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. 

Monday, June 6, 2011

The Mural Project

  • The Mural Project.

    muralSince our completion of the College Board's AP World History Exam, our class has taken on two of our most ambitious historical projects to date.  The first project was to choose, research, design, and paint 40 international flags along the top of my classroom wall.  We worked in groups, each with a head artist - and went to wrok.  It took us about 8 days to complete, and the students were incredible.  Next, we have taken on an even more ambitious project in the form of an historical mural, spanning the back wall of the classroom.  Again, we teamed up and researched seven main historical images to highlight.  Then, students David Koontz, Sydney Ducker, and Tori Silverman took to designing the frames.  With much help from the remainder of the class - they have just reached a completion of this amazing mural.  
  • In all my years, I do not think I have ever been so impressed with the talent, work ethic, and discipline of a group of students.  All I can say is "thank you" to this incredible group of young people that I am lucky enough to have in my class.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

The Chapel Bridge

When I was 17 years old, I traveled to Europe for about three weeks, with 25 other students from my high school. I rank this trip as one of the most important moments of my life, and certainly a major turning point for me. My European tour became the primary catalyst of my pursuit of education, history, and adventure. We travelled to 12 cities, including: in Italy - Rome, Assisi, Perugia, Florence, Venice, Verona - In Switzerland: Lugano and Lucerne - In France: Paris and Calais - In England: Canterbury and London. It revolutionized my world view. The cities of Rome, Florence, Venice, Paris, and London especially ignited a spark in me to learn about the culture, history, and ideologies of Western Europe. This spark carried me to UNCG's department of history and education, where I learned that the history of Europe is intrinsically intertwined with the rest of the world. I continued to pursue my passion, becoming a teacher of AP World History, Humanities, etc. Simply put, Europe made me curious.

But the place that left an indelible mark on my psyche was Switzerland, specifically the city (and surrounding mountains of) of Lucerne. Still to this day, I tell everyone who asks that it is the most amazing place I have ever seen. We spent much time in the Alps, and spent an entire day hanging around the oldest wooden bridge on all of Europe (1333) -the Chapel Bridge (or Kapellbrücke, stretching over the Ruess River), rented speed boats on Lake Lucerne, and shopped around. I was amazed that I could literally jump up and touch the wooden rafter with my hands - the same rafter that witnessed the Black Plague. I remember wondering aloud how I had lived my whole life in school, and had never heard of this beautiful bridge, or even this city. Again, I was curious how Switzerland had stayed below my radar.

I think that my time (though relatively short) in Switzerland still impacts so much of my teaching, as I just hope to make my students curious about why things are the way they are.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Witness Greatness

This week I have been lucky enough to teach the rise of the European renaissance. Now, I believe that it is impossible to teach this material without focusing heavily on the amazing history of visual art. So this week, I have been introducing teenagers to the magic of Michelangelo (mostly by surprising them that he is not ONLY a ninja turtle - though that is important as well). To this end, you would probably be surprised to know that every time I have first shown Michelangelo's La Pieta to high school kids, they respond with absolute wonder. It is amazing to watch them light up, actually. 

And it just goes to show that sometimes the most important thing we can do in life is to witness greatness, ie: just watch someone do something that he/she is really great at doing. For me, looking at La Pieta, made merely from the hands of man, is humbling and inspirational, and makes me want to be better. What does it do for you?
Happy Friday.

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