I met Mike through the various Model United Nations and Model Congress conferences that his organization ran, and although Chris Ryalls and I loved to give him a hard time, I would be hard-pressed to find someone who had a more profound impact on a broader range of students than Mike did through his work …
Category Archives: Uncategorized
AP Gov: What to do after the exam?
In many states, the school year ends in May. Students take their AP Exams and then they are essentially done. In New Jersey our year extends until late June, usually in the low 20s. That typically leaves more than a month with students, the supermajority of whom are seniors who have already made decisions about …
From the Files of Conjecture: Help Save the Youth of America
When I graduated from Rutgers College, I opted to stay at Rutgers University to get my master’s degree in social studies education. I didn’t really carefully consider my options, preferring the safety and security of staying where I was, not wanting to consider finding a new place to live, making new friends, and doing the …
Continue reading “From the Files of Conjecture: Help Save the Youth of America”
Week in Review (May 3-9, 2020)
This week was probably the hardest I have worked since we’ve been trapped in our houses since the middle of March. The combination of grading, scheduled and unplanned Meet and Zoom conferences, dealing with ignorant people pushing conspiracy theories on the Internet, and helping other teachers understand the expectations and rules of the upcoming AP …
US History: At-Home History Lab?
Many months ago I shared my paradigm shift I took a few years ago in how I presented material to students and had them take more responsibility for their learning, including the “what” and “when.” When we began distance learning in March, I pulled the plug on that approach, in large part because the lab …
Yale Model Congress: The Nightmare Years
Last week I wrote about our first trip to New Haven for the Yale Model Congress. We had a really good time that first year. The second and, I think, third years were also good. I distinctly remember a surprising pep talk from one of quieter members urging his teammates to work hard and focus …
I Don’t Like the AP GoPo Redesign (Part 2 of 2)
Last week I introduced this subject, focusing on the College Board’s decision to pick nine required documents and fifteen required Supreme Court cases. Today’s blog will focus on the exam itself. To some extent I stole my own thunder by writing an unscheduled editorial piece on Monday that focused on what I referred to as …
Continue reading “I Don’t Like the AP GoPo Redesign (Part 2 of 2)”
Tuesday Talk… with Kellye Sluder Self
Kellye and I met through the AP US Government and Politics web page on Facebook where we spend inordinate amounts of our time finding and sharing information in an effort to improve the quality of civic education. We have also run into each other at the National Education Association’s Representative Assembly the last couple of …
AP Gov: How College Board Separates the Wheat from the So-Called Chaff
Because College Board moved the AP Exam back an entire week due to the Coronavirus (gee, thanks!), I finished the curriculum three weeks prior to exam day. I usually only leave about two weeks before the exam as I really hate reviewing with students; it mostly feels like reteaching the material, and I’d rather they …
Continue reading “AP Gov: How College Board Separates the Wheat from the So-Called Chaff”
The Old Blog: The Worst Songs of All Time
This old post makes me cringe. So many of the comments are cheesy and ill-considered… failed attempts at comedy. There are a ton of novelty songs, which was supposed to be avoided according to the opening statement, and there are so many truly awful songs that we missed. The point was never to be encyclopedic …
Continue reading “The Old Blog: The Worst Songs of All Time”
Fenster on Education 