Tool for a Better World.

Man, teaching history during presidential campaigns can be tough.  This year has been my 5th Presidential election as a teacher, and (as always), the passion bubble of everyone, despite political leanings, is near the surface.  And yet, I find myself filled with hope and optimism about my students, and about my work.


It is true that the development of democracy in ancient Athens coincided directly with the rise of compulsory education for citizens (best represented by Raphael's 1511 School of Athens).  And (possibly as a result of this) our democratic elections have a way of  reminding me why I started teaching in the first place.

School of Athens

When I look out at my classes, and see all the different classes of people, different ethnicities, and different political leanings - I see my role so clearly: to create a safe place for the exchange of important ideas, and model passion and positivity.

With the anti-establishment and anti-institutional mood so pervasive in our country currently, public schools can still be a force for good, and fertile ground for the development and creation of innovative ideas.  As so many adults essentially live in an echo chamber, most consistently hearing the voices with which they agree, at the expense of all opposing viewpoints - a classroom full of 30+ students (from widely different backgrounds) is a treasure that must be nourished.


We can learn together, and we can inspire each other.

Whether we are making women's suffrage posters, or writing an essay on the role of art and innovation in history - we are constantly in the act of discovering how we give our world meaning.

And it works!  We get smarter, we become more self-aware, we come to better understand one another.  And we get better, and our hope grows.

I am so grateful to believe in it, and I am lucky to have a job that I love, but that is also a tool for a better world.

Never Apologize for Your Enthusiasm

"There is nothing wrong with loving the crap out of everything. Negative people find their walls. So never apologize for your enthusiasm. Never. Ever. Never." - Ryan Adams

After a great summer filled with travel, family, books, and adventure - I am crazy excited to get back to my world/classroom for a new school year ( which is Mural-o-Rama thanks to my incredible students.)

Teaching is my passion, and I am nothing if not enthusiastic.  So this year I am absolutely chomping at the bit to do my thing. 

I just love it so much.

I am full believer of intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm, and even on the days when I am not at my best - it is my hope that I can still exude both of these to my students.  I am a social person, so teaching high school agrees with my general disposition - as I enjoy meeting new students and their families each year.  It is a humbling and exciting experience of discovery to get a glimpse of the group of people with whom I will be spending my school days over the next semester.  And it remains my hope to create an environment where curiosity, rigor, and enthusiasm are encouraged and the norm.

I am grateful for the opportunity to teach history.  Though it is a job, it remains a love for me - and I am excited about bringing my enthusiasm to my new student family.  

LETS.  GO.     

Can't Stop. Won't Stop.

Dear Lord I love teaching high school kids. I also love thinking about history, of ourselves, and of other people far across the world. And I love talking about it..with high school kids..because they are crazy, and it is fantastic.  And I have zero intentions to stop. Can't stop. Won't stop.

So this article was a good read for me.
Periodically I will come across articles such as these.  Essentially, this writer is explaining how the institutional nature of public schools, and its dependence on politics, creates an untenable situation for modern teachers.  That the static is overwhelming the signal in many classrooms. And much of this is true, and I have sometimes felt that the extraneous requirements of a public educator can make for long days.

So, maybe instituting the punk rock approach to teaching is even more urgent now than ever.  The true punk rock models that I have admired do not simply reject all elements of the mainstream institution - instead they use the institutional tools to create something new.  Both Chapel Hill's Merge Records, and Washington DC's Dischord Records continue to put  out amazing records by some incredible punk and indie rock bands.  And they have continued to thrive, and fulfill their mission by both sticking to their DIY ethos, while also adopting some elements of the modern music industry, including online purchasing - and the resurgence of vinyl.  Even Ryan Adams formed his own record label PAX-AM so that he could put out as many recordings as his heart desires (which, it turns out, is many).

These are pathways that we can emulate in teaching.  Large institutions like a public school system have much available space in which we can innovate.  Actually, in my experience, most leaders are looking for new ideas, and success stories - and unlike most jobs, teachers spend 6-8 hours a day in small workshop studios (classrooms), full of energy, that are begging for new ideas. We can use this space to cultivate and share ideas, and build a movement from the ground up. 

So, instead of leaving the profession - I believe it is time to double down on building relationships that inspire us to create. And let's invite the people to us, to witness our movement in these schools. Let's build something for us, by us - to serve our community with energy and enthusiasm. 

Costa Rica

There are many valid reasons to have year round school.  I actually am a proponent of the year round schedule, as I believe that it has the potential to create a more complete balance in our scheduling for time off - without losing so much content.  But, man I love having a true break in the summer months...

Tamarindo, Costa Rica

You see, it is no great secret that we teachers get paid less than most jobs that require a specialized college degree.  One of the reasons is that we work 10-11 months.  But, few other professional jobs require the level of performance/engagement/energy that teaching does, on a daily basis.  

Surfing-O-Rama

As a teacher - it is simply not possible to report to work, hunker down at the computer and crank out your obligations.  We walk in to a room with at least 25 people staring at you and challenging you waiting for leadership.  As much as I love teaching, the daily grind of it is truly exhausting.  So, taking care of myself is one of the most important skills that I have tried to learn.  The summer break is the best time to seek out my folly, and recharge. I always have a summer reading list that focuses my mind - but my favorite activity is travel.  This summer, my wife (with other friends) got the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica for a week.  I have written extensively about my constant need for travel, and our return to Latin America for the first time in 15 years (we visited Aruba in 2001) was incredibly exciting.

I love to see new places, and obviously have worked diligently to create more opportunities for annual student travel (Chicago, Philadelphia, New Orleans).  But most importantly, traveling abroad is just a great practice to place ourselves in new circumstances that create opportunities for growth.  This trip to Costa Rica absolutely checked that box for me, as our friends had done most of the planning - and we simply had to be open to the possibilities. 

Nuetstra Casita: best local Costa Rican food...ever

So, the new experiences were legion, and included some of these highlights:

• I actually had to have a lengthy conversation entirely in Spanish in order to buy my son a Costa Rica soccer jersey...and I pulled it off, barely (Thanks Senora Blythe!).
• I learned to surf from a guy named Gustavo. He was a great teacher, and I ended up going surfing again and again while there. 
• We watched a fair amount of The Firm in Spanish, while waiting in a shack to board a tiny boat to Bula Bula - an old hotel/restaurant a few miles up Las Baulas National Park Estuary (infested with crocodiles). 
• We found some amazing local eats at Nuestra Casita - where we dined on the local staple of Casado (rice and beans and fish).
• The sail boat ride out to a secluded bay - where we saw sea turtles, went swimming in the crystal blue Pacific, and ate Casado. 

So how has this trip impacted my teaching, which is my passion?

First: though international travel can be informative, and answer many questions- I feel that it mostly serves to illicit more questions. I came home from Costa Rica hungry to learn, see, and do more. So though I have gained more knowledge of this country that I can share with my students- my primary hope is that I can exude enthusiasm and curiosity for new places - and better show these ties that bind all of us together.

Champion's League

One of my mantras as a teacher, a parent, and a human is to praise the actions that I want to see repeated.  Dishing out compliments for work well done is one of my core beliefs, and being a teacher provides me with numerous opportunities to flex those muscles, as it were.

So, in my AP World History class (which is college level work), my students take 5 - 6 major exams throughout the year.  These exams count for over 40% of their term grades, and are crazy hard.   Scoring anything above a 90 is simply impressive, and should be rewarded.  Thus, these tests are often cause for anxiety and rigorous studying, so I try to provide some levity when and where I can.

2016 Champion's League

To that end, scoring an A on one of these exams qualifies each student for public recognition.  Each student's name is held up on the front board of the classroom for praise.  If a students can continue to achieve a level A on each of the exams, finishing with a 5-0 overall record - they join the prestigious "Champion's League."  (5-1 = All-American, 4-2 = All-State, etc.)

Champion's League membership is not a large club, as it is restricted to a small, elite group of students.  Out of 52 students this year, only four made the grade - and today we had a small ceremony for recognition.  Certificates, stickers, and yes, medals were distributed - epic scores were played, and photos were taken.

I love an opportunity to praise these kids for dominating academics.  I work hard to create a classroom environment where academic effort and success is seen as awesome.  Yes, it is cool to be funny, and to enjoy ourselves in class - but it remains our primary goal to be learners - and grow.  These Champion's League students represent the best of our efforts this year.

Great job kids!

Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.{New Orleans edition}

As I have written many times before, traveling is undefeated. Removing ourselves from our comfortable surroundings, and familiar haunts can immediately open our eyes to new perspectives in a wider world.

Over the past several decades, our society has become increasingly more polarized - and high schools most often reflect the communities that we serve.  So, the need for us (teachers) to take our students beyond the school walls, and into the wider world is more pressing than ever.

St Louis Cathedral, Jackson Square New Orleans

Last week's trip to New Orleans, Montgomery, and Atlanta illuminated a different world for many of us.  It is hard to find authentic culture in this globalized world where we can get anything we want (with two day shipping) from Amazon Prime.

So, sometimes you just have to get on the bus and walk the streets of a far away town...and experience it through the smells, tastes, and sounds - which (as of yet) Amazon can not provide.  So, eating beignets and drinking cafe au lait along the mighty Mississippi, smelling the gumbo and horses in the French Quarter, or hearing the brass band of a second line parade tearing down Toulouse Street brought it home.

Georgia Aquarium

We learned local history along our tours, and even paddled down the river on the Steamboat Natchez - but standing in Martin Luther King's home in Montgomery, where the floor of the front porch still has a hole in it from a bomb, is simply something that you can not get from a book or movie.  From walking down the same street, in the same Alabama heat, as all of the marchers did from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 - to tasting a greasy cheeseburger at Atlanta's Varsity, we were no longer bystanders to the forces of history and culture that have come to shape our world.

Selma to Montgomery March, Alabama State House

And, as always, traveling with these teenagers is undefeated.  They roll with the punches, make the best out of most things, and are full of spirit and energy.  I'm so incredibly grateful for this work, and for these kids, that it overwhelms me sometimes.  I return home with a full heart, and ready to plan a trip for next year.

This trip continually reminded me of the great Mary Oliver quote:
"Instructions for a life: Pay attention.  Be astonished.  Tell about it."

What new, incredible things will we experience?

Second Line Parade, New Orleans

The Case for Teaching

It is easy to get down about teaching.  It is easy to believe that the job is thankless, but I still find it amazing, and here are some of the reasons why:

1.  Teenagers are ...fun.  The kids that I teach still get so exited about things.  From music, to prom, to Starbucks - they exhibit an unbridled enthusiasm for so many things.  They introduce me to new memes, music, YouTube videos, fashions, and slang - and it is often hilarious.  Not yet jaded, they appreciate levity and fun, and continue to actively seek it.  That teenage ethos is 100% contagious, and constantly helps me see the wonder in my day.  It is both a challenge and a gift to channel their enthusiasm into curiosity about history, and global connectivity.  But that is what keeps me coming back.

2.  Teaching history forces me to constantly read, learn new things, and just...get smarter.  The thing about teaching high school kids is that they will challenge you.  So, because my business is teaching history - I have to be so on my game.  If I mess up a fact, or mispronounce a name, or incorrectly spell a term - they will let me know...immediately.  Thus, I have to work hard to make my students believers.  I have to sell it every day - and I love it.

3.  It makes me more compassionate.  Working with these kids, and seeing them everyday - has increased my capacity for compassion.  Though instilling rigor is crucial, I find myself most interested in how my students feel each day.  Are they happy?  Do they feel sick today?  Is there joy on their faces?  Seeing the ups and downs of a teenager's life throughout a ten month period has grown my heart, and inspires me to be a better person.

4.  I need to be creative, and teaching enables me to do it.  Whether it is coming up with new lesson plans that get us outside of the four walls of the classroom, or designing new t-shirts - the culture of my classroom demands that I push creative boundaries.  I love being surrounded by 20 - 30 creative people daily - who have an expectation for excitement.  This makes me excited each morning, and I am grateful for the opportunity.

5.  Academic wrestling is fun.  Introducing and engaging in conversation about the impacts of the Green Revolution, decolonization movements, or the rise of feminism is invigorating.  It encourages me to see new perspectives, and listen with an open mind.  I love hearing what students have to say about topics that they are hearing for the first time.

National Board Renewal Got Me like {grateful}

Illustrated Timeline

I am currently in the process of renewing my National Board certification this semester.  Though time consuming, I have come to enjoy certain aspects of the process.  Any time that I get an opportunity to slow down and reflect on my craft is a good thing.  If nothing else, this process has cultivated reflection.

How To Build an Empire: Children's Books

But it has also forced me to document many of the activities that we do in my classroom, that I typically would not take the time to capture.  And though it has illuminated certain areas where I need to grow and develop - it has also made me proud of my students, and the work that we do together daily.

So, my ultimate takeaway from the National Board renewal process is: I am grateful.  I love my job, and I love leading high school kids through this curious labyrinth of history.

New Orleans

Once again, we are taking our AP history students on a trip to a new city.  This time, we are headed to New Orleans, by way of Montgomery and Atlanta.

As always, we are all excited - and I feel like it is one of the most important things that we do for our students throughout the year.  Like our previous tips to Chicago, Gettysburg, Philadelphia, and DC - this year we will try to immerse the students in a place heavy with history.  

Moving beyond our discussions and readings about faraway places, to actually experiencing the tastes, smells, and feelings of a new place remains unparalleled.

Dead. Of. Winter.

The dead of winter is always a challenge for me, as a history teacher. So much of what I do is about keeping a good pace, while continuing to make history meaningful. Missing days for snow, and the constant unpredictability of that, creates barriers to the above goals. It is hard to know when to push through content (for fear of getting too far behind the pace), or to slow down and dig in with more meaningful strategies.

This past week has been the first week in a while where I have felt comfortable enough to slow down and use precious class time minutes to pursue activities for interest. It has been fun, and enjoyable for us all. From review game dress up relays outside, to dancing to the Istanbul song, to human statues portrayals of revolutions - we have had fun while working hard. 

Here's to spring time!

Relationships {over programming}

Relational teaching is more important than programming.
Recently the state of public education is getting more attention.  There is a growing chorus in the media, and in government, that our public school system is in immediate need of change and reform. In many instances, I agree wholeheartedly that our schools need change.  From scheduling, to teacher training, to innovative methods of pedagogy - we need reform.  

But what is the trick to bring about meaningful change to our schools?  How do we make meaningful changes  to grow student learning at the classroom level?

In my experience that question has been answered with the introduction of new programs.   It is an annual rite that each public school teacher will sit through a new programming proposal each year that promises to make each of us a "better teacher," and/or "improve student learning." In the past several years, my school system alone has introduced: PLCs, Balanced Literacy programs, PBIS, a statewide Formative Assessment program, Learning Targets, The Big Six, etc.

Each of us is expected to learn these strategies, and incorporate each of them into our classroom instruction.  And many of these programs are effective, and include quality methods for teaching.  I can honestly say that I currently utilize individual elements of all of the above strategies in some way in my classroom.

But so do most other teachers in my system....and we are not all equal teachers.

Because great teaching is not taught by a program.  Great teaching is a byproduct of great relationships.

In order for our students to truly learn anything from us, they must believe in us.  The fact that state government hired us, or that we have the word "teacher" beside our name, is not enough to impress a teenager.  (if anything, it has the opposite effect).  Our first step as a teacher must be that we seek to understand our students.  This is the necessary first step in teaching and learning, is to show an interest in the student.

Let's not take ourselves too seriously....

I stole a great idea from my teacher friend Lizzie, who requires each student to write her a letter on the first day of school - telling her everything about themselves that (s)he most wants his/her teacher to know.  Since implementing this letter into my classes, I am most amazed by what students choose to tell me about, as well as what they omit.  Basic biographical information often gives way to deeply held passions, and family dynamics.  I have learned to keep these letters, and re-read them when I need a refresher on what makes certain students tick.

It was through this method that I was able to connect with one of my  most amazing students, who until that time was mostly disengaged with school.  Through her letter, and conversations, we bonded immediately over our shared love of punk rock music - namely Minor Threat.  From there, she became the most engaged, helpful, and inquisitive student in my class that year.

From there, we have to provide opportunities for each student to express himself throughout our time together.  My ninth grade civics teacher, Mr. Thompson was a master at this - allowing us to enjoy his class by playing team games that allowed us students to gain points for our team by demonstrating a non-academic skill.  I was a less than enthusiastic student of civics, but I became a commodity on any team for my knowledge of popular music - which was one aspect of his game.   I try to emulate this in most of my classes: playing Name That Tune, having Three-legged races, and asking sports questions.

And for the student to get to know us, we must be more relational, mostly by humbling ourselves...often - and by not taking ourselves too seriously.  We must make mistakes, admit these mistakes, laugh at ourselves, and allow for silliness.

In our AP World and Government classes, we take an annual road trip to a major city in the US.  (I have written about these trips and their importance on this blog before).  As a high school student I traveled to Western Europe with students and teachers, and it had an incredibly positive impact on  me.  Not only did that trip open my eyes to the awesomeness of the world abroad, but I continue to have a kinship with many of the fellow students and teachers who were on the trip.

So, now we (fellow teachers and myself) orchestrate similar trips, in the hopes that it will have a similar impact on the kids.  And these trips have proven to be a fantastic way for us to develop relationships with our students and their families - as travelling together is one of the best ways to create lasting memories.

And though our students learn more as a direct result of improved and meaningful relationships - it is not a panacea.  Like any healthy relationship, boundaries are crucial - and trust is everything.  As teachers, we must constantly be vigilant that we model these healthy relationships - while engaging our students and their families with meaningful, authentic teaching.