The Cosby Show: A Nonreflective Reality of (Black) Life

Television’s portrayal of blacks has had its ups and downs, from stereotype-laden comedies like ”Amos ‘n’ Andy” to advances like the late-60’s series ”Julia,” starring Diahann Carroll. It seemed to have reached a new stage in 1984 with the premiere of ”The Cosby Show,” on NBC. The show, about a family of black professionals, the [...]

New Urban Hip-Hop Academic Journal

My friend Phil, who is the former chair at the Second Baptist School and who is currently a visiting professor at Sam Houston State University, sent me information on a new and different type of peer-reviewed academic journal that is looking for scholarly works for publication. I am interested in the academic audience this journal [...]

Christian Schools

I am spending my day (literally) editing a survey form that I will email to a number of independent schools across the country. This will be the second such survey I will send. I am targeting protestant Christian schools with this one, including upper-tier Christian schools. The perception that many in the general public have [...]

The Professional Meeting

I am excited about finishing my paper on the 1980s as a significant historical period in the United States History survey course. I usually teach this decade with great passion and interest seeing that I still listen to much of the music, and can recall every member of the Brat Pack that shaped teen pop [...]

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 [...]

Publish or Pay: It Has a Price

Have you been to a book store of late? Man there is a lot of junk being written by academics and journalists. In higher education, faculty member are asked to publish a great deal for tenure and promotion; however, what about the junk that is being written for the sake of publishing? According to the [...]

Department Travels, Independent Schools, and My Work

Above: HCHS History Department
Houston Christian’s head of school and the board have approved departmental travels for each department to visit other independent schools throughout the country. Purpose: To learn what they do well and what makes them elite at what they do. It is exciting to see that we are continuing to move in an [...]

NCSS Lecture

I spent a large part of the day reading and writing a paper for the National Conference of Social Studies meeting here in Houston come fall. I am excited about the paper session I will present during the European breakfast session. I am not a member of NCSS, but I am looking forward to this [...]

‘08 Conferences — Good & Bad News

Today has been a great day here in Ruidoso, New Mexico. The teachers that attended my seminar were awesome; I felt my energy level increase throughout the seminar as participants engaged themselves in our discussion. However, as soon as I returned to my hotel room, I received news that my paper for the [...]

Race and Independent Schools

The United States witnessed one of its greatest historical increases in private day schools between 1950 and 1980. Much of this increase is credited to the rise of Supreme Court rulings on matters such as religion, de jure segregation, and abortion. Unlike other historians who look at political policy and de facto segregation in explaining the [...]

Conference Paper Accepted for ‘08

I recently received an e-mail from the Western History Association stating that they have accepted my paper on the shift from the Atlantic Market for the 2008 conference. This annual meeting will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah. I have not spent a great deal of time here, but according to one historian I [...]

Writing and Research Goals

With classes set to start next week, I have drafted a schedule for the year that will allow me to balance my research and writing time with that of my primary duty, teaching. My Atlantic Market paper is all but done, with the exception of some editing and topical expansion. It has been reviewed and [...]

My Research Trip to the North East

My quick trip (again) to Little Rock and then to the North East where I visited a few independent boarding and day schools went well. I was able to chat with a few faculty members while sorting through archival records as part of a current research and writing project. I was most impressed with how some of [...]

America’s Elite Independent Schools

 
Many elite independent schools teach via the Harkness method, as seen above. This is a seminar style of teaching in which all members gather around an oval wood Harkness table, as seen by the picture from Phillips Exeter. I do not have a Harkness table, but I have been able to create a similiar setting [...]

Re-Working the Conference Paper during Day Two at Colorado State

As some of you know, I have been re-working a conference paper to submit to a journal for publication. A friend and colleague of mine who teaches at a large university in a very cold state has been reviewing it for a few weeks. Actually, it has been sitting on her desk for a few [...]

Thinking about Summer

Teacherwoman has been asking me about my summer plans now for a few weeks; I will say that this summer will be far more relaxing than last. For those of you who have a desire to become an educator, the package deal is pretty good. Advice: Teach at a school with high SAT scores (it [...]

Thinking Sabbaticle, Independent Schools, and Research

Because of a few academic projects I am working on, as well as a busy professional travel schedule that has allowed me to visit a few elite independent schools and colleges around the country, I have been fortunate to meet a number of intelligent and passionate academics who possess the same goals as I do. [...]