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The Rise of Presidential Campaigning
Presidential campaigns were not always the expensive and brutal battles we recognize today. Our first leaders did not even campaign at all. Why? It was considered vulgar and venal to promote one’s self. It suggested deceit and dishonor. Many founders used pen names when they published, to separate personalities from issues. Some of the great pseudonyms included “The Federal Farmer,”….Read more
3 Crucial Tips for Teachers on Back to School Night
Back to School night can be nerve wracking for teachers. You are on stage and under a microscope. Having heard all about you at the dinner table, parents finally get to take a look at you for themselves. Some may come eager to see the teacher their child raves about, and some may come with complaints, grievances and rotten fruit….Read more
Shays Rebellion Lesson Plan, Yours for Free
&lt;/p&gt;<br /> &lt;div style=”display:inline;”&gt;<br /> &lt;img height=”1″ width=”1″ style=”border-style:none;” alt=”” src=”//www.googleadservices.com/pagead/conversion/988540412/?label=LIFjCKuKrGsQ_Nuv1wM&amp;amp;guid=ON&amp;amp;script=0″/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;<br /> &lt;p&gt; Welcome to the History Dr community! We hope you enjoy the free lesson plan and find it useful. It’s designed for social studies and American/U.S. history classes from grades 8th-12th. If you are interested in more experiential plans and games that really work in the classroom in terms of….Read more
Your Task Has Changed: Real Teaching in the Digital Age
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. –John Quincy Adams I know what you teachers are thinking. The sand is escaping the hourglass of summer. Pretty soon, you will start teaching in the classroom. This is cause for great jubilation and also great anxiety. Huge….Read more
What Would Alexander Hamilton Do? Minimize Political Dissent
Some 200+ years later, founding father Alexander Hamilton is a hot ticket. An eponymous Broadway musical and a PBS series celebrate and illuminate Alexander Hamilton’s life and legacy. Hamilton’s views are still being debated today, so I’ve decided to look at five of his core convictions in light of today’s issues. He’s a seminal American political philosopher and co-author of the Federalist Papers,….Read more
Let Teachers Teach: Bring Creativity Back into the Classroom
The jubilation of summer vacation is still palpable in the air. But I believe that a series of issues simply must be addressed prior to first bell in September. So much is at stake for us. The future success of our society is driven by the success of the schools today. Teachers are seriously demoralized. Forget for a moment the….Read more
Grading: 3 Tips for Turning Mountains into Molehills
Are stacks of papers to grade weighing you down? Keeping you up at night? Depressing your spirit because the pile never shrinks? Grade fights with parents? I’ve been there. Grading student writing takes time; you have to climb inside the kid’s mind and think along with her. That is labor intensive. And we have to assign large volumes of….Read more
The Kid in my Classroom on Monday Morning
One Monday morning just before the bell rings for school, I am already overwhelmed. The students are buzzing around in the hallways and the building is alive with adolescents. My class is about to start and I have 100 things to do for the day. With just a couple minutes before the bell, I’m entering a column of grades….Read more
The Terrible Privilege of Signing the Declaration of Independence
While driving the infamous NJ Turnpike, many of us have stopped at the Richard Stockton service area. We never think about who the service area is named for when we’re purchasing some artery-destroying item to hold us over until we get to our destination. N.J. resident Richard Stockton was one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. He was a judge….Read more
What Would Alexander Hamilton Do? Trust Experts
How does Hamilton An arrogant Immigrant, orphan Bastard, whoreson Somehow endorse Thomas Jefferson, his enemy -Lin-Manuel Miranda Hamilton: An American Musical Ever since the immensely popular Broadway musical and a PBS series made Alexander Hamilton a newly-celebrated founding father, his unusual life and death have captured the imagination of many. Tickets to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony-collecting show with the original….Read more