive as a teacher in a private school. Like the McIntosh piece, this is by no means a scholarly analysis of the institution of private schools, but rather personal observations in my daily experiences and particular circumstances. I feel that I personally did not earn many of these privileges, but rather others earned these for me and I benefit from them everyday.
* The entire article can be found at the Independent Teacher.
Below is a great post from Runner’s World running blog. I love what Mark had to say about setting goals and staying focus; I think this post applies not only to running, but to life; I am always thinking about my academic goals and ask: Have I done all that I really want to do? Clearly for me the answer is no. I was telling a friend the other day that I have this huge hole in me that I cannot seem to fill; if I am not busy thinking about my classes and what I hope to teach, then I am thinking about what I would like to write about as it relates to various anthropological conclusions and historical narratives. Of course, this is something I hope to or have already inculcated in my classes.
This hole in me is pretty deep. At times not even my passion for teaching can fill it. Teaching can be lonely at times. Thus, many of us seek additional things to help drive our teaching. I told my headmaster not too long ago that if I did not stay busy and active off campus, I would burnout. This is the opposite of most. I need to be busy with multiple tasks; I am not saying I am a multi-tasker. I am not even close. But I do have a desire to be a constant student. This, I believe, will help me grow as an academic and a teacher. This approach has driven my return to running this past year as I hope to qualify for the Boston marathon. I think about my goals and how I hope to achieve them. Below Mark Remy presents the lessons we all can learn from Wile E Coyote. Though Mark is not a fan of the show Family Guy, I am.
Here is Mark’s Post:
Mark Remy
First, an admission: I am not really a fan of Family Guy. (More of a Simpsons man.)
That said: This picture, a screen grab from a DVD by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane — available for purchase now! — is really pretty funny. (Credit where it’s due: I stumbled across this pic on a blog called Popped Culture.)
It’s more than just funny, though. It’s also pretty apt, from a running point of view. Why? Because the message, while humorous, is dead-on accurate:
Chasing a goal is great… assuming you have another one on deck.
It’s certainly true of racing, I think. Especially for marathoning. You invest so much time and energy, overcome so many obstacles and endure so much pain, for so long, all while chasing this
Roadrunnergoal. You’re practically obsessed.Finally, one day, you “catch” your prey. You run the race.
Ideally, you’ll have another goal, whether it’s a different race or training for a PR or, heck, even a home improvement project. As long as it’s something you can focus on, somewhere to channel your energy.
Otherwise, you just might wind up like our friend Wile E. Coyote here: depressed, aimless, out of shape, slumped in a chair staring at your trophy.
And not even Acme Rocket-Powered Roller Skates can pull you out of a slump like that.
After reducing my miles to less than 30 over the last few weeks to rest, I have again increased my miles this week; I have set my running schedule and events that I would like to race; however, I have done this before in the distant past. Five years ago I upped my miles to around a 100 per week. This was just before a slew of injuries plagued me. I am smarter these days. And yes, I am much older. But, the key difference between the old me and the new me is “sense.” I actually listen to my body — kinda, sorta…. My training week starts on Sunday and ends on Saturday. My typical run will be an 8 – 12 mile run, with a longer run on Sundays. Though I took yesterday off, I have already logged 4o miles this week; I still have today and two more days to add 40 to 45 more miles. With classes coming to an end, my schedule is now open to log higher miles. I am hoping to put in 70 – 100 miles per week this summer. We shall see how that will work with some of my academic travels.
My favorite place to run is on a dirt path that circles the Campus of Rice University; it is an easy place to run due to the diversity of runners out there. Runners range from newbies to very fit and athletic men with no shirts on — to women in nothing but a sports bra. Traffic can be heavy at times. Which brings me to my three points:
