I’m so old

Since the start of school, I’ve had the chance to spend time with a small group of high school juniors once or twice a week in a mentoring role. We’ve all been learning more about each other over the last month or so but one thing is becoming increasingly evident, I’m old.
Just how old?
I spent [...]

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Tip of the Week – Found Poetry

One of the best ways to teach students about historical events is get them emotionally involved in the content. So how to do that?
Previously, we’ve talked about using images and primary sources as effective tools to engage our kids.
Today I’m going to suggest that you encourage them to write their own poetry. We can do [...]

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Sam Wineburg is a stud

I had the privilege of sitting at the feet of historian and author Sam Wineburg this morning and was just blown away. He spent part of his time discussing and demonstrating some of the ideas that he writes about in his book, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts. (This is a must read for [...]

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Debate, huh! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing – huh!

David Merritt’s recent column in the Wichita Eagle – with apologies to Edwin Starr’s “War” (how do you spell huh?) – made me think of today’s title.
Merritt questions the use of the upcoming presidential debates to provide the information needed by voters to make valid decisions. It’s an interesting concept – suggesting that debates are [...]

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A perfect school = neighborhood bookstore / coffeehouse

Several months ago, Bonnie Davis led a day long conversation that centered on best practices and high stakes testing. She started the discussion by asking her participants to describe their “perfect” school. What would it look, sound and feel like?
The list created by her 45 teachers provides an interesting starting point to thinking about our [...]

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