We Made It!

This week we said good bye and good luck to our Seniors. It is always great fun having a mix of students in the classroom as different ages bring different perspectives. Your point of view will change over time as you gain more experiences. The classroom is a safe place to practice developing your points of view and sharing them with fellow students. Don’t ever be afraid to speak your mind but always take the time to gather information and think about your point of view. Argue and debate out of knowledge.

We have had an exciting year as we travelled the globe via our current events and study of Contemporary World Issues. You will soon find out that the world is really very small...we can see and be in contact with people from all over the globe in a matter of seconds....we can fly to, buy from and sell to any part of the world...and our actions as individuals and a country affect all. You are truly COTW: Citizens of the World!

In addition to our international studies we have spent much time thinking and talking about the major domestic changes our country is experiencing. You participated in the mock election and have been eyewitnesses to a turning point in history with the election of President Obama. You were there when he was inaugurated and now you are watching his efforts to bring the American Dream to more of our citizens. This summer make sure to keep track of the Sotomayor nomination...she may be our first Hispanic Supreme Court judge and our third woman to serve on the highest court in the land.

Presidential Power Points

On Monday you will present your power point on one of the assigned presidents. This has been a great end of year project where you get to work with a group, locate key information and build an attractive and informative power point. I was impressed with your ability to organize information along with photos to make attractive slides. You also have a great talent for sharing emails or using Google documents to make this project more manageable. With the completion of this project, you will have a good sense of the key events during the last 30 years of our country’s history. So often history classes end at World War II and students are frustrated that modern events and issues are never discussed. We should take great pride that we did it...studied all of the presidents while keeping up with current events! Great job!

Study Guide

You have a study guide to help you review for the exam. I would also urge you to use your portfolio and of course to read over each blog entry. By reading the weekly entry, you will have a review of all the classes since our midterm exam. When doing the study guide, don’t use just the glossary for definitions as that does not put the event, person or term into context. By using the text to read about the events, you will get a better understanding of the reason why the term is on the study guide. Make sure to include the significance....why we need to know...for each term, person or event.

World History

You have a current event due on Tuesday and it must be about our study of Israel and the Palestinians. You have completed your packet so they will be collected on Tuesday. You have your study guide and you will have class time to work on it. You also have a description of the exam so you should be well prepared. We will update our status of assignment sheet on Wednesday and then you can take the folder home. The portfolio is a great way to review for the exam

Last Entry

So it is now time to say good-by and wish all of you a happy and safe summer. I want to thank my blog editor for keeping my thinking and writing clear, crisp and accurate. I want to thank my many readers for their comments which always led to a better entry. But most of all, I want to thank all of my students for a great year. Your interest, enthusiasm, and questioning have led us all to a better understanding of our world and how we can contribute to a better tomorrow.

Remembering and Reflecting

As our year draws to a close, the evening news seems to be providing a summary of many of the key events we have studied. On June 3, stories about the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square uprising reminded us of our January viewing of “Tank Man.” China has become a major player on the world stage and its economy is a power house, but the need for freedom and liberties for all is yet to be met. Today, June 6, we commemorate the landing of Allied forces on the beaches of Normandy. President Obama and other world leaders are meeting on those shores to recall the courage and determination of all who fought there to free the people of Europe. And finally, President Obama’s speech in Cairo to the Muslim world reiterated America’s commitment that all people should be able to live in peace if we take the time to listen, respect and communicate with one another.

I hope that some of you had the opportunity to view the NBC special this week on the Obama White House. The two evening event, which will be repeated and is on the web (see above link), took us behind the scenes to meet key staff people and witness the fast-paced days of planning and deciding. It was indeed a whirlwind. It brought back great memories as I recalled walking some of those halls and meeting in some of the rooms in the Executive wing.

CWI/Comparative/Modern America

This week we impeached President Clinton and saw President Nixon resign. Our study of the impeachment process allowed you to discover the reasons why President Nixon left office but was never impeached, while President Clinton was impeached but remained in office.

As part of our study of President Nixon you prepared a timeline of key events in his life and did a political cartoon analysis. We started watching “All the President’s Men,” which was made only two years after President Nixon’s resignation. It is a very accurate account of those two years that The Washington Post spent tracking down the money, the trail of dirty tricks, and the link to the Oval Office. This movie, in addition to following the political scandal, shows you the amount of work good investigative journalists must do to get the story. You can see why some writers say the press is the fourth branch of government. The press acts as the eyes and ears of the people and reports back to the voters what is actually happening. Newspapers, freedom of the press and access to information are all cornerstones of our democracy.

Seniors: you have been given a study guide for the final exam. The guide, as well as your text, is due back the day of the exam. You are welcome to hand in the guide and text early if you so choose. I would recommend that you also use your portfolio as a study guide and of course go back and read the blog entries from second semester as a review. I am also available before or after school (except Tuesdays...faculty meetings) for extra help. I have enjoyed having you in class this year and wish all of you the best in your future endeavors.

AP European History

You have been given your take home final. It is due on or before June 10 along with your text book. We will finish “Barry Lyndon” on Monday and would like to start the next movie so we could finish that movie on Tuesday.

World History

Your current event on Japan is due on Monday. Make sure to bring the packet with you to class. We will move on to our study of China and will again be using current events to help us better understand this large, complex and powerful country.