The Agora

Honors Night

2010-04-24T08:11:00.000-05:00

Thursday night was honors night at Second Baptist. Each teachers gives a gold, silver and bronze award to students in their classes.
What's interesting about our awards is that they are not based strictly on grades. We are free to look at grades but also hard work and enthusiasm for the class. One of the awards that I gave went to a student who asks really good and insightful questions in class. Its feels great as a teacher to have a student raise their hand and NOT ask to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water. Good questions from students help move the discussion in class forward and into areas that they have an interest in and I think makes the classroom that much more exciting.
Its important to recognize student's academic achievements and I don't think one night a year is too much to ask.
Now, if I can just get that idea for an AP Exam Pep Rally off the ground.......

Let's Stop the Bullying

2010-04-22T11:16:00.000-05:00

I recently came across another news story of a young person committing suicide because of bullying. This one took place in Joshua, TX, a place that has been like a second home to me because of the ties I have to that town. This story comes on the heals of another case that has gained nationwide attention, the Phoebe Prince suicide.
As someone who works with young people at school, these stories make my heart ache. Suicide by any young person is a tragedy. As an educatior we are often on the front lines when it comes to issues like depression, bullying and suicide. The question is often raised about what the schools could do to prevent such a tragedy. Aren't teachers aware of what is going on around them, in the halls and in the classrooms? Quite often, I feel, that there is an entire world swirling around me that I have know clue about. Are teens suffering in silence? I don't know. Has someone had thoughts about suicide? Probably. Teachers are often the last people to know if there is a problem.
I know that many schools have anti-bullying campaigns just like they have anti-drug abuse campaigns, but have they been successful? I'm not sure that students would be honest with us if we asked them to report bullying. Hopefully, we have built the kind of relationships with them that will facilitate communication of this sort.

My pick's for this season's Deadliest Warrior

2010-04-14T07:34:00.000-05:00

Here are the match-ups for this season's Deadliest Warrior.
I've bolded who I think will win. Lest's see how I do.

SWAT vs. GSG-9

Attila the Hun vs. Alexander the Great

Aztec Jaguar vs. Zande Warrior

Jesse James Gang vs. Al Capone Gang

Persian Immortal vs. Celt

Roman Centurion vs. India's Rajput Warrior

Somali Pirate vs. Medellin Cartel

Nazi SS vs. Viet Cong

KGB vs. CIA
Vlad the Impaler vs. Sun Tzu
Ming Warrior vs. Musketeer

Comanche vs. Mongol

Navy Seal vs. Israeli Commando

By the way, I did NOT, or have I ever, fill out a NCAA basketball tournament backet and yet I take the time to predict who would win theoretical fights between historic warriors. I wonder what this says about me?

Don't like my picks? Let me know why.

Piety and Philosophy

2010-03-03T12:59:00.000-06:00

I've just finished Richard A. Reisen's book Piety and Philosophy.
This is a great book for anyone involved in Christian education. In it, Mr. Riesen lays out an excellent argument for a rigorous Liberal Arts curriculum in Christian schools.
He answers questions that need and demand an answer. You can get a good idea of the issues he addresses from the titles of some of his chapters such as, Why the Liberal Arts?, Is Christian Education Real Education?, and Can Christian Education Be Too Academic? Mr. Riesen systematically and thoughtfully addresses these issues that are so important to us who are involved in education in general and Christian Education specifically.

There are so many quotations that I would have liked to share from this book that touch on issues that I feel are import and that Mr. Riesen eloquently states. He argues passionately for the need to have Christian student s that can think and reason and understand Truth.

There is a quote that Mr. Riesen uses from the second-century writer Origen that I think sums up what he is trying to say, “There could be no genuine piety toward the Lord of all in the man who despised the gift of philosophy”. By “the gift of philosophy”, Origen meant human reason, “a gift which man alone of all the creatures of the earth has been deemed honourable and worthy enough to possess.”

My wife brought this book home to me from her school. Mr. Riesen was able to come to her school and meet with the faculty and share his ideas with them. I think its good that an administration is concerned about the direction their school is going and wants to guide the staff in the way they think about education and I'm thankful she brought the book home to me.

Interim Term

2010-02-26T08:26:00.000-06:00

Next week starts interim term at Second Baptist. For two weeks we offer enrichment classes and travel opportunities for our students. Of course, as with most things there are up-sides and down-sides. The students get to have some really great experiences; for instance we are sending a few kids to China, some will have the opportunity to preview careers they might be interested in through internships. The downside is that combined with Spring Break our studnets are missing three weeks of school just as we wrap up our AP classes and head into review season. Hopfully,in the end, its all worth it. I think most students have very memorable experiences during interim term.
The interim term classes that I am teaching this year I think reflect the eclectic nature of my interest. I think I have a very unique and diverse combination of classes that most people wouldn't expect a person to want to participate in.
The first week I am taking a group of students to the theater each night to see differeent plays that are showing in Houston. The second week I am doing a class called Houston Outdoor Adventure where we take students to participate in outdoor activities around town. We are going to a rock climbing gym, fishing, mountain biking, disk golf and shotgunning.
So, overall I'm looking foreward to interim term. Hopefully it will help our students to have a unique educational experience.

Paris 1919

2010-02-23T07:46:00.001-06:00

I'm starting to read a book by Margaret MacMillan, Paris 1919. Its about the Paris Peace Conference following World War One, an event that would be instumental in shaping the course for the Twentieth Century.
So far its been a very interesting book. I'm hoping it will give me even more insight into this very important time in European History.

Academic Competition

2009-11-03T17:23:00.000-06:00

Over the last few years I've been an academic coach. At Brazoswood we had a Scholastic Bowl Team and a UIL Social Studies Team and now at Second Baptist School I am the coach of the TAPPS Social Studies Team, World Quest and Model UN.
I think its great that there is place for students who may not be inclined athleticly to compete in something they enjoy. I especially like judgeing the different speaking and performance events. Its neat to see smart, creative kids showing their stuff and having a good time. I think that for many of the kids academic competion gives them the first adulation or a chance to win an award. I hope there will always be opportunity for kids to get out there and show what they know and have fun while doing it.

You Can Grow Your Intelligence

2009-10-08T19:29:00.003-05:00

Here is a link to an article from NAIS (the National Association of Independent Schools) about how it is possible to increase your intelligence by exercising your brain.
Its part of a larger article you can see here on Brainology.
The main point of this article is the fact that people who achieve success do so because of hard work, not because of some innate talent. When people who are told they are smart run into challenges that are not easy to overcome, they have a tendency to shut down. They don't know how to dig down and meet the challenge.
The article suggest that teachers and parents need to be praising their students not for being smart but for being hard workers. "Next time you're tempted to praise your students' intelligence or talent, restrain yourself. Instead, teach them how much fun a challenging task is, how interesting and informative errors are, and how great it is to struggle with something and make progress. Most of all, teach them that by taking on challenges, making mistakes, and putting forth effort, they are making themselves smarter. "
I think this is one of the better articles on education that I've read. It gives good, practical advice that can really help our students grow and achieve.

Anti-Drug Programs

2009-10-01T20:38:00.006-05:00

I know that the students in my school use alcohol and drugs, at least on the experimental level. A couple weeks ago we had two days of drug and alcohol awareness and today we had another chapel speaker that spoke about her experience with drugs.
I'm just not sure how effective these programs are. It's hard to measure if something like this will have any real effect. Just listening to some of the comments my students made today, it seems that this approach doesn't seem to be working very well. They seem to feel that experimenting with drugs is as natural as any other aspect of maturing.
Do schools provide anti-drug programs just to make the faculty feel better. Maybe that's it. We just want to feel like we've done all we can to keep kids off drugs and safe.
Of course they feel invincible. Of course they feel that bad things can never happen to them. They're young, they don't know any better.
They don't want to hear about the experiences that we've had. They don't want to know about the people we have know that have died in drunk-driving accidents. They don't want to hear about the funerals that we have attended for students who felt the same way way about drinking as they do. They don't want to know about the people we know who are living terrible lives because of the poor decisions they made back when they were in high school. The consequences of choices made at a party or in the back seat of a car that will follow them for the rest of their lives.
I guess the best thing we can do sometimes is just let them know that we care about them and hope and pray that they will make the right decisions and be there for them if they don't.
If there is an effective anti-drug program out there, I sure hope I can find it.

At least we are not here yet

2009-09-10T21:08:00.004-05:00

During last night's health care speech to congress, Congressman Joe Wilson blurted out during President Obama's address "You lie".
Evidently he had some very strong opinions about the president was saying.
There has been quite a bit of talk today about the propriety of his outburst. Even conservatives seem divided on whether what he did was right and proper.
The Congress is a very special place when it comes to freedom of speech. Its the place where heated debate takes place on issues vital to the welfare of the nation. To me, it represents the pinnacle of civilization and civic discourse that has for over 200 years set the example for good, honest government for much of the rest of the world.
While Wilson's outburst may seem outragous to some, its nothing compared to what has gone in the capital before. In the years leading up to the Civil War Congressman Preston S. Brooks actually entered the Senate chamber and beat Senator Charles Sumner with his cane.
"On May 22nd 1856, Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina entered the Senate chamber carrying a gold tipped gutta percha cane. He approached the desk of Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts and after a few words proceeded to beat him about the head with his cane.

This act of violence was deemed by him to be fitting revenge for a speech in which Sumner had pushed the bounds of rhetorical decency and the rules of the Senate as they existed at that time.

These events inspired a national response from both abolitionist and pro-slavery viewpoints. The speech went down in history as the “Bleeding Kansas” speech, and Sumner as a martyr for the anti-slavery cause. The Northern response was outrage, and the Southern response was surprisingly strong support for, and even praise of, Brooks’ act.

To Brooks and his newfound supporters, Sumner's speech had insulted the State of South Carolina by saying that the Territory of Kansas had already made greater contributions to the Union than South Carolina (one of the original 13 States) ever had. More particularly, Sumner insulted Brooks' kinsman Senator Butler of South Carolina, then not present due to illness, by comparing him to Don Quixote blinded to reason by a love for his mistress, his Dulcinea, "the harlot slavery.""

Brooks kept beating Sumner until he broke his cane. When supporters of Brooks heard the story, people sent Brooks new canes with messages like "hit him again".

Passions run high in America on issues that are dear to us. I'm glad that we are shocked by an outburst like Wilson's, it shows that we haven't gone too far. I pray that we will never have to deal with another episode like the Sumner caneing in the place where words and ideas are supposed to be the only weapons.

Force

2009-09-07T18:24:00.002-05:00

It seems to me that all government action is accomplished by the use of or the threat of force. Force as in coercion, intimidation, threats, and violence.
All laws passed by the government have to be enforced or else they are useless. While many laws are good and well meaning, they are, by their very nature threats against the liberty of the people that they are imposed upon.
I've wracked my brain trying to think of an example where the government doesn't use force to impose its will on the people but I haven't been able to think of one.
When the government act for the benefit of one group of people, it is at the expense of another group. Polititians may be well-meaning and may simply be asking us to do something that would be in our better natures to do anyway, like give to the needy, fund education or have honest business practices, but as soon as the government passes a law to require these actions implied threats of violence go along with it. Comply or you will be fined or jailed.

Back

2009-09-06T19:33:00.005-05:00

I think that I will try to start blogging again. I don't know if anyone will read it or maybe I'll just have my students read it. This summer I used a blog to post current events and allowed the students to comment on them in a format other that the traditional class presentation. This might be a good way to get them to at least look at a current event or two.
I think blogging takes a mix of arrogance and faith. This is after all a public forum where people can look in and see what I am doing. Its not a personal journal so its not really meant to be insightful that way, but it is mine and my thoughts. I guess I have to be arrogant enough to think that anyone really cares what I have to say about things.
Over the last several months I've posted things to my facebook page. Things that I have thought or links to stories that I think others might like. I guess this will give me the space to write more. I'll just have to get back in the habit of blogging.
I really still don't have a THEME for my blog. Its called the AGORA, a marketplace. There are all kinds of things in a marketplace and there are all kinds of things going on in my mind. I have varied interest but can never settle in on a single one. I jump from thing to thing, passion to passion. I'm consistent in my inconsistency.
I'm sure if I thought about it I could think of my interest. I'm more definite on what I DON'T like. Is this some sort of virtue?
So this might make coming to the AGORA interesting. I'll write about all kinds of things. Sometimes I'll write for my students, sometimes I'll write for myself. I'll offer my opinion even when I know that thousands have offered their opinions as well for good or ill.

Fun Song

2009-04-01T12:56:00.001-05:00

Continuing Education

2009-02-19T11:57:00.005-06:00

This week I began a continuing studies class at Rice University's Glasscock School of Continuing Studies. The class is about 19th Century French painting and I'm taking it to get a better understanding of the artistic and cultural movements that were prevelant in France and much of Europe during the 19th century. This was a very impartant time in the social, political and economic life of Europe and those factors have an impact on the artistic outlook and movements of the time. I hope to use this knowledge to make myself a better teacher.
I love going to Rice. I feel like my IQ goes up 10 points just by walking on to the campus which I consider to be one of the most beautiful I have seen. Some people dream of winning the lottery being able to quit work and then moving to an island somewhere. If Staci and I were to win the lottery we have always said that we would just quit work, go to Rice and take whatever classes we wanted to.
Attending the Glasscock School is probably the closest I will come to ever being a student at Rice. Right now I'm just thankful for that much. I appreciate the fact that I teach at a school that values teacher education and will back that belief up with the fund to send me to such a great program. I'm sure it will be great.

2009-02-01T00:33:00.002-06:00

Here is a post that I put up on my Second Baptist School blog that I have for my students. I thought I would post it here as well.
We've been talking this week about the money supply and how farmers and other people in debt wanted to increase the supply of currency in circulation by coining silver thus making money cheaper and debt easier to pay off. This was the position championed by William Jennings Bryan in the election of 1896 when he ran against McKinley who wanted to protect the gold standard and the holders of wealth. They were worried that if Bryan and the Democrats were elected that their gold-based dollars would suddenly be worth 50 cents.
This week Glen Beck did a segment that I think fit in very well our discussion this week. Take a look and see what is going to be happening to our money supply.

After WWI the Weimar Republic in Germany began printing money to pay off the debt and indemnity payments that the Allies had imposed on them after making them take the entire blame for the war. By 1923 it took 4 Trillion paper marks to equal 1 dollar.
Here, German children play with the worthless paper money. The economic caused by this hyper-inflation was one of the leading factors that would make the German people turn to a Leader that they believed would solve all of their problem for them and take Germany back to its ancient glory.

I wonder how long it will last?

2009-01-22T15:10:00.002-06:00

This morning I heard on the radio that President Obama is enjoying some of the highest presidential approval ratings ever. The unfortunate thing is that the only place to go from here is down. The President will have to start using his political capital to institute the changes that he has in mind for the nation. The question is, how long will his political chits last? He may have to spend quite a bit to make the big changes he wants at Guantanamo Bay, with abortion, with gays in the military and the tax code.
I came across an interesting Wall Street Journal article that tracks the approval ratings of the most recent modern presidents. Its interesting to see how quickly their approval fell off during their terms in office. Its also interesting to see the correlation between their approval ratings and the major political events that occurred during their terms.
As we move forward into the Obama presidency, how will our perspective of George W. Bush's presidency change. I'm sure with the perspective of history our view of his accomplishments will begin to supersede his shortcomings.

Inauguration Day 2009

2009-01-20T08:08:00.002-06:00

Today we will inaugurate a new President. I can't remember when there has been more excitement over the inauguration of a president in my memory. I think probably 1981 when Regan was inaugurated was the last time there was this much excitement on inauguration day because that was the day we found out that the Iranian hostages had been released after 444 (?) days of captivity.
I wish Barack Obama well and hope that he has a very successful presidency. I hope that when he does things well that the press and political pundants from the right and left will acknowledge it and when he does things wrong that those same people will have the courage to criticize him fairly. One of the things that I am looking forward to in the new political atmosphere is an end to constant bashing of the president. I didn't like to see it done to Bush and I hope it won't continue under Obama. I just think it will be refreshing.
With the Democrats in control of the White House and Congress it will be interesting to see how they handle all that power. I hope they use it wisely.

Our Fading Heritage

2008-11-20T21:10:00.004-06:00

This morning I saw a report about the lack of civic knowledge among America's college students. As a teacher my ears always perk up when people on the news start talking about what is or is not going on in education. This time they were lamenting the fact that Americans don't know much about history or economics.
Here's a qquote from the Intercollegiat Studies Institute.
Are most people, including college graduates, civically illiterate? Do elected officials know even less than most citizens about civic topics such as history, government, and economics? The answer is yes on both counts according to a new
study by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI). More than 2,500 randomly selected Americans took ISI’s basic 33question test on civic literacy and more than 1,700 people failed, with the average score 49 percent, or an “F.” Elected officials scored even lower than the general public with an average score of 44 percent and only 0.8 percent (or 21) of all surveyed earned an “A.” Even more startling is the fact that over twice as many people know Paula Abdul was a judge on American Idol than know that the phrase “government of the people, by the people, for the people” comes from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

I'm hoping that my students would know the Gettysburg Address quote since I'm making them memorize it. You can find the quiz here and see for yourself how you do. Post how you do and maybe I'll post my score.

Americans do need to know their history and how their government works. I feel a great sense of responsibility for my students' education. I want them to learn so much and I get frustrated when I think they are letting the opportunity slip past them. Maybe the most I can hope for, for some of them, is that some day they will realize that someone tried to teach them about history and appreciate the effort. Maybe they will be having a conversation with someone a historical reference will come up and they will think "Mr. Brown mentioned something about that back in high school, I'm glad I know something about this so I don't sound too stupid in front of these people." --- or something like that.

ROOTS still powerful

2008-11-12T21:46:00.003-06:00

Over 30 years ago Alex Haley's ROOTS came out as a TV mini series. Back then there were only 6 TV channels on TV so this was a major event. We watched ROOTS as a family each night and we right in the middle of the story when it would be time for us to go to bed. The next morning, Mom would fill us in on the parts of the show we missed and we would gather together the next night to continue the saga.
What was moving to me most was the realization that this was real. This was a real story of the life of a real person. It was also the first time that I had really seen, as far as I can remember, a depiction of slavery like this. It was truly moving and when it was over I remember feeling as if things might really change in America in terms of race relations. I know MY attitude about race had changed. I knew that there had been racial strife and segregation, but now that I had seen ROOTS I felt there might be some sort of healing that might take place in America. I felt hopeful.
This year I'm teaching American History for the first time in several years and as we were having our discussion about slavery last week I recalled the story of ROOTS as I was lecturing. Thinking and talking about slavery made me want to watch ROOTS again so I ordered the DVD. Now, I'm watching ROOTS with my kid. I hope it has as power an effect on him as it did on me.
We don't have time to watch ROOTS in class, but several of my students said that they would be willing to give up their lunch to be able to watch it, so this afternoon we started watching it together. I'll be interested to see their reaction. They will probably see a depiction of black people that they have never seen before in the media. I'm sure they will be moved.
Even after 30 years I think ROOTS still has the power to move people and help us all better understand our history.

Slavery and Abortion

2008-11-07T07:32:00.004-06:00

This week in US History class we have been talking about the issue of slavery. Its always a touchy subject but one that we really can't ignore or gloss over. As a white guy (look up "White Guy in the dictionary to see a picture of me) it can be tough to try to cover but I think that my students are getting a good perspective on slavery.
Today everyone knows that slavery is wrong and its easy to look back in time and point fingers. Its hard to understand why so many people, especially politicians, especially Lincoln, were wishy-washy when it came to the issue of ending slavery.
Several years ago when I was teaching eighth graders in a predominatly minority school I was struck by the fact that the way that people spoke about slavery in the 19th century was the way peoplewere speaking about abortion in the 20th century. They spoke about popular soverignty (choice) back then the way that people speak about being pro choice today. No one was really "pro-slavery" then just the way that no one is "pro-abortion" today.
I was listening to Greg Koukl's podcast this week and he read from an article titled "Obama's Abortion Extreamism" by Robert George. In his article Mr. George touched on some of the points that I had been trying to make.
I have examined the arguments advanced by Obama's self-identified pro-life supporters, and they are spectacularly weak. It is nearly unfathomable to me that those advancing them can honestly believe what they are saying. But before proving my claims about Obama's abortion extremism, let me explain why I have described Obama as "pro-abortion" rather than "pro-choice."

According to the standard argument for the distinction between these labels, nobody is pro-abortion. Everybody would prefer a world without abortions. After all, what woman would deliberately get pregnant just to have an abortion? But given the world as it is, sometimes women find themselves with unplanned pregnancies at times in their lives when having a baby would present significant problems for them. So even if abortion is not medically required, it should be permitted, made as widely available as possible and, when necessary, paid for with taxpayers' money.

The defect in this argument can easily be brought into focus if we shift to the moral question that vexed an earlier generation of Americans: slavery. Many people at the time of the American founding would have preferred a world without slavery but nonetheless opposed abolition. Such people - Thomas Jefferson was one - reasoned that, given the world as it was, with slavery woven into the fabric of society just as it had often been throughout history, the economic consequences of abolition for society as a whole and for owners of plantations and other businesses that relied on slave labor would be dire. Many people who argued in this way were not monsters but honest and sincere, albeit profoundly mistaken. Some (though not Jefferson) showed their personal opposition to slavery by declining to own slaves themselves or freeing slaves whom they had purchased or inherited. They certainly didn't think anyone should be forced to own slaves. Still, they maintained that slavery should remain a legally permitted option and be given constitutional protection.

Would we describe such people, not as pro-slavery, but as "pro-choice"? Of course we would not. It wouldn't matter to us that they were "personally opposed" to slavery, or that they wished that slavery were "unnecessary," or that they wouldn't dream of forcing anyone to own slaves. We would hoot at the faux sophistication of a placard that said "Against slavery? Don't own one." We would observe that the fundamental divide is between people who believe that law and public power should permit slavery, and those who think that owning slaves is an unjust choice that should be prohibited.

I think that by bringing the slavery discussion into terms that twentieth century students can relate to, we can make them better able to undertsand the positions that politicians had to take during the mid- 19th century. We can understand why Lincoln just couldn't call for an outright ban on slavery, not if he wanted to win a national election.

I don't know Jack

2008-11-06T21:36:00.002-06:00

Growing up, The Chronicles of Narnia series were some of my favorite books. They fed my love of reading and led me to other fantasy novels. It wasn't until later in life that I learned that the author CS Lewis (aka Jack) was a famous theologian and Christian apologist.
At various times I've tried to begin reading his more serious works on faith and Christianity but something always seems to get in the way.
My new Sunday School teacher, Davis Pendergrass, often brings up Lewis in class discussions and is a great admirer of him. So, in an effort to continue in my spiritual growth, I want to try and begin reading more CS Lewis. Let's see if I can do it.

Not Sure

2008-11-04T20:54:00.003-06:00

I haven't blogged in a while because frankly I'm just not sure that there is any real reason to do so. There are so many people out there with so many ideas I just don't see why anyone would care what my take on anything is.
I guess I would have to be really in to myself to feel like anyone cared what I felt about anything on any issue. That's the way I feel right now. If anyone cares.

Can you blame them?

2008-10-02T20:07:00.007-05:00

With all the talk and contaversy lately about the economic "bail out" there's one point that I haven't heard brought up. I just thought that I would bring it up.

The last time President Bush came before the nation and told us there was something we really, really needed to do, it was to invade Iraq. Even then there were reports and hearings and even consultation with the UN. Congress was more than happy to authorize the President to do what he wanted to do in Iraq and now, a few years later when it has become politically unpopular to have supported war, politicians are figuring out how to be agianst the war when they were for it before. Now, the President and the Democratic Congressional leadership come before the People and ask for some $700 billion to fix the economy. There's been no real debate, no hearings. I think congress is now doing its job. They are meant to be a check on the power of the executive branch. How many of these congressmen are going to vote for this bailout and then 6 months or a year from now try to figure out how they can be against it? I overheard one congressman mention that they has spent more time investigating steriod use in baseball than they had spent discussing this massive spending bill. Lets take some time and look at other alternatives to this credit crisis before taking a huge step to socialism.

Karl Marx must be cheering from the grave.

A Patriot's History of the United States

2008-09-30T20:37:00.003-05:00

In a further effort at continuing improvement, I've started a new American History book. I think its important for teachers to continue to try to increase their knowledge base both in pedagogy and content knowledge. So, along those lines I've started reading "A Patriot's History of the United States" by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen.
I've read the Marxist Historian Howard Zinn's "People's History of the United States" recently and I'm hoping that this one, as stated in the introduction, will offer a more balanced view of the history of this country. I'm always looking for more "stories" to tell and new perspectives to share with my students and I think this will be a good source of positive views of the Nation and less, for lack of a better term, whiney, than Zinn.
If anyone has any other suggestions for good general histories of the US, by all means, lets hear about them.

Soldier, Statesman,Knightly Gentleman

2008-09-26T08:07:00.003-05:00

Soldier, Statesman, Knightly Gentleman. Those of you who are Aggies will be familiar with these terms. They are words used to describe Lawrence Sullivan Ross, one of the people at the heart of Texas A&M. Aggies are encouraged to take this description to heart and make this description a model for their own lives.

In the upcoming presidential election there is only one man who truly fits this description, John McCain. We are all very familiar with McCain's credentials as a soldier, this week we are seeing his qualities as a statesman. By choosing to suspend his campaign and go back to Washington to address the financial crisis our country is facing he truly is putting Country First.

I'm sure Barri will say he's in favor of some sort of plan to revive the nations economy, but I'll be willing to bet that he won't come out with any sort of proposal on his own, he's only criticize the plans of other or say that they "don't go far enough" (read as: "don't give enough of other people's money away") and I will be surprised if he even votes on any package that congress comes up with; then he will have gone on record as taking a stand. If Obama does cast a vote, I'll predict that it will be his usual "present". Then he will be able to go back and spin his vote for what ever he feels will please the crowd he is talking to at the moment.

I would be very happy to see John McCain and Barrack Obama in a head to head debate tonight. Obama will continue to run against W. and look amateurish talking about Change and Hope. While Obama wants to have a conversation about what is going on, John McCain is actually doing something about it. That's what it means to be a statesman.

Mediocrity gets an A

2008-09-10T11:57:00.003-05:00

I came across an interesting essay written by Greg Koukl, a Christian apologist and fonder of Stand to Reason, an organization that wants to help Christians explain their faith to the world at large.
I've been listening to Mr. Koukl's archived podcast recently and I have been impressed with his biblical knowledge and skills in debate and logic. I think it would be a good place to look at for anyone that considers themselves to be a Christian and an intellectual.
Mr. Koukl's essay caught me eye because, as a teacher, I'm always interested in improving the quality of education that I am able to provide to students and I'm interested in how people outside of education perceive what we do.
The essay is titles "Mediocrity gets an A" and it deals the issue of falling standards and the need to make everyone feel like they are above average. In it he addresses the question of why is it a problem when school teachers are instructed to lower the standards? I'll let you read the entire essay on your own, there are just too many quotes to post here.
I'll just say that there IS pressure to make things easier for students. It would make all our lives easier if we just lowered our expectations and gave everyone an A. Parents, students, administrators and teachers would all be happy if everyone was passing with a good grade.
I, for one, would hate to work in place like that. I don't want to overstate my importance to society as a teacher, but I do see myself as sort of a gate-keeper and holder of standards. If we allow our nation to continue to lower its standard of quality, we are simply hurting ourselves in the long run. I'm glad I work at a school that has a vision of providing a world-class education.
Take a look at the essay and see if you feel the same.

Republican National Convention

2008-08-30T12:43:00.004-05:00

Monday begins the Republican National Convention. This should be a good chance to contrast the different view and policies of the different political parties and their candidates. Spend some time and watch at least one speech and let us know what you think. You can find a link to the RNC schedule here.

Remember, potentially any one in THE WORLD (including English teachers) will be able to see your comments, so write accordingly.

This is why we push them.

2008-08-27T11:59:00.002-05:00

A former student of mine, Angela, sent me a note today that I thought I would share.

Mr. Brown, there are days when I can't help but think of your class. Like today, when I walked into an engineering lab and was immediately given an experiment and a 12 page report to write. Thanks for preparing me for college classes by giving quizzes on the first day of school. And for being a great teacher. I hope you're doing well.

Yes, sometimes my classes can be hard. I require my kids to do work and to read for retention, but I think it pays off in the long run with future success.

A few years ago I read a book called Rogue Warrior by Richard Marcinko. He was the leader of a famous SEAL team in Viet Nam and talks about his experience in the special forces. One thing that he wrote about was the difficulty of his initial training. It was killer! He said that by the time he got to Viet Nam he was no longer afraid of the VC or what they might do to him. His SEAL trainers had pushed him to his mental and physical limits. He felt confident that he could deal with any situation that was thrown at him.

That's the way I want my students to feel. As they head off to college and into the business world, I want them to feel confident that they can handle any assignment a professor or boss will throw at them because they have practiced doing difficult work here. They have confidence in their ability to do quality work and won't be afraid if something that requires thought, analysis and original thinking because they have been tested before.

Democratic National Convention

2008-08-25T09:01:00.003-05:00

This week begins the Democratic National Convention. I'm interested in your impression of the speakers and what they have to say.

This week, watch at least one speech and report about it here. Tell us what you thought about the policies or positions the speaker took. Do you agree with this person or not? See what others think as well.

Remember, this is on the web. Its not just a school website so literally anyone in the world will be able to see your comments and respond to them so keep that in mind as you post.

Here is a link to the schedule for the DNC.

There will be featured speakers each night. Take a look and see who will be in prime time, these are usually the most important speeches. The highlight of the week will be Barack Obama's acceptance speech on Thursday night. Hopefully he will be outlining his vision for America and the policies that he would like put into place if he becomes president.

Don't worry Republicans, we'll be doing the same thing for the RNC next week.

Let's Get Started

2008-08-21T12:03:00.003-05:00

As we begin our class this year, I would be interested in hearing about what you would like to study. Are there any particular topics that you would like to delve more deeply into? Who are the people you would like to learn more about? What time periods or events would you like to learn more about?

This is your class as much as mine and I am interested in your thoughts on the matter.

Harry Potter and History

2008-08-17T14:49:00.002-05:00

Although Harry Potter often complains that history is is least favorite subject at Hogwarts, (its taught by a ghost after all) it seems as if he might finally be learning the value of studying the past.
I saw the trailer for the Half-Blood Prince this weekend and I must say that I couldn't agree more with the message. Take a look for yourself and see if you can see what I mean.

Joining a new Church

2008-08-17T14:25:00.003-05:00

This morning my family placed membership at the Jersey Village Baptist Church. We have been visiting there for the last several weeks and I feel like we have found a good new church home.
We have enjoyed the worship services, preaching and programs that Jersey Village has to offer. Pastor Ed Hogan seems like he is going to be a great person to work with and has a real love for people.
While we have been visiting Jersey Village, my wife and I have been going to David Pendergrass' Sunday School class called "Exegesis for Jesus". David is a PhD. student at Baylor University and his wife, Elaine, is a children's minister on staff at the church.
David's class has been a real blessing to me. It's definitely not a beginners bible class. He offers real meat and insight into the scriptures. Its just the kind of class I needed and was hoping to find. David's major is in church history so I'm learning quite a bit and I would highly recommend his class to anyone interested in religion and history. David also writes a great blog that I have linked to mine.
We are all looking forward to having a long relationship with the people at JVBC. They have done an excellent job at making us feel welcome and part of the family.

A great presidential "debate"

2008-08-17T14:08:00.002-05:00

Finally, someone got it right! Rick Warren stages a coup with, what I feel has been the best presidential "debate" that I have yet to witness.
The reason for the quotes is that the thing that made this debate so good was the format. Each nominee was on stage with Warren for an equal amount of time and was asked the same questions. We, as voters, got the hear the answers to some pretty tough questions and make our own decisions with out the candidate trying to talk over each other or one-up each other as we see in other televised debates. McCain, who went second after a coin toss, had no ides how Obama had answered the questions that Rick Warren posed. We got to see what I felt was a good contrast between the candidates and some real differences in style and position.
As of this moment I have not seen the Sunday morning talk shows or other pundants' comments on the event. I'm not sure how the wider media is responding to this style of presidential meeting, but I for one would like to see more of it. I felt for the first time like I was getting some real insight into what both of these men believe and I would hope the other networks and the candidates would agree to use this style of interview again.

There's something happening here

2008-08-12T21:41:00.003-05:00

I've started my first week of in-service at Second Baptist School. Yesterday was the day for new faculty to come in and be oriented.
In the morning, we all introduced ourselves to each other and talked about why we had come to Second Baptist. To a person everyone of the new faculty spoke about how they felt that God had lead them to the school. He had opened the doors and laid the path for each of the new faculty and staff members to come there. People spoke about how they prayed that God would direct them to the jobs that He wanted them to be in.
This year Second Baptist is having a large influx of new teachers. They tell me its the largest group of new teachers in many years. Many of the positions are new ones due to the increased enrollment at Second. It just seems to me that there has been many hours of prayer about what is going to be happening at Second Baptist this school year. Its going to be exciting to see what God has in store for all these new faculty and for the rest of of the Second Baptist family.

An Agent of God ?

2008-08-10T18:10:00.006-05:00

Who knows when God might be using you?
As I begin a new career at a Christian High School, I've been thinking about what role God played in bringing me to this place. Personally, I think He had a great deal to do with it. Providence is a word used to describe the way God works through events in your life to make things work according to His will. Romans 8:28 (look it up yourselves) has always been one of my favorite verses because it reassures me that everything is going to be alright, even when things don't seem to be going your way.
In April I attended the Katy ISD job fair. After visiting a few of the booths I quickly determined that they weren't looking for anyone with my qualifications. "What do you coach?", was the fist question most people asked. I left the job fair feeling like it has been a total waste of time and gas money. Later, as I look back, maybe I wasn't there foe me. Maybe it was for Susan Henson.
Susan Henson is one of the best English teachers that I have ever met. She worked next door to me at Brazoswood two years ago before leaving to take a new job. I ran into her at the Katy job fair just as I was arriving, we walked in the door at the same time. She told me that she was looking to make a move and I explained what I was doing there. My wife had taken a job at Houston Christian High School and we were going to move up to Houston. I told her that there was an opening at Houston Christian for an English teacher and that I thought it would be a perfect fit for her. She has high academic standards and gets the most out of her students by pushing them hard, things Houston Christian values.
She went on to apply for and get the job at Houston Christian and from what I hear is very excited to be there.
Things didn't work out for me at Katy, but I was in the right place at the right time to tell Susan about a job that she might never had applied for if I hadn't been there. Did God send me to the job fair to run into Susan? I'd like to think so. I'd like to think that Susan had been praying about a job and He set our paths to cross. The only proof that I have it the promise of Romans 8:28. I guess that's good enough for me.

I already have a savior, thanks.

2008-08-05T11:39:00.000-05:00

I've never gotten too excited about a presidential candidate, any of them, Republican or Democrat. Don't get me wrong, I think politics are important. Government is important. I'm a history teacher for goodness sake, of course I think its important. Its just that I've never gotten that excited about a particular candidate.
When I was at A&M I joined the College Republicans. It was fun to get involved in politics, meet candidates and participate in campaigns. I made some good friends and had fun too. I guess our biggest event would have been when Dan Quayle made a campaign stop in College Station and we had a big rally for him. We went all out and it was a big success.
It was just interesting to see how excited and passionate people got about the candidates. To hear some people talk, and it seems to me especially liberal people, you would think that these candidates for public office were going to be their savior. I'm serious. People look to these politicians as if they were going to bring the world into some sort of Golden Age. I think that's maybe why I, and others like me, have a difficult time getting so excited about a particular candidate. We see them as just human, not as a savior. You see, I, and others like me, already have a savior and we have no need of another one. Come on, you know who I'm talking about! Yes! Jesus Christ is my savior! I don't need John McCain or Barack Obama or any other politician to save me. That job's been done. I just need a government that is going to keep out of my way, not try to save me from myself.
Do me a favor. Over the next hundred days or so take a look at the people supporting these candidates. Listen to the way they talk about them. Where are they putting there hope? What are they hoping these men will do? Save the nation? the environment? our pride? What are they hoping to get from these men and how do they think they will get it? Do you think these men can deliver on these expectations? It just seems like a big task to ask these guys to be the savior of humanity, especially when that job is already taken.

Rested and Ready to go

2008-08-04T09:55:00.003-05:00

My wife and I were able to spend a good long weekend in Sedona, Arizona. We had a great time and now we are both excited to get back home and get started in our new jobs.
The coming weeks will bring some big changes in our daily routine.
First of all, we will be going to different schools from each other for the first time in 10 years, rival schools at that. It was nice to work at the same school. We shared common students and we could relate to the things that were going on at school with each other.
The second biggest change will be the fact that we will be teaching at college prep Christian schools. We are both looking forward to teaching highly motivated students that share some common values. Its going to be a big change from teaching in a public school where many of the students had to court-ordered to attend.
As a teacher, I get excited about the beginning of school. I like thinking about what I am going to do in class, meeting a new group of interesting students and coming up with new activities to teach lessons. All of that is just going to kicked up a notch this year with starting at a new school in a commpleatly new environment. I'm very excited!

Facebook

2008-07-29T12:23:00.002-05:00

In my ever constant journey to join the rest of the 21st Century, I've started a facebook account. Melissa Goosen mentioned it to me and I thought that it would be a good way to keep in touch with the folks I met this summer doing Yeomen of the Guard.
It will be strange having more of my life out there on the web, but, from what I understand, this is the way that people are networking nowadays. I suppose that I just have to be careful about what gets posted there. So far its been interesting to check out. I've purposely avoided things like this in the past, especially My Space because there had been some bad press about it, especially when teachers had My Space pages. We'll see how this works out. It should make it easier to keep up with former students and folks back in Brazosport.

Twenty-first Century Education

2008-07-28T08:43:00.003-05:00

I just finished another grad school class through Lamar University. This class was Educational Leadership in Technology and it brought up many issues of education in the world of the home computer and internet.
What follows are some of the materials that were presented in the class that I thought visitors to The Agora might find interesting.
A Vision of K-12 students today
21st Century Skills - David Warlick

Computers are changing the way we present material to students and they are changing the way kids perceive information as well.

This is Hard

2008-07-27T22:00:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since my last blog piece and I just wanted to keep my hand in it and get something down. Frankly, I've had a hard time thinking of something to put down. I guess the main thing that is going on is the presidential "race" and I think there are probably enough people out there blogging about politics to take up any more cyberspace with my opinions about how bad a president Barack Obama would be. It seems fairly self-evident to me. I mean "people of the world", come on!
I've never gotten too excited about a presidential candidate, any of them, Republican or Democrat. Don't get me wrong, I think politics are important. Government is important. I'm a history teacher for goodness sake, of course I think its important. Its just that I've never gotten that excited about a particular candidate.
When I was at A&M I joined the College Republicans. It was fun to get involved in politics, meet candidates and participate in campaigns. I made some good friends and had fun too. I guess our biggest event would have been when Dan Quayle made a campaign stop in College Station and we had a big rally for him. We went all out and it was a big success.
It was just interesting to see how excited and passionate people got about the candidates. To hear some people talk, and it seems to me especially liberal people, you would think that these candidates for public office were going to be their savior. I'm serious. People look to these politicians as if they were going to bring the world into some sort of Golden Age. I think that's maybe why I, and others like me, have a difficult time getting so excited about a particular candidate. We see them as just human, not as a savior. You see, I, and others like me, already have a savior and we have no need of another one. Come on, you know who I'm talking about! Yes! Jesus Christ is my savior! I don't need John McCain or Barack Obama or any other politician to save me. That job's been done. I just need a government that is going to keep out of my way, not try to save me from myself.
Do me a favor. Over the next hundred days or so take a look at the people supporting these candidates. Listen to the way they talk about them. Where are they putting there hope? What are they hoping these men will do? Save the nation? the environment? our pride? What are they hoping to get from these men and how do they think they will get it? Do you think these men can deliver on these expectations? It just seems like a big task to ask these guys to be the savior of humanity, especially when that job is already taken.
Maybe it wasn't so hard for me to come up with a blog piece after all.

Acting Resume

2008-07-15T14:59:00.002-05:00

Earlier this year I tried to put together my Curriculum Vitae (which, I've just discovered, I can't find anywhere now) and it was difficult to remember all of the conferences and events that I have gone to in the course of my academic career.
I decided that before too much more time has gone on that I would put my Acting Resume together so that I won't forget any of the stage work I have done.
For those of you who care, here it is:

Acting Resume

July 2006
Brazosport Center Stages
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Director: Jean Warren
“Mercier”

April 2007
Brazosport Center Stages
Picasso at the Lapin Agile
Director: Wes Copeland
“The Singer”

September 2007
Brazosport Center Stages
Of Mice and Men
Director: Carol Kinder
“Slim”

February 2008
Brazosport Center Stages
Bell, Book and Candle
Director: Jean Warren
“Sidney Redlitch”

July 2008
The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Houston
The Yeomen of the Guard
Director: Alistair Donkin
“The Headsman”

Hopefully I'll be able to add to this list in the coming months and years. I really enjoy working in the theater. It gives me a good creative outlet and, probably more importantly, I get to hang out with some really neat people.

Perspective on History Education

2008-07-13T19:13:00.005-05:00

Today I would like to share a uniques perspective on history education. I comes for a man I consider a mentor and friend, Bill Speer.
Bill taught history many years at the secondary level, Middle School, High School, and even some colleges classes. He is now a professional historian working for Janus Research Group gathering information on the Global War on Terror to be used by future generations of historians to write the history of the war.
Last year Bill asked me if, as a high school history teacher, I considered myself a historian. I had to honestly tell him no. As a history teacher my job was more of an information transferer, a conduit through which information passed to my students. I tried to get my students to think as historians or in a historical sense and teach the skills of a historian, but I did little, if any, work that I would consider to be that of a historian.

I asked Bill a few questions recently and I found his responses to be very enlightening.

1. As a professional historian and former teacher, what do you feel that history teachers should be doing now in the classroom?

Content, content content. Teachers have got to be bold, push forward with critical, higher order, thinking skills. Standardized test be damned, we are producing kids that cannot analyze, synthesize, nor evaluate. These things work in cycles but it is important that teachers do what is best for their students NOT what is best for their career, the administration, nor the test. They are beholding to no one but the students they teach. Unfortunately, very few teachers are willing to step forward and lead in this area.

Teachers should be using role play and simulations to INVOLVE their students in history not simply teach it. My motto was: “Don’t just study history, live it!” For every excuse I have seen from teachers there is an answer. The benefits far outweigh the time and energy expended.

2. What can be done to improve people's knowledge of history?

Depends on who “the people” are. I find, daily, that the soldiers I deal with, do not have a sense of history. They don’t understand why it is important, why it should be remembered. It is a shame. The take no interest in it what so ever. That is the fault of their middle/high school teachers, no one else can be blamed.

Adults are a lost cause, they are what they are. We must start with the middle schoolers and work from there. Get them involved with programs such as Think Quest and especially National History Day.

3. What do you like best about your work with Janus?

I meet great soldiers all the time. I get to travel and talk to these folks about their involvement in the Global War on Terror. You learn very quickly that the media still have it all wrong. That there is so much good going on over there that the average American never hears about. I deal with primary sources, oral history, people who have been there. What more could a historian want?

4. What link do you see between your work as a professional historian and history education?

Frankly, very little right now. We try to make sure when we leave a unit that they have a good sense of history. That they understand why we are there and why history is important. Most units are not even doing their annual history which is required of them but they simply ignore.

On another front, I get the opportunity to speak to classes in middle, high school and the college levels. I also have the opportunity to speak to civic organizations. All these events give me an opportunity to push the study of history,

5. What do you feel should be the role of history teachers today?

Teacher need to be involved with their students. They should be more than a name on a roster. Teachers need to demonstrate a passion for history that can then be transmitted to their students. This all comes from content knowledge. NOT education classes and a masters in education. History teachers MUST know their subject cold, period, nothing less will do. They must be involved with historical associations, attend their events. READ! WRITE! Keep History Alive!

As I mentioned earlier, I consider Bill a mentor and a friend and his responses to my questions have challenged me to continue to improve my knowledge of history and skills as a teacher.

Congratulations Dara Torres

2008-07-10T11:00:00.005-05:00

As I'm struggling to keep my 41 year-old body from falling apart, I rejoiced in the news that Dara Torres, age 41, has made the US Olympic swimming team. As a former swimmer, I know just how much work goes into training. Its amazing to think about the amount of work that she has put in to make it to this level.
It's odd to start thinking of myself as being part of the "older generation" but I guess reality has to set in sometime.
I've been anxiously waiting for the Olympics all summer, now I just have one more reason to tune in.

Great Resource for teachers

2008-07-09T18:01:00.002-05:00

If you haven't already found it I would recommend that you take a look at Historyteacher.net.
Susan Pojer has put together some invaluable resources for teachers and students. She has sections on both US and European history. I have found her resources well worth using in class and I intend on continuing to use them in the future. I know many of the teachers I work with come across it sooner or later and are very thankful that Ms. Pojer has collected such a great collection of resources together.
The website is laid out very well and easy to navigate. You will be able to find just about anything you need very quickly. One of my favorite parts of the website is the Power Point Palooza, an awesome collection of PowerPoint presentations covering all aspects of European, US, and Global history.
You can tell Ms. Pojer, and her students, have really put the time in to make a great resource for all of us to use. You can tell that she really loves teaching as well. This truly is a labor of love.

New Job!

2008-07-08T20:12:00.003-05:00

One of the main reasons for my starting this blog is because I am starting a new job next year at Second Baptist School. I'm very excited about my new position and (yes, I know its hard to believe) am looking forward to the end of summer so I can meet my new coworkers and most importantly, my students. I can't wait to find out who you are!
I'm busy reading this summer for my classes next year. I'll be teaching US History and World History. I'm reading both The American Pageant and A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn. I like the way Zinn incorporates primary sources into his book. It gives the reader a real flavor for the events he is describing. I'm also finding the "Pageant" is a very good narrative history as well, a good read.
One other thing I've done so far to get myself ready for US history is to watch the HBO miniseries John Adams. I thought it was very good. It shows all the highlights of Adam's career and explores his relationship with his wife, Abigail, as well. I'm sure I can't show the whole thing in class so take some time and watch it on your own.

A weekend of ups and downs

2008-07-08T19:42:00.003-05:00

We had even more excitement and reason to celebrate this Fourth of July weekend. In addition to family coming in to town over the weekend we added a new member to our family, a basset hound/beagle mix puppy the we adopted from the Houston Humane Society. We named her Kayla. We got her primarily as a companion/playmate for our son but she quickly won my heart as well. Puppies have a way of doing that. Its amazing how quickly I (we) can become attached to something.
We picked her up on Saturday but by Monday we could see that something was wrong with her. We took her to the vet and the prognosis wasn't good, they suspected distemper. We took her back to the HHS as they asked if we found out something was wrong her. Today I received word that they had to put Kayla down. She was suffering too much.
This time last week I didn't even know she existed, today I'm sad at the loss of such a sweet dog. I'll miss her.

Summer play

2008-07-03T18:18:00.002-05:00

I'm going to be in a musical this summer at the Wortham theater in Houston.
www.gilbertandsullivan.net
My friend Melissa Goosen got hold of me and asked if I would like to play the part of "The Headsman" in this summer's production of "The Yeoman of the Guard" by Gilbert and Sullivan. I tend to come to people's mind when they need a big scary guy for a role in a play.

Here I go

2008-07-03T17:45:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm off into the world of cyberspace.
I've been keeping a journal for about 12 years now. I started back during my first year of teaching when our 8th grade team started studying "The Diary of Anne Frank". I had a blank journal that I had picked up somewhere and started putting my thoughts in it. I'm a history teacher and I thought it might be useful for some future historian to find and use as a primary source on life in America in the late 20th century. I guess I'll have them sealed up for someone to find in a hundred years or so.

Now, here I am on the internet. They tell me this is where I need to be. Hopefully I'll learn how to use this to its fullest potential.
I'm taking a grad school class right now (on-line) and its all about educational leadership and technology. "They" tell me that this is how kids learn and communicate these days. I guess I've been putting it off, but I"m going to give this an honest try.

This blog will be about me and what I'm doing, things I'm interested in at the moment, and whatever else I want. I guess it will take the place of my journal. I never put anything too secret or personal in there anyway, nothing that couldn't go here as well.

I'll link other things here as well. I'll have to figure out how to do that, but I think I'll be able to manage.