Race Weekend

This past weekend I ran the Rise and Shine 5kin which I won my age division; it was an absolute last second call to run this race — really! The event started with the firing of the gun at 8:30 on April 25th… 2 hours after I decided to register. My miles are down to [...]

Mark Reed of St. John’s

I wanted to say congratulation to Mark Reed, the Assistant Headmaster at the St. John’s School. Mark will become the next Headmaster at the Charlotte Country Day School in North Carolina. I met Mark a number of years ago while working on a project involving independent schools. He has been nothing but a positive influence [...]

Wash Your Hands Part Deuce

In light of the Swine Flu matter taking place, I thought I would repost this piece on the importance of one washing his or her hands; you would think adults (16 and older) would have accumulated enough eduction to know and understand why this simple task is so important; yet, I am reminded that people [...]

An Approach to Teaching about the Nazi Youth

I never show movies in class; however, I love using clips that make some historical point. Oh, I think this one does. I really hate teaching about Hitler; I must compete with the History channel.

Just Another Day on Campus

This particular section of AP European History spent time on the inner lawn of HCHS; I am a sucker to say the least. They needed additional motivation on what is an absolutely gorgeous day. We discussed World War II and the motivations that drove the likes of Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin to seek greater power; [...]

Teachers of Color

Above: Danielle Milton, Jillian Thompson, and Ariel  Johnson during homecoming week in November.
The love and want and need to see different types of people is not a liberal or conservative thing; it is a matter of beauty and hope that brings all of us together; I smile knowing that I love all types of [...]

Economic Thought

I am going crazy listening to conservative pundits pontificate about the troubled market and how the blame should “essentially” fall on all of those consumers who buy homes they cannot afford. They further contend that banks made poor decisions lending money to consumers at an unregulated and unadvised rate. But you never hear FOX news [...]

Princeton Visit ‘09

Left: Friend and former student Alejandro Penafiel
I have spent the past four days here in Princeton working with a group of great friends and excellent colleagues; I like to think that I am pretty smart, but when I am around this group I realize I have much to read. I find this most exciting. I [...]

Why I Still Teach Richard Hofstadter in my Course

Here is a great post on Richard Hofastdter and a defense on using his perspective in the U.S. History course:
The Hofstadter nostalgia boom is also fueled by readers who find in his work a foreshadowing of their own anxiety about the irrationality of populist movements. His feeling that populism posed a danger to democracy seems to [...]

Good Luck Phil Sinitiere

Today is a big day for my friend and colleague Phil Sinitiere; he will be defending his doctoral dissertation at the University of Houston; Phil’s research interest centers around race and religion. Phil and I are working on a book that looks at WEB Du Bois’s writings and artistic depictions and placing them in a [...]

Required Readings for ‘09-’10 and the Trouble With History Teaching

With the exception of Richard Hofstadter’s The American Political Tradition, I have elected to add three new books to next year’s Advanced Placement United States History course; I am a big fan of Howard Zinn and his writings. Some believe his historical approach is a bit biased, but I contend what work is not. Because [...]

Rethinking Teaching as Industry

Above: Democratic Model

My Advanced Placement United States History sections recently discussed the transformation of American identity as it related to the concepts of capitalism and democracy; I used my interest in progressive education to showcase how education was used to bring about a transformation in independent school teaching and  the political progressive reforms [...]

1/2 Marathon Shot

I got a few of my 1/2 marathon shots today; here I am at the confirmation point of the clocked finish line; my official time was 1:40 min 25 seconds. Like I mentioned before, I am pleased with my result but can do much better. Since this race, my weekly miles have been more of [...]

Campus Beauty

I am off to Princeton University in less than two weeks. Thus I thought I would pull this post up again with the number of college letters arriving daily; I have enjoyed writing recs for a number of students I care about. My trip to Princeton will be my fourth to the prestigious New Jersey [...]

Great New History Blog

Here is a great new blog by Randell Stephens, a historian and teacher at Eastern Nazarene College called The Historical Society.
About Randell:
Professor Stephens began teaching at ENC in the fall of 2004. He brings expertise in many fields: late 19th and early 20th century US history, American religious history, race, and American popular music. In [...]

Academics or Ideology

I will start this post off by saying I had a number of excellent teachers and met some great students during my years at this Searcy, Arkansas school; however, over the years it is has become very clear to me that I have ZERO in common with the religious philosophy and ideological views of Harding. [...]

Debate at HCHS

For the second year, my friend and colleague Suzan Phenicie hosted a campus political debate. Phenicie, using the help of other faculty members, selected four students to participate in the debate. Phenicie, myself, and others including our department chair evaluated and modified a number of excellent debate questions submitted by students and members of the [...]