US History II Field Trip Pictures Are Here!!

The Best Field Trip Ever!!

Students from my US History II class took a field trip on Wednesday. In Gridley, their first stop, Clark Stoller, an avid World War II historian, lectured to us. Students were treated to a dazzling display of WWII weaponry, stories of courage, and left with a greater appreciation for history and the brave men who sacrificed their lives. The learning experience was certainly a physical and mental one, as Dylan quickly found out!

Students then visited Mr. B's parents' home, eating a delicious lunch of pork barbeque sandwiches. Mr. B's dad showed them an M-1 Garand rifle, which was the primary weapon the US troops used in WWII.

At Ronald Reagan Museum at Eureka College, my seniors enjoyed an entertaining tour given by Brian Sajko, curator of the Museum. Everyone agreed that he was hilarious as he told us special Reagan stories and also put in a convincing pitch for Eureka College! Students found it interesting that Reagan repeatedly sent artifacts back to Eureka College after he graduated, as the College was like part of his family. I think everyone appreciated the free Jelly Bellies at the end of the tour, which were Reagan's favorite candy!

Final stop of the day was at Rave Motion Pictures in Peoria. Casey Dean had recommended I watch the film "Frost/Nixon," and after doing a basic Google search I quickly found out about Valkyrie. After telling my seniors about it, they started getting pretty excited about seeing the film, as all kinds of previews for the flick are on TV. "Valkyrie," which depicts the attempted assassination of Hitler in 1944, was fantastic and certainly a couple history lessons in itself. We needed most of the day on Thursday to recap the movie and figure out everything that took place! Definitely as good as advertised.

This was the first field trip that I've ever done for any of my classes, and what a way to start! I told them as we stopped at Casey's in Lewistown that I couldn't be more proud of them, and I mean it. This was the perfect group for the field trip, and you can chalk up yet another special memory I will have of the Class of 2010.

Be sure to check out the pictures on the "Slideshow" section on the right-hand side of the page!

Exciting News - I Got Funded!!

Last year as I was planning for US History I (American Government), I thought the class would benefit immensely if we could read "Lord of the Flies," which perfectly captures the very reasons why we have a government in the first place. As my students know by now, the book tells the haunting story of boys that are traveling across the Pacific Ocean for a class trip. Their plane crashes and they are quickly faced with many choices, chiefest among them being, "What is our plan? How will we survive in a society with no rules?"

I read this book in high school and loved every second of it and wanted my students to enjoy the same opportunity. However, books for an entire class aren't cheap! I did some browsing on the Internet and found the website DonorsChoose.org, which allows donors to choose teacher projects that need financial assistance and then fund them.

My project was up on the website for 3 days before getting funded! I am so excited; the company told me that my books are on their way! I look forward to sharing this gift with my juniors for years to come- what a great opportunity!

Off To A Great Start!

The new semester is here! We've hit the ground running in every class. US History II is quickly discovering why Hitler and the Nazis were able to come to power so easily in the 1930s; World Geography is becoming quickly acquainted with the European countries so they don't have a Miss South Carolina moment :) ; US History I is learning what a President faces in his job every day and how to become more politically involved to truly change things; and Sociology is quickly becoming a very interesting class to teach.

Many of my students had no clue what Sociology was or why they should study it. So far, the class has been the highlight of the week, and more is yet to come! Yet they will be able to tell you at this point that sociology is the study of society, and that sometimes common sense can warp what is really reality in the social world. The class will work on discussing a sociology-related article online at Google Groups - you can check it out by using the link on the right hand side of this page!

Have a great rest of the week! US History II is going on their long-anticipated field trip tomorrow; I'll try to post pictures!

Happy New Year!!

It's 2009 - can you believe it? It seems like only yesterday that the entire world was panicking about the Y2K scare, and now, 8 years has gone by. It's hard to believe that time goes so fast sometimes, and even more difficult to hear older people tell me that it only speeds up as you go along!

I can say the same thing about this past semester - where did the time go? When I look back on it now, it looks like a big blur with a bunch of fun, exciting, and interesting activities, lessons, and events in between.

This spring semester will likely be very busy as well. I'm kicking around the idea of having my students participate and compete in the history fair - more information to follow. In addition, I will likely be coaching Junior High Track and High School Scholastic Bowl again this year. Jacob Shaw, Martina LeBegue, and Alex Wommack will be competing in the Euro Challenge. 

Wishing you all the best in 2009!!