Happy Thanksgiving!

I trust all had a blessed Thanksgiving this year! Although it has been a trying and tough year at times, we must say that we have so much to be thankful for. I thought you would appreciate this address given by George Washington:

Thanksgiving Proclamation

By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be-- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted--for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions-- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually--to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

Go: Washington

Always Expect Excellence

Always Expect Excellence! The higher your standards and expectations, the greater amount of things you can achieve.

Nowhere was this more true than in my economics class 3rd hour. We're currently in Chapter 13, which deals with government expenditures as a key driver of the economy. Of course, one major area of government expense is that national budget. I prepared a national budget packet for the students, where they took a look at the pie graph (shown in this post) of the government's expenses every year. 

It was fascinating to hear how some students want to privatize social security, develop an investment plan for it, and gradually eliminate it from the budget. Many more ideas were thrown around and some of them were quite plausible! If you're concerned about the job Congress is currently doing, Economics would certainly offer some bright prospects and hope for the future.

That's not to shortchange my other classes though. World Geography has discovered the traps and dangers of timeshare offers, the water crisis in Haiti, and the wide world of Caribbean Cruise Line negotiations!

US History II just wrapped up its 60s-70s unit- fascinating stuff! Excellent test scores too. Great Job!! Today starts our 3-day study of Las Vegas that will take us into Thanksgiving break.

And last but certainly not least, US History I's major accomplishment is the creation of a newspaper, 1787 style! In the newspaper, John Locke's and Thomas Hobbes' theories on state of nature are included; Shays' Rebellion is discussed, and of course the Philadelphia Convention dominates the "headlines." The articles are written from a journalist's point of view in 1787. It's great!

Countdown to Thanksgiving...3.4 school days away! Have a great weekend!

Berlin Wall Anniversary and Veterans Day

It's a historic week! Today is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and Veterans Day is this Wednesday.

Rather than just enjoy a day with no work or school, why not take some time to study up on the history of the day?

Veterans Day's (Armistice Day in some other countries) origins come from World War I, in which the armistice ending fighting was signed. Turns out that it was signed at the 11th hour of the 11th month of November, 1918. If you're wondering why it falls in the middle of the week sometimes, and we just don't make it a Monday or Friday holiday, this is why. The end to the "War to end all wars" was a monumental moment! Sadly, the armistice was more like the official beginning to a 20-year intermission between the two world wars.

Enjoy your day off (if you get one), but please stop and reflect on the importance of Veterans Day, thank a veteran, and appreciate what we have!

Race to the Top

The World Series is in full swing, and the Yankees hopefully will capture their 27th World Championship later this week. However, a more important piece of good news comes straight from my Economics 3rd period class- they're in 7th and racing to the top of the standings!

What am I talking about? The annual Stock Market Game Capitol Challenge, of course! Our sponsor is Representative Richard Myers from our Illinois House district. Economics has two SuperTeams involved in the Stock Market Game, where they buy and sell stock with $100,000 just as they would in real life! Many congratulations are in order for:

SuperTeam 1: Daniel S., John H., Brian D., Dalton H. and Joey S.

SuperTeam 2: Jacob, Alex, Dalton, Bhrea, and Cassie

Congratulations! They are in 7th and 9th place, respectively, and have plenty of time to continue their march to the top. They currently have gained over $1,200 in the Stock Market Game so far this year - great job!

http://stockmarketgame.org/

 

Vietnam, McDonalds and Wal-Mart, Financial Crisis, and a Whole Lotta Shakin'

Welcome to another week!! We've got a ton of our plates, once again, for a 3-day week. Parent/teacher conferences are going to kick students out of school on Friday...too bad huh?!

US History I: Why do we need government? How is society organized, and how do people make decisions? Students had their "Free Classroom Island" last week where they were allowed to make all the decisions. Needless to say, they didn't like it! It reinforced the need for structure, routine, and a leader. To begin our new unit on government, students will read "Lord of the Flies" to analyze society's causes for breakdown, the needs of humans, etc.

World Geography: Have you gone to a Wal-Mart or McDonald's recently? Are you sure that was such a good idea? Students will take a long, hard look at both of these giants and whether or not they are good for America.

US History II: Vietnam, civil rights, the armed resistance movement, and Robert F. Williams. Does it get any better?

Economics: Do you know why the financial crisis of 2008 occurred? Ask my ECON class! We watched a documentary on the crisis, analyzed mutual funds/stocks/bonds, and are all set up for another great week.

Hope to see you all at Parent/Teacher Conferences this week!

California Callin'

The past four days in World Geography class have been exciting, enlightening, and of course, always entertaining! Why, you ask? Because students have just completed an all-exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime special four-day study on our great state of California!

Let's see: Did you know that farmers in the San Joaquin Valley, south of Sacramento, are having the exact opposite problem as central Illinois farmers? They can't get water! Environmental groups concerned about the loss of the delta smelt (2-3 inch fish) population have gotten a judge to order the irrigation pumps shut down. 

From Santa Ana winds, the Redwood Forest, Hearst Castle, Golden Gate Bridge, Camp Pendleton, Hollywood Walk of Fame, to the Sierra Nevadas, my students can now say they know California!

US History I is taking a test today on the Revolutionary War. Tomorrow starts an all-new adventure- can't spoil the secret yet!

US History II is delving into the 60s, Vietnam War, and JFK assassination. Ask them about the real assassination sometime and what could have happened!

And finally, Economics is fully into the Stock Market Game. They will be competing with other schools from Illinois to make the best trades, purchases, and sales in the stock market for the next two months. Each team has $100,000 to work with and can spend it any way they like. But they've got to research the stock in which they're investing to make a smart buy! It's great fun.

September Class of the Month

It is my privilege to present to you the August/September Class of the Month: 3rd Hour Economics!

I can't say how proud I am of these great students. They have shown an incredible ability to analyze and grasp some tough economic concepts. Ask any of them to show you why a minimum wage could be bad for America and they'll do it. Have them show you the difference between a price floor and price ceiling, and they'll graph like crazies trying to get you to see it their way. Who knows, maybe you're one of their victims already :)

US History I's next project is a Revolutionary War collage that will be hung in the room; they also just finished a Rev. War puzzle that adds yet another one to the growing collection. In addition, they are thoughtfully deciding who they would be in the war - a loyalist or a patriot.

World Geography is racing right along with their National Parks Project. We are thoroughly underway in our study of the United States, and our National Park System is something that is a bit of a mystery for many people. Maybe some of you caught Ken Burns' PBS documentary last week- I've heard great things! The World Geo students will be creating a 3-minute video advertisement of their park, in which they'll give information and sales pitches to come visit!

US History II began their long, exciting trek through the 60s and 70s today. Hippies, counter-culture, Vietnam, JFK, MLK...the list goes on and on! We're going to try and tackle it all in the weeks to come.

Fun times at Astoria High...and always a great day to be a Rebel!