I met James Dale at Rutgers College. I was working on the staff of The Rutgers Review while his organization’s office was just around the corner on the fourth floor of the Rutgers Student Center. We traveled in activist circles and shared a lot of friends and acquaintances. James was a frequent visitor to our …
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AP Gov: Issues in Modern Federalism
One final lesson on federalism! (I thought last week’s was, but I somehow missed this one. In the word of Rick Perry, “oops.”) This is a lesson I can vouch 100 percent for the ownership of as I created it two years ago completely from scratch. I wanted an activity where students could see how …
And the times that we all hoped would last, like a train they have gone by so fast (Part 3 of 3)
In four days, Eileen and I will be celebrating our 20th anniversary. Easy to remember the number of years since we conveniently married in 2000 and our atrophying math skills matter not. I’m not going to write a sappy entry about my marriage here, but a fun look back at what was almost a disaster. …
Week in Review (August 1-7, 2020)
This entry might be my final week in review blog. I’ve found these somewhat tiresome to write, although they are the relative equivalent of a diary. Nonetheless I tend to drag my feet in writing them and it feels a bit exhausting to reflect on the week… and if I don’t have something posted on …
US History: Textbook Readings
When I listen to other teachers talk about using textbooks in their classes, there are a few “types” that I will broadly and unfairly characterize as follows: The Source Master – “I hate textbooks! I would never use one in my class. I use a variety of sources to offer a variety of perspectives.” The …
Reserving Cart #4
When I began teaching, we didn’t have the Internet and WiFi. No one had a laptop nor were any classrooms equipped with desktop computers. There were no LCD projectors, just the overhead projectors that teachers could use to project an image on a transparency. Some teachers would do live instruction writing on transparencies, but I …
I don’t know how they do it…
I’m without power for almost 24 hours, with an estimated 36 to go. And I have a blog writing streak in jeopardy. Since there’s no power, I can’t write on my Mac desktop. Since there’s no WiFi, I can’t write on my laptop which might not even be charged. This means that my only option …
AP Gov: Federalism in the Courts
Having done lessons on Federalism using an old video, a Socratic seminar, a graphics-laden Google Slideshow, and a Goose Chase activity, I still had some content leftover connected to the required court case U.S. v. Lopez. Before the advent of the required case list from the College Board, there once was an exam question which …
Intelligence, a Swiss army knife, and charm (Part 2 of 3)
Sometime in the middle of 1999, after we had moved in together, the subject of marriage came up. Eileen made it fairly clear that she would say “yes” to a proposal, but was leaving it up to me to decide the where and when. She also told me there was no need for an engagement …
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Week in Review (July 26 – August 1, 2020)
This week was mostly taken up by professional development focused on the American Presidency, although it was as much about the Supreme Court as anything else because the training was through the Rendell Center. It was supposed to be an in-person week in Philadelphia, but just like the previous week’s training ended up as good …
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Fenster on Education 