Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Former Students

WHAP

 One of the greatest benefits of teaching for a while is watching former students pursue their passions.  When everything begins to come into focus, and they find something that they deeply love to do, and that the world will benefit from their doing.  I am one of the lucky ones, in that I have the pleasure of hearing from many of my former students pretty often.  Every time that I see an email, or letter, from someone that was in my class long ago - it makes me excited.
So today, when I received an email from a former student who is pursuing her Masters of Teaching, I was thrilled.  For one of her classes, she was in need of some "nugget" of advice from a history teacher.    I was happy to try and help her out.  I always find that when I am asked for advice, I end up merely relaying some amazing things that someone else taught me along the way.  My response was no exception.  I thought I would share some of what I have learned in my 13 years "behind the desk."  Here is some of what I offered:
1.  "We have to live ourselves into new ways of thinking."  It is an easy trap to build our classes around the idea that if a student just thinks about things (history, or anything else) enough - it will change him/her.  In my experience, all of us have to live into new ways of thinking.  So, as a teacher, I have to try and give my students an opportunity/environment to experience a new way of doing things.  (And make no mistake - as a teacher - I have to exude passion for my craft and content all the time, in order to usher my students into this way of thinking.)  Most of the time, my very life has to be the example for these kids to know that it is okay to act this way.  :)  I believe that this will give a student the most memorable experience.
2.  The most important content that we (a teacher) can provide our student is to instill curiosity about ..well...everything.  If we make our students curious - learning history will be one of the many byproducts of this approach.  So, truly, we are trying to provide a shift in perspective for many of our students, and the method by which I try to do it is outlined in #1.
I post this in hopes that some of you, good readers, can add to this:  What would you say in this instance?  What should be my # 3 and 4?

Friday, August 24, 2012

The Next Chapter


Low Country Jump
I am so excited about the new school year.  As always, I have had a summer of adventures with my friends and family.  Said adventures do so much to recharge my mind and curiosity for teaching. Having summers off to get our minds and bodies in order is a welcomed gift, and I do not take it for granted. 

But now it is time to balance out things, and that means it is time to dive back in to school.  And I can already feel my pulse quicken just thinking about the opportunities that this next chapter will surely provide.
As each new year approaches, I take time to reflect on the previous year:  What went well?  Where did I fail?  How can I grow as a teacher?  And this year is no exception.  I hope I can serve my students this year better than I ever have.  I have set some goals for myself, and am most looking forward to building new communities with students and their families.

I have big plans for my classes this year, and yet I know that it is the very things I do not plan for that will most likely be the most memorable to both my students, and to me.  That will require all of us to be nimble and open to possibilities.  I believe that my summer has been an ideal warm-up for just that! 
So as the buses start to roll, and the band starts to play - let's embrace another year of meeting new people, and learning together! 

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

The Show, For Community.

Each year, as my students complete their AP World History Exam, we take on a project of significance.  Over the past two years, the History Mural Project has been extremely successful.  But now that our classroom is covered in historical murals, it was high time that we give back to our community.  So this year, at the conclusion of our studies, we decided to do just that. 

The Show  flyer
 
In this effort, my students put on a show of musical acts (made up of both teachers and students) in the courtyard of NBHS on Friday, May 25.  Acts included the Several Amigos, Sullivan Brady, Wild Dogs of Thailand, The Big Ivy Ramblers, and the White Keys/Black Stripes.  Admission was $3.00 or 3 non-perishable food items. The Showas it came to be known, was 100% student driven.  Students designed and distributed the flyers, made announcements, performed in bands, brought equipment, acted as bouncers, took up money, and everything in between.  

The Show earned two bins full of canned food, and a financial donation of $89.00 to Manna Food Bank in the hopes that this money can assist in providing for those in need.  
I am so proud of my students.  They inspire me to be better every day.  I hope they inspire you as well.
 

Friday, April 13, 2012

The Danes are Coming!

danes Ms. Emily Smith, a fantastic English teacher here at NBHS, arranged for a student exchange program with a school in Denmark this year.  Her work came to fruition at the beginning of April, as we were lucky enough to host a group of Danish students.  The students were able to go to classes with their host students - many of whom are enrolled in WHAP.  As a result, we enjoyed having the Danes in our class almost every day for two weeks. And man did we bond! 

 
Having teenagers from the "happiest country in the world" in our world history class was everything that one would hope it would be.  They offered us perspective on Europe, the world, and the USA.  We shared stories, and taught each other words, history, dancing, and games.  My class goal has always been to find the "ties that bind" us all together, and live ourselves into new ways of thinking.  

Without hesitation, I can say that we took giant steps in accomplishing both of these goals during our time with the Danes.  I hope that next year, when our students cross the Atlantic to Denmark, that we can continue to learn and grow through this amazing experience.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Cool WHAP

cool whap hoodies We spend every day learning so much about history, and how the past is prologue in this class.  And this year, our students are simply amazing.  There is such an amazing enthusiasm and vibe in our classes this year, that I can not wait to get to school everyday.  We have recently completed our unit on 1450 - 1750.  This brings us fully into the Modern Era of world history, and everything that we discuss from this point forward (I argue) takes on added significance to our current culture/world.  We are now entering into the even more complicated era of Industrialism and political revolutions - and our students are as curious as ever. 

But while it is always paramount to cover our content, and analyze history, we also must come together as a community, and put our heads together for a purpose.  As a result, our class rule # 10 is to start a tradition.  So, it is with much pride that I write about our class tradition so far.   Well, this year some of our students came up with the idea to:
A. Make Hooded sweatshirts, and
B. Create a class logo based on Cool Whip.
C. Fill the back with the most hilarious moments from our time together. 

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