I am just about done marking all of my finals; I wonder which desk below BEST represents approximate completion? All 100 plus of my students wrote an extensive essay as part of their final grade; I should use better judgment but in some cases it is difficult to measure knowledge through multiple choice questions only. [...]
Entries Tagged as ‘Courses’
November 17, 2009
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 [...]
October 8, 2009
Cool Course in Black Studies
My friend Professor Jaylon Williams and I exchanged a series of emails today regarding his new book project in which he hopes to examine the historical roots of Marxism in negro institutions circa 1930; Jaylon was telling me how amazed he was at the extent of such philosophical thinking in the agrarian South; he also [...]
August 31, 2009
Learning from the Quakers: Carson on being a Pacifist
My United States history sections have been discussing the early formation of the American colonies and how each one developed its own particular identity. Our discussion today on the formation and settlement of Pennsylvania allowed us to discuss Quaker theology. In doing so, we addressed their role as pacifist. In colonial America, enclaves of Quakers [...]
August 10, 2009
Black Intellectuals
I constructed the above bulletin in the room that I teach in; I wanted to present to my students a list of works and authors that they might or might not know. This is clearly not an exhausted list. And, it represents authors often ignored by teachers. Black scholars have a very important case to [...]
June 20, 2009
AP European History Reading 2009: Too Much Hitler
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 [...]
June 6, 2009
I Used To Be Hard
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 [...]
May 26, 2009
World History Final Today
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 [...]
May 19, 2009
Rethinking the Teaching of Wars
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 [...]
May 11, 2009
Post AP Exam Thoughts
Both my AP European and AP US History classes took the Advanced Placement National Exam on Friday. Traditionally speaking, the AP US History exam has proven to be a far more difficult exam for my students over the past nine years of teaching. That was not the case this year. European history students thought the [...]
April 22, 2009
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; [...]
April 15, 2009
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 [...]
April 11, 2009
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 [...]
March 10, 2009
More Issues Over AP Courses
The Advanced Placement debate continues on campuses across the nation. The dichotomy that exists between college and upper school faculty appears to be clearly defined: college instructors teach specialized courses to students in a less democratized fashion; students who apply to attend a college or university are supposed to be the best and the brightest [...]
March 7, 2009
On African-American History by David White
David White is the history chairman at Kaufman High School in Kaufman, Texas. I have known David for what seems like forever; we have attended conferences together and have exchanged ideas related to the teaching of history over the course of this time. He also maintains a blog here. David is a wonderful colleague and [...]
February 12, 2009
On Campus with Carson
I am excited that I have actually marked most of the essays in my brief case; I completed the writing of my AP European history exam which one section took yesterday, and the other will do today; I still need to finish writing my United States history take home exam. With that stated, I hope [...]
January 6, 2009
What Can I Do With A History Degree?
After high school, the only debate for me was do I focus on English literature or history. I am not sure what sparked my initial interest. I liked my upper school history teachers; I was well read and had a great interest in looking at the problems of vice, poverty, class, race, and gender; my [...]
December 16, 2008
Finals
This is a partial re-post for students who are about to start freaking out about finals that start this week. It has been a number of years since I finished undergraduate and graduate school. And, even longer since high school; however, I do believe that I am qualified to give some advice on surviving [...]
August 14, 2008
Year 9 Day 1 of Teaching
Above: Hannah Weems, Matt Haworth, Carson, and Rav Senanayake
The first day of classes is always a challenge; I have been sprinting to get a number of last second changes made to my syllabi, as well as organize interesting discussions that are relavent to my three courses on day one. I recall as a high school [...]
May 28, 2008
Faculty Tension Over Courses
The dichotomy that exists between college and upper school faculty appears to be clearly defined: college instructors teach specialized courses to students in a less democratized fashion; students who apply to attend a college or university are supposed to be the best and the brightest from their high schools – – of course that is [...]
