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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]