Faith, Pluralism, and Chapel by Samantha Thompson

Here are a few thoughts from a previously posted article drafted by then valedictorian Samantha Thompson on a chapel and pluralism. Again, Sam was a dual star in both my AP US and AP European History courses, as well as a National Merit Finalist. She is currently a junior at Rice University in Houston, Texas. I post this out of great respect for my campus; I missed this chapel talk due to presenting a paper at a European historians conference in New York. But upon my return, students informed me of the heavy political nature of this gathering. This was a bit of an anomaly in that HCHS avoids political talks during its chapel meetings; I do respect that.  Below Ms. Thompson addressed the topic of faith and pluralism.

What is the one time each week where some teachers grade, others sleep, and still others skip altogether? It is the same time that students sleep, study, or text message. What else could it be besides chapel? It isn’t really the chapel’s fault that every speaker comes in from one or the other end of the spectrum and either way expects to rock our world. It could be a recovered drug addict or a life long believer that can now do something crazy impressive with his or her love for God, but everyone ends up the same in our minds. So imagine the excitement when we walked into chapel this past week to find something new, different, and, dare I say, interesting.

Although I do not think chapel an appropriate setting for a political message, no matter its Godly influence, I will not complain too loudly on that point considering the unusual ease at which I stayed awake. I’m also not writing to refute the entire Republican platform or attack any party’s beliefs. No, I will just touch on a few of the points made by our speaker.

I think it’s pretty much ridiculous to claim that the moral decay of this nation is linked to the removal of prayer from school. The fact that this happened in the early sixties as the sexual revolution was just taking off is purely coincidental. Let’s try the Vietnam War or the pill as more influential factors to the events of the sixties, not taking away that moment of prayer every morning sandwiched in between the pledge and announcements. Great examples of how prayer makes no moral impact on the student body as a whole are found in religious schools across the country. Students of such schools act “immoral” at just as great a degree and frequency as those at schools with no prayer. Besides, it isn’t as though God has been taken out of school completely. Every public school I have heard of has numerous religious organizations such as FCA and/or Young Life. Now religion in school is a choice, some people just get upset when young people don’t make the choice they want them to.

Also, it is true that the men who founded this country were for the most part men of God. It is probably additionally true that religion played into the decisions they made in shaping our government. But that is not any kind of proof that church and state should be one. Our country is not completely, but to a significant degree a reaction against Britain. Therefore these men knew how religion and government working as one panned out and weren’t too fond of it. Religion was taken out of government to protect it and the people’s choice to worship as they chose. On the other hand, I do agree that religious people can not separate their religious beliefs from their political. It is true that people of all faiths differ tremendously on the political scale from members of their same religion, but when voting all of your ideologies blend. You shouldn’t let the fact that most members of your religion vote a certain way sway your opinion, but if your faith leads you to decide something on an issue you shouldn’t dismiss it because you reached such a decision through religion.

Moreover, the statement about the polarization of the two major parties is a bit off. Candidates today are so middle of the road it’s a wonder citizens can pick. Worried about alienating voters, candidates dance around issues and compromise to an alarming degree. Take the gay marriage issue in the last election, where Kerry was against and Bush against it a little more forcefully. Such differing opinions that I don’t know how we will ever work things out! Now take that same idea and apply it to Texas. I’ve heard it called a split state, but anyone who knows anything knows it is basically red minus a very few strong liberal pockets. So do you really think that a very liberal candidate is going to win any kind of election in Texas? No, our Republicans are Republican and any “Democrat” elected in is really a moderate Republican or slightly left. Therefore, I find huge policy battles between the two major parties in the Texas Congress a bit hard to swallow.

The picture of all Christians as either Republican or confused old Democrats who don’t understand the parties have changed is a narrow-minded outlook that only alienates students and forces them into this little box of conformity. Forgetting the fact that we are young and just figuring things out and don’t really need to hear that if we believe this or that we’re going to hell, the statement is just plain wrong. While most Christians are conservative that doesn’t mean liberals can’t be Christian. We might as well say that since most African-Americans are Democrats, then if you are Republican than you must not be black…Condoleezza is just really tan. Platforms that include supporting social programs such as welfare, protecting the environment God created, and trying to bring equal rights to all makes me wonder why more people aren’t working to bring down these minions of Satan.

Political Beliefs

Those of you who are like me, understand the significance of the above political spectrum. I teach this in all of my courses. Moreover, one of the key components to fully understanding this spectrum is understanding the role of pluralism in the American polity. In pluralism, the polity for which we all are a part of is made up of competing fashions in which not one is strong enough to dominate. Advocates such as my self for this system contends  that it allows for diverse views. Thus, being a self-subscribed advocate of liberalism, I believe that it is paramount that views and constructs are not censored… even those that are not popular. However, critics of pluralism usually make two arguments:

1. They argue that pluralism represents a cynical view towards values with the exception of manipulating power. According to such, supporters of pluralism are chiefly concerned with their view(s) being most reflected in society.
2. They also believe this form of liberalism is too dogmatic and not as progressive as once believed.

The reality of course is that the vast majority of Americans are liberal. Thus, they land to the left of center. However, some might contend that nationalism is a threat to liberalism in that it espouses a notion of right-wing contention in which freedom of thought, views, and expression are deemed anti-state. Nation states such as Iran and Fascist Germany are the best examples in that the former believes in a state religion, whereas the latter supports state glory. I do think that most Americans see nationalism as good, however, there is much danger in the ideological spectrum above when one is too nationalistic (jingoism) and loyal to the state; he or she shifts too far to the right and desires a “sense” of uniformity in that there should be a society of “absolute” shared values. People will disagree with me here, but even within the confines of a nation-state, there cannot be a “sense” of shared values if pluralism is valued. It is safe to say that I know or have encountered members that land on each of the above ideological points charted, with the exception of an anarchist.

I do not believe anarchy exists. Of late, two students of mine — Reid Bishop and Emma Brown have taken up the cause of exploring the extent to which Thoreau was an anarchist in his values and teachings. According to Bishop, “Thoreau was a theoretical anarchist but not a pragmatic one.” Bishop got this one right in that the notion of being an anarchist is close to impossible. Though Thoreau and other 19th century transcendentalist attempted to be pragmatic, the inevitability of such failed due a human desire for political organization and structure.

As for conservatives, those that claim to be such are so because they believe the home, family, and religion should be at the core of all values. This means there is a place for women which is in the home, a strong opposition to abortion, and support for required prayer in schools, opposition to the teaching of sex education in schools as well as evolution. Conservatives hold to such social views but tend to hold even stronger views on political and economic issues, too. Case in point: A nation should hold to having a large and dominant military, and thus should use force if deemed necessary. Moreover, action against ideologies deemed “un-American” should be addressed. Though much of this seems good, however, it does counter pluralism in that there is a sizable population of Americans that see little value in using war as an instrument when diplomacy is good. Or, the values of religious faith dictating the private lives of individuals. Here, pluralism contends that acts of gay marriage or abortion are 9th amendment rights guaranteed by the Constitution.Those in opposition to matters such as gay marriage will tell you that they are conservative in their opposition to this institution, but liberal in that they do not want to see the Constitution amended to define marriage. There is a fear social conservatives hold in that the government should not legislate a 9th amendment issue. Social conservatives do find value in the 10th amendment as a body to legislate such acts. Again, case in point: During the election of 2004, the state of Texas voted via referendum to define marriage between a man and a woman in Texas, but many of those people might not do so at the national level. Keep in mind I am speaking in the form of conjecture here.

After reading the latter paragraph, many might state that most Americans are not liberal but conservative; I say “NO” in that many Americans favor the right for one to believe in God or not without the state dictating a belief as found in Iran or the former USSR. Furthermore, the right to vote (or not), speech, press, gather, and expression are values deemed liberal but can be expressed differently. Liberals, including myself, believe people should be helped if needed so that they can live a more productive life and reach their potential. This help, through the operation of the government, promotes the goal of an organized polity.

New Webpage!!!!!!

I am trying to build  a new webpage but think I am failing; I lack whatever is needed to get this done. Though, I have worked on it a great deal today. So, I need a few of you to check it out and tell me what you think (like or dislike). I am not sure if I will stick with it. Trying to get a document in they hypertext link to upload has not gone too well. Yes I am very frustrated. I even bought my own domain.

Check it out and give me a thought or two. Specifically, tell me if you see something that looks funny. Things appear different on my Mac.

http://www.professorcarson.com/index.html

Receiving Thanks from Parents and Students

On occasion, I get very positive letters and emails from students and their parents about me and the courses that I teach; I learned years ago that when you get such great notes, place them in a file for a day when you really will need to re-visit them. For the most part, I am lucky in that I get a great deal of respect, support, and thanks from parents and students. Not only have I had the honor of going out to dinner or coffee with a student(s), but I have had parents call me up and invite me out to a ball game or for a beer. I say this because when you teach a number of students with various interests and personalities, you must double that number since they have parents. My students  will tell you I am fair and very compromising in my views and when I have been unfair. I will admit that I am a little different. Okay, I can be downright odd. As a teacher who believes in being an active academic in the areas that I teach, I work to inculcate a level of thought and scholarship that will get students thinking not like me, but like a diverse learner.

I do value those parents and students that realize I put a great deal of time and effort into my classes and my students. Do I have shortcomings — you bet. There are too many to list on this post; however, my work ethic and clear qualifications make life easier. When I was in the hospital sick, it was my department, my wife,  students, and parents that took care of my needs. I am still giving thanks. I got this great email today from a family wishing me well. As a teacher, I tend to hear more negatives than positives. The very few that I get are usually associated with me being different or thinking different. But, I will say this, I teach in a great community with great families.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear Mr. Carson,

We wanted to say thank you for your investment in our son and your faithful preparations.  I know he greatly struggled in the beginning to adjust, but he absolutely loves your class and your teaching style. He is so very pleased with his grades and all that he is learning.  He loves the discussions that you have in class and that you affirm him with your responses.  Thank you so much for that affirmation .  He really struggles with keeping up with all the readings and assignments, but he knows his level of intelligence may not be where some of the other kids are;  but your affirmation of him is such an encouragement.  Your class is the only one that he doesn’t talk about falling asleep in.   I know he struggles because he never sleeps with all of the schoolwork he does.  What a blessing to have a child who loves his teachers as he does.  Thank you for all that you do to encourage the kids and spur them on.  Have a most blessed Thanksgiving and well deserved rest.  Thankful for you.

Cornel West’s New Book

I just got a new book to read today; yes, I need to finish writing and marking exams, but I think I will enjoy this recent book from my favorite scholar.

According to the publisher:

New York Times­ best-selling author Cornel West is one of America’s most provocative and admired public intellectuals. Whether in the classroom, the streets, the prisons, or the church, Dr. West’s uncluttered brilliance has been a bright beacon shining through the darkness for decades. Yet, as he points out in this new memoir, “I’ve never taken the time to focus on the inner dynamics of the dark precincts of my soul.”

That is, until now.

Brother West is like its Author – brilliant, unapologetic, passionate, compassionate, and cool. This poignant memoir traces West’s transformation from a schoolyard Robin Hood into a progressive cultural icon. From his youthful investigation of the “death shudder” to why he embraced his calling of teaching over preaching, from his three failed marriages to his near-fatal bout with prostate cancer, West illuminates what it means to live as “an aspiring bluesman in a world of ideas and a jazzman in the life of the mind.” Woven together with the fibers of his lifelong commitment to the prophetic Christian tradition that began in Sacramento’s Shiloh Baptist Church, Brother West is a tale of a man courageous enough to be fully human, living and loving out loud.

Wow! 35 Today!

I am not sure about the processes of time, but I feel that I was just in high school days ago; I will take 35 over 17. I live everyday to be as active and expressive as I can be. That tumor thing a year and a half ago has made me into a more reflective person. Cheers!

Below is a picture of me during my freshman year in college; I think I am 19 here. I am with my best buddy Phil Young, who is now a Nashville lawyer. Phil and I met in Montgomery, Alabama while attending the same private school. He encouraged me to follow him to college. Oh, this picture is his Facebook profile pic now.

Below is a picture of me at the age of 17; I think you can see my earring — which was not too popular with the girlfriend, mom, and coach.

Below is me at 35. I am getting older. Yep, I am excited about that glass of Merlot tonight.

 

 

Du Bois Book

I spoke to Phil some last night and I am very excited that we believe we can get our book done by March; we talked about what publishers to go with and how we could present it to schools and college faculties across the country. Our work, as noted before, is a reader: W.E.B. Du Bois and Religion: A Brief History with Documents (Forward by Edward J. Blum).  Co-edited with Phillip Luke Sinitiere, this is a collection of primary sources that reflect Du Bois’s thoughts on faith, spirituality, and the political implications of religion.  Documents include those that address religion from a sociological perspective, religious artwork, and spiritual fiction, among others.  This collection also includes a timeline of Du Bois’s life, bibliography, and study questions. One document that I intend on drafting an essay around looks at his political nature. Being a black intellectual, Du Bois grew frustrated that the American plight did not include the blacks. Thus, he like so many learned individuals, sought and admired the greatness of the Soviets, especially under the leadership of Josef Stalin.

In his eulogy drafted shortly after Stalin’s death, Du Bois praises a man who brought faith, confidence, and respectability to a proud nation. Du Bois, as did FDR, highly respected Stalin. I have long found that history books have been kind to Stalin; he killed more people than Hitler, he brought an end to freedom for many living in Eastern Europe, and he challenged the ideology of America until his death; it was his ideological challenge that most interested Du Bois. By the death of Stalin, DuBois had lost faith in American democracy. He claimed that it had failed the American negro….There was no faith in democracy or capitalism. The following document is one that I have used in my class before; it is a powerful piece. I got excited reflecting on Du Bois while editing and writing about this document for our book today.

Josef Stalin was a great man; few other men of the twentieth century approach his stature. He was simple, calm and courageous. He seldom lost his poise; pondered his problems slowly, made his decisions clearly and firmly; never yielded to ostentation nor coyly refrained from holding his rightful place with dignity. He was the son of a serf, but stood calmly before the great without hesitation or nerves. But also — and this was the highest proof of his greatness — he knew the common man, felt his problems, followed his fate.

Stalin was not a man of conventional learning; he was much more than that; he was a man who thought deeply, read understandingly and listened to wisdom, no matter whence it came. He was attacked and slandered as few men of power have been; yet he seldom lost his courtesy and balance; nor did he let attack drive him from his convictions nor induce him to surrender positions which he knew were correct. As one of the despised minorities of man, he first set Russia on the road to conquer race prejudice and make one nation out of its 140 groups without destroying their individuality.

His judgement of men was profound. He early saw through the flamboyance and exhibitionism of Trotsky, who fooled the world, and especially America. The whole ill-bread and insulting attitude of liberals in the U.S. today began with our naive acceptance of Trotsky’s magnificent lying propaganda, which he carried around the world. Against it, Stalin stood like a rock and moved neither right nor left, as he continued to advance toward a real socialism instead of the sham Trotsky offered.

Three great decisions faced Stalin in power and he met them magnificently; first, the problem of the peasants, then the West European attack, and last the Second World War. The poor Russian peasant was the lowest victim of tsarism, capitalism and the Orthodox Church. He surrendered the Little White Father easily; he turned less readily but perceptibly from his icons; but his kulaks clung tenaciously to capitalism and were near wrecking the revolution when Stalin risked a second revolution and drove out the rural bloodsuckers.

Then came intervention, the continuing threat of attack by all nations, halted by the Depression, only to be re-opened by Hitlerism. It was Stalin who steered the Soviet Union between Scylla and Charybdis; Western Europe and the US were willing to betray her to fascism, and then had to beg her aid in the Second World War. A lesser man than Stalin would have demanded vengeance for Munich, but he had the wisdom to ask only justice for his fatherland. This Roosevelt granted but Churchill held back. The British Empire proposed first to save itself in Africa and southern Europe, while Hitler smashed the Soviets.

The Second Front dawdled, but Stalin pressed unfalteringly ahead. He risked the utter ruin of socialism in order to smash the dictatorship of Hitler and Mussolini. After Stalingrad the Western World did not know whether to weep or applaud. The cost of victory to the Soviet Union was frightful. To this day the outside world has no dream of the hurt, the loss and the sacrifices. For his calm, stern leadership here, if nowhere else, arises the deep worship of Stalin by the people of all the Russias.

Then came the problem of Peace. Hard as this was to Europe and America, it was far harder to Stalin and the Soviets. The conventional rulers of the world hated and feared them and would have been only too willing to see the utter failure of this attempt at socialism. At the same time the fear of Japan and Asia was also real. Diplomacy therefore took hold and Stalin was picked as the victim. He was called in conference with British Imperialism represented by its trained and well-fed aristocracy; and with the vast wealth and potential power of America represented by its most liberal leader in half a century.

Here Stalin showed his real greatness. He neither cringed nor strutted. He never presumed, he never surrendered. He gained the friendship of Roosevelt and the respect of Churchill. He asked neither adulation nor vengeance. He was reasonable and conciliatory. But on what he deemed essential, he was inflexible. He was willing to resurrect the League of Nations, which had insulted the Soviets. He was willing to fight Japan, even though Japan was then no menace to the Soviet Union, and might be death to the British Empire and to American trade. But on two points Stalin was adamant: Clemenceau’s “Cordon Sanitaire” must be returned to the Soviets, whence it had been stolen as a threat. The Balkans were not to be left helpless before Western exploitation for the benefit of land monopoly. The workers and peasants there must have their say.

Such was the man who lies dead, still the butt of noisy jackals and the illbred men of some parts of the distempered West. In life he suffered under continuous and studied insult; he was forced to make bitter decisions on his own lone responsibility. His reward comes as the common man stands in solemn acclaim.

W.E.B DuBois, March 16, 1953.

Texas: The Unenlightened State

The state of Texas has been guided by a system of poor leadership and what I call a good ‘ole boy network as it relates to its hill billy notion of justice; I have only blogged about my thoughts towards the death penalty once before, but it is safe to say I am beyond angry with Gov. Rick Perry. As a pacifist and a Christian, I see no purpose in the execution of another person. The most sacred thing that we all possess is life; it is not up to us to decide who should live and who should be executed. It is my contention that if one believes in God, one should also believe that he holds all final calls. For years I have been a self-proclaimed social and economic liberal regarding the death penalty. I, just like so many people, have known innocent victims of crime. I am not an apologists for those who have committed horrible acts of crime: murder being the worst seeing that it violates one’s natural rights. Humans do not have the right to take such a life without it being a “just” cause. But when such an act occurs, I am not sure society gains by executing the guilty. The problem with the death penalty is that it does not deter crime. Furthermore, those that commit such crimes tend to come from lower socio economic groups. English intellectual John Stuart Mill stated that “if the death penalty worked, people would not pick pockets while observing a public hanging during the 19th century.” I have also noticed that blacks and the poor are executed at a disproportionate rate. I have been reading scripture looking for answers to whether subjects of a state should support the death penalty.

As of today, the state of Texas continued its pathetic cowboy and unenlightened image by executing another person.

HUNTSVILLE, Texas — Texas Gov. Rick Perry may have to decide whether a death row inmate lives or dies.

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, in a rare ruling, has recommended that Robert Lee Thompson’s death sentence be commuted to life in prison. The 34-year-old Thompson is set for lethal injection Thursday evening for his part in the fatal shooting of a Houston convenience store clerk. He was not the triggerman when Mansoor Bhai Rahim Mohammed was gunned down 13 years ago during a robbery. But he was convicted under the Texas law of parties, which made him equally culpable for the slaying.The shooter, Sammy Butler, received life in prison. Thompson, tried separately, got death.

Perry is not required to follow the board’s recommendation.

As stated below in Romans 13 1 – 5, I do believe that we interpret certain verses too literally regarding the death penalty:

Paul instructs Christians to submit themselves to the authority of the state, because “The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Referring to the authorities, Paul writes in Verse 4: “For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.” The reference to “sword” might be interpreted literally (to refer to capital punishment) or symbolically (to refer to the power of the state to punish wrongdoers).

For those that follow scripture, I have yet to find anything that substantiates the execution of a person that commits a wrong; in the teachings if Christ, such behavior did not transpire.

Another example found in John chapter 8 might be:

…This famous passage describes an adulteress who was scheduled for stoning. Jesus told her executioners He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. These verses have often been quoted to indicate Jesus’ opposition to the death penalty.

According to Christianity Today, white evangelical Christians are the biggest supporters of the death penalty, though a number have become bothered by the “proportion” of blacks receiving such execution.

While the issue before the Supreme Court is narrow, the national mood on capital punishment itself seems to be shifting. New Jersey became the 14th state to outlaw executions in December 2007. And a Pew Forum poll taken last August found that public support for capital punishment has dropped to 62 percent from a high of 80 percent in 1994. White evangelicals are still the death penalty’s strongest supporters, with 74 percent approval, but that is down from 82 percent in 1996. Some Christians have been disturbed by the disproportionate number of poor and African-American prisoners on death row, said John Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute, a conservative civil liberties organization.

World Exam

My sophomore world history sections took  their third exam of the semester today; we have one more left. I could smell their brains burning at the table.

Here is a sample short response question:

In the periodization of 600 C.E. to 1450 C.E., construct a map of the Afroeurasian world that showcases the major centers for trade and exchange. Then, note and label each of the following actors and their movement on your constructed mental map: the Mongols, the plague, and the Crusaders. Furthermore, discuss the political, social, and economic impact each had on world history and the periodization.

Dear Student Part 4: Common Student Questions by Professor Mark Lewis

Mark Lewis is a distant colleague and buddy of mine; we met years ago at a conference held on the campus of the University of  Nebraska; he offers some interesting points on the “dumb” things students ask. Oh, he blames me for students asking the questions below.

I wanted to contribute to this discussion, so I asked Carson if I could submit two pieces of advice blog posts. This one is a less serious post than the other one Carson will post for me. Funny, but Carson and I were at a conference few years back when we were comparing his upper-school students to my college freshman. In the end, we concluded that there is little difference between a high school student and freshman and sophomore in college. Let me add this, on my campus, we do not practice open or easy enrollments, either. So, dear student, here are the type of questions you will encounter from your future students; I suspect at one point you have asked such questions.

1. “I can’t be in class tomorrow. Will you be talking about anything important?”
2. “Is this score on my exam the number wrong or the number right?”
3. “I got the exact same answer as my classmate, but she got a higher grade.”
4. “I can’t be in class tomorrow. And, I am not sure how to read the syllabus. What should I read?”
5. “Is this going to be on the test.”
6. “I knew the material. I just couldn’t give it back to you on the exam.”
7. “Do we have to take the final exam?”
8. “Can we drop a grade?”
9. “Do you grade on a curve?”
10. “Do we have to read the textbook?”
11. “Will you give us a study guide that explains exactly what is on the exam?”
12. “I know I should have come by to see you before the exam, but I don’t understand what we have been learning.”
    

The Faculty Makes A School Great

My awesome friend and brilliant colleague, Stephen Hebert, a recent member to the English faculty, has a great post addressing my recent posts to my former student and why its the faculty that makes a school great! Check it out here…. Also, visit his blog.

Dear Student Part 3: Know Your Subject

As I noted in an earlier post, I was very excited to hear from a former student who is concentrating in history and wanted advice on the teaching profession. This student gave me the greatest compliment when she stated “I was inspirational in her career choice.” She will finish graduate school this spring and is open to any geographical region of the country as she seeks a teaching post at an independent school.

My first advice to anyone looking to teach is the most obvious: Know your subject and know it well. Knowledge of subject is the birth of effective teaching. I understand and do realize that courses in educational techniques are important, however, a command for what one teaches supplants all other things. Those of us that have been teaching for years realize the complexities of subject mastery. I am often asked how do I prepare for my classes? Simply — I read. And I read a great deal. I expect my students to read. The reality of course, is that there is always more to be learned. For me, I came to this realization during my very first semester of teaching; I never took courses in the study of world history; I took what might be amply referred to as regional studies. Hence, a course in African history, Western history, and Asian history. But never a course in “world history.” By the end of my first semester, I was way off my course outline and had made it only as far as the end of the classical period (collapse of Rome) by January term

It was at that point that I attended a seminar on “Defining World History” at Northeastern University. If you are like me, your teachers approached this discipline in a very regional way. Thus, by attending this seminar and reading Patrick Manning’s Navigating World History, I concluded that I knew Western history and regional histories, but not global history. Manning defines world history this way:

…is the story of connections within the global human community. The world historian’s work is to portray the crossings of boundaries and the linking of systems in the human past. The source material ranges in scale from individual family tales to migrations of peoples to narratives encompassing all humanity. World history is far less than the sum total of all history. Nevertheless, it adds to our accumulated knowledge of the past through its focus on connections among historical localities, time periods, and themes of study.

Keep in mind, the study of history and any particular field is a life-long journey; I am at times amazed at what I know and how much I still do not know. It is here that a new teacher should seek to engage in professional development that will allow he/she to grow as a knowledgable person. Keep a working curriculum vitae, noting your growth and contributions to your field. Do not just become a clerk, but look to be an active academic: write and submit papers for publication or to share with your colleagues at an association meeting/conference; join an organization such as the World History Association or the American Historical Association. Being a part of such societies will prevent burnout that can occur without the stimulation needed to grow as a teacher. Find a peer to work on a project with, perhaps presenting such work at a conference. Being active serves as an important position for any young teacher looking to expand his or her content knowledge.

The review of Manning’s book states:

Most new history teachers are prepared to teach an upper-level class in their field of research, but are most likely to be asked to do the opposite–to teach a survey of Western Civ or even more startling World Civilization. As a new colleague said in tones of whispered panic, “That’s everywhere, all the time.” Compounding the problem is the institutional disconnect in which surveys of World History are popular.

Being a member of various societies will permit…

1. you  to receive quarterly academic journals that contain a host of articles, book reviews, and field updates. At times I feel guilty for bypassing the articles and reading the reviews; it is impossible to read every book published. And seeing that on some university campuses people must publish a book to earn tenure, and another to be promoted — there is a lot of bad stuff out there. Thus, I read what I can but I never shy from book reviews; next time you are on campus, I must show you the sad fate of making annotations in the review of books section, which is half of the American Historical Review journal published by the American Historical Association.
2. you with conference discounts and updated emails on the field are great.
3. a feeling of belonging to something much larger than my campus. This is very important to me seeing that teaching can be the most isolated field on the planet. I have worked to avoid this.
4. a sense of excitement as you go towards your campus box to find the most recent copy of a journal there. I get four: American Historical Review, Journal of American History, The History Teacher, and Perspectives. I have yet to renew my subscription to Foreign Affairs — one I need to read that addresses more recent events. I also receive a copy of Independent School and get the Chronicle of Higher Education via my campus library.

Dear Student Part 2: No Assumptions

Here is a post that has appeared on my blog before. Because I have decided to devote a number of post to one of my favorite students and to those looking for a teaching position –especially one at an independent school, I thought I would repost this one. There are two lessons here: 1) do not assume too much about those that are interested in you, 2) and seek a post at a place in which there is a community willing to embrace you for being you; it can be difficult if you land in an envioronment that centers its focus not on your brillances and gifts, but on making you like them. Not all places are “really” committed to diversity. As the book the Excellence of Color: Hiring in Independent Schools Noted:

People of color, be they African American, Native American, Asian, Middle Eastern or whatever ethnic group, have spent years discovering their roots, developing a keen pride in their heritage, and accepting who they are. So don’t expect the current crop of prospective faculty to fit into your conservative profile. Many of them will not, and, frankly, I don’t think they should even try! Is that shocking? Is that unacceptable to you and your clientele? Then, perhaps, diversity is really not for you. If a turban or a dashiki pants suit offends, then so will diversity! Diversity by definition implies that the status quo will be upset.

Many of you may recall this post from before and this book being on my reading list in an earlier post too; I found the early historical approach of this work to be very good and wanted my current students to start thinking about race and communities; I have driven through a number of sundown towns as noted in Loewen’s book. One challenge many minorities face is choice of residence. Educated and well-credentialed Americans are blessed with a greater range of choice when looking for a job, a place to settle, and a community to raise a family; however, this is not true for minority groups. When I finished graduate school and started looking for a teaching post, or a position in publishing, I had to be mindful of the environment my wife and I would be moving to. Questions like this emerged:  Would my neighbors and the rest of the community be receptive of my presence, regardless of my academic credentials?

Two examples that come to mind when I entered the market were Cabot, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee. My greatest concern when finishing graduate school was the lack of teaching positions available for history instructors. Moreover, this was compounded by the fact that I limited myself to particular courses I wanted to teach and certain types of schools I wanted to join, primarily elite and/ or mid tier level independent/ private schools. At first I limited my search to very prestigious New England boarding schools; however, those types of options only recently (past few years) became an option. Many of those boarding schools are located in very rural white communities. Thus, I naturally wondered if I would be accepted. Well, I was blessed with a number of teaching options. One such option was in Cabot, AR in the public school system. A year before entering the market, I had agreed to at least consider Cabot. Of course this was before more options were available. I clearly backed out when an upper administrator told me that I would be the Jackie Robinson of Cabot. Essentially he was saying that Cabot educational leaders had to select the right African American for this particular community. I was scared; I was scared because of the bad racial reputation Cabot had (it is on the sundown town list here). Rumors of cross burnings and various other tactics were known throughout Arkansas about this community.

In defense of Cabot, much of this is probably historical; however, it is such rumors whether a perception or reality that limits the options for minorities. Here is my Memphis example: I sent my curriculum vitae (or résumé) to a very elite private school that was conducting a national search. Let us call this school elite school X. Well, one of my teachers in college made elite school X aware of me. This teacher also encouraged me to apply. The great thing about a number of private schools is that you do not have to spend hours completing applications nor do you have to be a licensed teacher. They just want your CV. A few weeks later elite school X scheduled for me to interview with the department head and dean of faculty via phone. I was a hit. Later, I drove 2 hours to Memphis for a campus tour, departmental lunch, tons of interviews, and a nightcap with the headmaster.

I did not discover this until later, but the dean of faculty and dept. head at elite school X had no clue I was black. Better yet, they were so surprised that one current member of the faculty would later tell me how often they brought the topic up. I did suspect it was a surprise by their response to my entrance. Elite school X did offer me a position, although I would later reject it for the opportunity to start my teaching career off by teaching advanced courses at a private school in Little Rock. Please keep in mind that most students at elite school X are very advanced, which means I would have been teaching such courses anyway, just without the title. There reaction to me was scary – although not offensive.

Dear Student Part 1: The Interview

A former student of mine is preparing to enter the market and is seeking a teaching position at a few independent schools. I have done the market thing in the past. It is exciting, stressful, and exhausting. I was telling her that the process, if it is done correctly, could be more of an endurance test. I have hit homers in the past during a campus visit, but like any good ball player, I have struck out too. My best advice is not to be nervous. I have found during my experiences that nerves can be a killer; I have seen my nerves force me into a state of uneasiness. Though I have not always accepted jobs that have been offered to me, my best campus visits have been for positions that I would have wanted, but was not going to kill myself for. Hence, you become very relaxed. On the other hand, there have been positions I really wanted that I did not get; often times, I tried too hard because I really wanted it. Thus being one’s natural state was difficult.

For those of you who have real jobs (non-academic jobs), the process is very interesting. From my own experiences, private schools like to test a candidate’s endurance. For example, on my last campus visit, the agenda had me interviewing with 6 – 7 people between 8:00 – 3:30: Speaking to the dean of faculty, dean of students, department chair, headmaster, and having lunch with the department is common. We, as do many schools, ask candidates to observe a class then teach a class later that day. Of course, candidates know in advance what they are teaching; the course is usually in their area of expertise. I do not know about the experiences of others, but I always hated the last part of the interview — meeting the headmaster. This takes place during the last hour of the endurance test. By this point, you have no more questions to ask. You are thinking about your flight or drive home as well as the number of bad questions you asked. Teaching a course is a must for many places, but tends to be a poor way of evaluating a candidate. Classes operate best once a natural rapport has transpired. This takes time.

Here is a description of a school conducting a national search for a candidate. My best advice dear student is this: Do not over prepare for the interview. Walk in knowing that hey if I get it… cool — but if not, oh well. I assure you it will force you to relax.

Each year, after identifying our teaching, coaching and other needs, the Dean of the Faculty along with department chairs or administrative officers will review all the appropriate resumes and schedule interviews with candidates. Interviews consist of a day-long visit to the campus to meet with all relevant school personnel (the Dean of the Faculty, the department chair, Dean of Students, Athletic Director, etc.). A tour of the campus with a student is part of the process. A class visitation and lunch with department members is scheduled. Candidates are called upon to teach a class.

Campus Spirtuality

Interesting article at Inside Higher Education. A group of non-religious students at Tufts want an institutionally appointed spiritual guide, just like the Christians, Jews and Muslims have. Is this the next wave of campus clergy? This question presented is one that secondary private schools have been doing for a while. I do like that we here at HC have “two” campus chaplains; we have students with an array of spiritual needs beyond that of scriptural study. I have developed a great relationship with a number of students; I have coffee with them; we attend shows and productions together, and meet to discuss political and social topics over dinner at times; however, it is very difficult with the demands of my schedule to fully have a job on campus devoted to talking about events in their life. I am just happy to stay afloat of my courses.

Conference Trip to OKC

I am writing this post from 30,000 feet in the air; at the conclusion of my last class Tuesday, I jetted off to the airport in order to catch a flight to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma… where I spoke to a great  group on social progress and European course construction. As the invited guest speaker, I do believe the engagement went well. When I get invitations to speak at history related conferences or offer a paper of historical interest to an attentive group, I try to stay as real with the audience as I do with my students. The great thing about my students is that they are far more forgiving of my many flaws.

Those of you that read this blog know that I have a fear of flying. I do think I have grown moved beyond this fear. I can trace my slow progress beyond this anxiety to a conference I spoke at in New Mexico two years ago….This trip was three months after I had brain surgery to remove a tumor.

Below is the original post that launched me past my fears:

Above: The plane I flew on today.

I left Houston earlier today for Ruidoso, New Mexico; my flight brought me to Albuquerque where I changed flights to Ruidoso. Because there are no major flights to this remote town, I had to fly via New Mexico Air. If you recall, I am afraid of flying…though I fly a number of times per year. When I schedule a flight, I aim for the biggest planes available. That was not the case today. I still have to fly back to Albuquerque via the tiny plane on Thursday once I am done presenting a special topics history seminar in Ruidoso. And yes, it was a very bumpy flight. I am going to spend another hour reviewing my notes and slides for the meeting tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Liberals and the Health Care Bill

This weekend Republican Representative Anh Cao, a Vietnamese American from Louisiana, voted “yes” for the recently passed health care reform bill; I am proud of Cao and others that realize just because I have health insurance, or they have health insurance… that does not mean that we should not help the many that do not have health insurance. Mr. Cao stated that he represents a poor district in which many of his constituents do not have health insurance. What is impressive is that Cao’s district is largely lower-income blacks — a population that does not vote for a party that traditionally has been anti-poor. However, Cao’s passion for doing what is best and what is right escapes both ideology and political affiliation.

Blue dog Democrats and conservative Republicans do not favor this bill. Why should they? This group represents a population of upper middle-class whites that can afford health insurance. I want the wealthy and middle class to set aside the notion of rugged individualism for a second and evaluate the day-to-day fears of driving in a car without health insurance. If one hit another car in a collision, how would that person afford the thousands it will cost them in rehab? Former American president and Constitutional framer James Madison warned against majority factions dictating the way of life for all; in this situation, the majority is made up of those who can afford health care and who are against this bill. In Madison’s Federalist Paper number 10, contends that the Constitution should guard against what he calls majority rule, hence stating that direct democracy is dangerous, thus ruling in favor of representative democracy; still, the fallacy is that a majority still lives in a representative democracy; I suspect we will hear commercials that liberals are evil, un-Christian, immoral, and communist.

But the reality is this: Liberals are not negative adjectives. In essence, we advocate for the working class, the poor, and minorities against big business. Moreover, we are  supporters of civil rights for blacks, women, and ethnic minorities against the repression of government and business. Thus we see ourselves as defenders against what Madison might call a ” direct faction.”

Down with the Wall 20 Years later by Guest Author

This post was written by a dear friend and great colleague from Arkansas. She teaches at a well-respected school and has become a star in her field of late. She teaches courses in AP European and World History, and has offered her expertise on topics related to the teaching of history at national conferences. We are in conversations about writing a paper on point of view and the teaching of world history for future conferences.  In reading this post, note her unique experience in Eastern Europe at a time in which the question of stability was a question mark. When Ronald Reagan famously challenged Mikhail Gorbachev, in June 1987 at Berlin, to “tear this wall down”, just about nobody could have guessed that the wall that separated two armies, two cultures and, more tragically, one people would indeed be brought down very soon, on 9 November 1989.

Tomorrow, the 20^th anniversary of the fall[ing] of the Berlin Wall will be celebrated.  It is amazing how quickly our world has shifted from fighting the communists to now fighting the terrorists.  In 1989, I was 14 years old, and quite oblivious to the major changes occurring in the world around me.  However, it would become much more real to me.  In the summer of 1992, I was asked to go on a mission trip to the newly transformed Russia.  We were going to spread the Good News to the “godless” people of the newly freed Russia.  Our group consisted of four adults and eight other students.  I spent countless hours memorizing the verses we were asked to learn so we could share the gospel effectively.  It sounded like a great plan and I was incredibly excited to see what changes God could make in the hearts and lives of these people.

The morning our plane was to leave, the newspaper presses were shut down in Moscow.  Panicked, we secured a row-boat and a fisherman in Helsinki that agreed to help us get out if the borders were to be closed while on our trip.  So, armed with verses and $200.00 cash for the boatman in Helsinki, we were off.  We arrived in St. Petersburg, though the signs and most maps still referred to it as Leningrad.  As our plan descended,   I quickly noticed the difference communism makes on a country.  Large pieces of planes and debris were scattered along the run way, and soldiers were strategically placed around the runway.  As we deplaned, we were required to walk through a maze of 10-12 feet high concrete walls- so as to confuse- I was told.  We emerged into a world that looked like time forgot.  Modernization that occurred after 1950 seemed to be nonexistent.  We were greeted by our Russian guide, and I was quickly told two things:  quit smiling and don’t look people in the eyes.  I was informed, “if you want to look Russian, you should behave as though you have the weight of the world on your shoulders”.

Our job was to meet up with other young students our age, and share the gospel.  I learned very quickly that this was going to be more difficult that any of us had realized.  Everyone could understand the concept of hell—they had lived that.  Yet, few could grasp the concept of heaven.  How can one accept and love God without being able to understand his rewards?  Conversion is not as was not as easy as I thought.

As so often happens, it was the people who changed me- not me that changed the people.  The last two nights that we were in St. Petersburg were spent in the homes of the friends we had made.  We were traveling on the subway with all of our gear.  I happened to look up to see a young girl holding a small bouquet of flowers.  I saw her, and smiled at her.  She immediately looked away, and I found myself embarrassed for breaking one of the rules I was told from the beginning.  In an attempt to make amends, I offered the little girl some gum.  She beamed and then took her mother’s entire bouquet to give to me.  We all laughed.  Quickly I remembered I had small gifts in my bag, nothing of any real value- crayons and coloring books, small toys, etc.  I offered those to the young girl.  Her mother wept.  I was later told the value of those small gifts were immeasurable in their current economy.  We then dumped out our bags, and began passing out all we had with us.  Jeans, tampons, house slippers.  Things that were so commonplace to us were virtually impossible to get for many.

I returned home from my trip virtually empty-handed.  We all did.  We went on a journey to try to change the lives of others, but yet, it was we who were changed.  I learned that the communists that I met were people with big hearts with huge needs.  I also learned that something as important as salvation cannot be quickly shared after merely learning a few verses.  Often it takes much more- an understanding of people’s lives- their past and their present condition.  These life lessons could not have been replicated in any classroom or experienced through reading a book.  They came as a result of seeing the world as it changed.  What an amazing gift to learn these things at the tender age of 17.

So, on this anniversary of the “fall of communism”, I must take pause.  It is important to evaluate where we were as a society.  Where are we now?  I hope we might be able to say that twenty years later, if I could go back to those who were newly freed, their ideas of hope have been fulfilled.  Maybe now, they can understand heaven.

Liberation Theology

It was great talking to a former student who is working on finding an academic teaching position at an independent school; I have no doubt that she will be in high demand as she seeks a history post; she shared with me her teaching philosophy as it relates to historical analysis; it was great talking to a former student that has a similar academic philosophy as I do. Her philosophy relates to mine in that it espouses the notion of social justice vis-a-vis liberation theology. My views reflect the importance of liberation theology as it too, though to a greater extent, promulgates both Christ and Marx. As I have stated here on my web page:

My teaching philosophy is shaped by the tenets of  Pragmatism and Reconstructionism.  It was my reading of Cornel West’s and W.E.B. Du Bois’s works as a high school, undergraduate, and graduate student that shaped my sense of intellectual and practical purpose. West’s synthesis of Christianity and pragmatism promulgated my construction of theodicy that finds its premise in the writings and thought processes of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and John Dewey. My courses look to inculcate the point of view of the oppressed and alienated class, as it is this class that has traditionally been neglected among the privileged and in the literature of study. I find the teachings of Christ and Marx to be synonymous in that both look to eradicate social vice and poverty, racism and hate, as well as greed and materialism.

The writings of Karl Marx, who focused on human oppression and alienation via the effects of capitalism, attracted the attention of academic theologians that shared similar concerns. Thus, both groups saw a combined relationship between Marxism and Christianity. Liberation theology can be outlined as such:

Liberation theologians base their social action upon the Bible scriptures describing the mission of Jesus Christ, as but bringing a sword (social unrest), e.g. Isaiah 61:1, Matthew 10:34, Luke 22:35-38 Matthew 26:51-52 — and not as bringing peace (social order). This Biblical interpretation is a call to action against poverty, and the sin engendering it, and as a call to arms, to effect Jesus Christ’s mission of justice in this world. In practice, the Theology includes the Marxist concept of perpetual class struggle, thus emphasizing the person’s individual self-actualization as part of God’s divine purpose for mankind.

The church should be concerned with poverty.

The church should be concerned with political repression.

The church should be concerned with economic repression.

Priests should become actively involved in trying to solve these problems.

Priests should move beyond general activity to: a.) Direct political action b.) and direct involvement in attempts to change political and economic systems, even by actual participation in revolutionary activity.

The establishment of a religious community to help guide such political and economic units. (Contemporary Political Ideologies by Lyman Tower Sargent, pg. 212, 7th edition)

My former student and I concluded that if academics and religious “folk” came to term on reaching a conclusion on how to help the poor and the oppressed, their might not be a need for true liberalism, hence, a large government. However, the reality is that in order to achieve social justice, one must depend on the federal government — as seen in the American south circa 1960 during the reign of Jim Crow.

Good to Great

We have been exploring the topic of Good to Great on my campus. As a faculty, we even read Jim Collins’ book as a central point of what we would like to achieve as a school and a faculty;  in doing so, a number of academic departments have traveled or will travel throughout the country to explore other top departments in hopes of working towards being one of the best schools. Houston Christian’s head of school and the board approved departmental travels for each department. Our Goal: To learn what others do well and what makes them elite at what they do. It is exciting to see that we are continuing to move in an academic direction of distinction. I honestly believe we are on the brink of being one of the more notable schools. Although I am clearly biased here, I do believe the most important quality of academic greatness is having a dynamic faculty. Elite faculty members make a school better.

Below is a note sent out by our head of school:

We certainly have a great deal to be thankful for during this season of the year and I wanted to share with you a brief note of encouragement.

Today I received a letter from the ACT on behalf of the entire school, presenting Houston Christian with the ACT 2009 College Readiness Award.  This award recognizes HC for demonstrating significant increases in ACT composite scores over the past five years while maintaining or increasing the number of students taking the ACT Assessment.  Less than 5 percent of schools across Texas receive this award, definitely a G2G move!

This continued excellence only happens when students are given access to super teachers and instruction.  Thank you for your exemplary service and for enabling HC to fulfill its Mission!

Have a great weekend!