The Professor

7 Minutes and 39 Seconds Per Mile Pace Today

Published March 15, 2009 Running , spring break 5 Comments

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It was a great race! I met a few teachers while standing around during the post-race festivities. My training was good as I posted a pretty good time. Though I can improve on what I did, I am not frustrated; the volunteers were great and the runners who traveled from all over the country were extremely polite. I will say that the Little Rock course was brutal. The hills were long and very steep. Below are a few pictures of the race:

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Above: Celebrating at Pizza D Action after the race in my LR Marathon shirt. I have a nice collection of these. Oh, it is not a real cigar.

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Pizza D Action is one of the more Bohemian spots in Little Rock; it is a popular place for students and those who like to socialize with strangers after a long day of work and/or study; it is not a place where academic types spend their time discussing Proust or Faulkner as found at the Onion Creek in Houston. Still, it is a progressive minded place. And, their pizzas and wings are the best.

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Above: Janette displaying her medal while finishing a post-race snack

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Above: In the lobby during post-race activities sporting my medal

I plugged my results into a formula that breaks down my running economy. I am convinced I might have had a faster time on an easier course, but I do know that I must add more miles and speed work into my training. I am pulling 50 miles per week now; I am seriously thinking about adding 15 more miles as well as conducting two runs per day 2 - 3 times per week.

Below is a breakdown of my race performance. I covered 13.1 miles at a per mile pace of 7 minutes and 39 seconds; I finished in the top ten in my age category, and 134 out of 2,600 runners of the 13.1 event. Here is my race analysis. As you can see, my marathon prediction time is still 15 minutes off of a Boston Q time.

Based on a half marathon race at 01:40:25, your projected finish times for the following distances should be:

1500m         6:06
the mile    6:34
3000m(3k)    12:43
3200m(about 2 miles) 13:37
5000m(5k)    21:51
8000m(8k)    35:57
5 miles           36:10
10,000m(10k) 45:33
ten miles       1:15:25
a half marathon 1:40:25
a marathon    3:29:22

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Above: Spectators move about to position themselves for the start of the event.

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Above: Janette visits with race official minutes before the gun starts the event.

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Above: Athletes wonder around the River Market

Spring Break: Running, Politics, and Little Rock Day 1

Published March 14, 2009 Arkansas , Bill Clinton , CAC , Running , spring break 2 Comments

The Little Rock half-Marathon is how I am kicking off my spring break; I will be very busy finishing a paper and preparing for a seminar upon my return next week to Houston. And, I still need to complete a project I hope to present to my department chair regarding our curriculum; however, for now, I am looking to have a great race and set a new half-marathon PR; I ran the LR Marathon six years ago but must say it has grown a great deal since. Assuming I can make it work with my teaching schedule next month, I plan to run the Country Music Marathon in Nashville next month.

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Above: 1/2 Marathon Route

Starting my spring break off by running in my favorite city is a joy; after graduate school I accepted a teaching appointment here at a k-12 private day school. During my four years at Little Rock’s CAC, I taught a number of courses in the history department while serving as head coach for both the men’s and women’s tennis and cross country teams. It was not unusual for me to go on a training run in the AM with my best runners, while conducting my own runs in the afternoon; I would often log some 70 - 90 miles per week. But, such training came at a number of costs; it was normal for me to limp around injured and upset by my lack of discipline. In 2005, I even put on 50 lbs due to burnout and injury. Those days are clearly behind me as I predict a number of great runs over the course of six months; I even think I have a chance to qualify for Boston. Of course talk is cheap. I do miss my days here in LR; I love Arkansas and long to visit when I can.

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One cannot visit Little Rock without visiting its River Market; it is here that houses a number of great bars, restaurants, coffee shops, stores, and both the Bill Clinton Museum and Presidential Library. Before picking up my race pack, I toured the museum taking note of the great stuff to purchase. I even ran into Bill Clinton as noted by the picture I took with him.

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Above: Carson and Bill talking about Monica Lewinsky

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Above: Carson on Clinton Avenue in downtown Little Rock

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Above: Runners visit various vendors during pre-race activities in the Convention Center

The Best Part of Teaching: Getting to Know Great Students

Published March 12, 2009 Great Students , Students , Teaching 7 Comments

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Above: Shelby, Zee, Carson, and Hannah

When it comes to teaching, I do have a pretty nice thing; I get to teach bright interesting students who are diverse in their thinking and activities; I get to pontificate my passion for history and ideas, while engaging in conversations about their view of my historical interpretation. I spent one afternoon last week with Dillon Sorensen at the Onion Creek talking about academic stuff and politics; I got to spend today at the Onion Creek with three of my favorite students discussing college, movies, HCHS, me, and religion. They know I am pretty flexible when it comes to engaging in an interesting conversation about an array of topics; it was my meeting with Katrina Ong this summer in which she stated that she enjoyed conversations with teachers outside of the traditional realm of campus; one learns at times a great deal about ideas and life in a laid back environment. She is right. I never say no when a student or students invite me out for a meal or coffee.

Book: God’s Harvard

Published March 11, 2009 Books , Christianity , Cultural Wars , Education 0 Comments

"God's Harvard" by Hanna Rosin (no byline / ho)

I hope to start on this work soon. I am behind on my book count since the semester started. A friend of mine who also teaches sent this book to me saying:”it is a worthy read as you reflect and write about the historical processes of schools.” He is referring to my work on race and independent schools; it does not fit the model of what I hope to achieve, but it looks like it will make for a great draw on the comparisons of nonsectarian independent schools, to that of Christian independent schools; I have not decided if I am going to look at this element. I have very little time and money to expand my research. But, I have noticed that students of denominational Christian schools tend to attend denominational Christian colleges. I do know that Patrick Henry College is very conservative.

Here is a brief review of the work:

During his time as professor of government at Patrick Henry College, an evangelical institution in northern Virginia, Robert Stacey frequently urged his students “to read widely and critically, and to question all received wisdom.” Which, considering the inherent mission of any evangelical school, may come as a surprise. But for the students at Patrick Henry, Stacey’s exhortation inspired reverence. Read the rest here…

More Issues Over AP Courses

Published March 10, 2009 Advanced Placement , Courses 5 Comments

The Advanced Placement debate continues on campuses across the nation. The dichotomy that exists between college and upper school faculty appears to be clearly defined: college instructors teach specialized courses to students in a less democratized fashion; students who apply to attend a college or university are supposed to be the best and the brightest from their high schools.

Colleges complain that students arrive unprepared to do college level work, but it appears to be the colleges that are paradoxically prohibiting such student advancement. Over the past five years, a number of colleges have shifted their Advanced Placement acceptance score requirement closer to a 5 (scale 1 - 5). There are two possible reasons for this:

1. Colleges and universities are feeling the financial constraints of having too many of their students advance out of freshman and sophomore level survey courses.
2. Colleges and universities do not trust the type of AP education their perspective students received during their upper school years.

It is point two that has created some of the tension between upper schools and colleges. In a recent comparability study, the empirical findings noted that students who took AP courses outperformed students enrolled in the same course on a college campus. Last year while attending a conference on education and AP, one presenter noted from her research findings that college faculty members believe their courses are superior to that of the upper school courses; on the flip side, upper school teachers believe their courses are more advanced, more rigorous, and more complex.

Here is an article published by Inside Higher Education:

Number of Advanced Placement Tests by Financial Aid Categories (2004-08 combined) at Tufts

	No Aid	Low/Medium Aid	High Aid
Number of Students	2,342	643	778
Average # of Test Scores Submitted	5.67	5.68	5.44
Average # of Credits Received	3.55	3.58	3.17

Source: Tufts University Education Policy Committee

The number of Advanced Placement credits granted by Tufts University has jumped 32 percent in the last five years. During the same period, the percentage of submitted tests with the maximum score of five has grown by almost 26 percent. To some, this suggests the university is enrolling brighter students. To others, these figures show the potential for AP credits to diminish the value of college degrees.

Last week, Tufts’ Education Policy Committee — a group made up of students, faculty and administrators — recommended that the university limit the number of pre-matriculation credits that students can count toward graduation and restrict the use of these credits to fulfill entire distribution requirements. At Tufts, an average full-time course — typically counted as three credits at most institutions — is counted as one credit. The proposal would limit the number of pre-matriculation credits that a student could count toward graduation to five. As the average Tufts student enrolls with about three AP credits, though some enroll with five or more, the proposal is most likely to affect the large number of students who use their AP credits to place out of entire distribution requirements.

James G. Ennis, chair of the committee and sociology professor, said that the past year has seen much debate among the faculty about the transfer value of AP credits. He said many faculty members have questioned whether the substance of an AP test can truly replicate the value of face-to-face coursework at Tufts. Therefore, the committee has also asked that each of the university’s academic departments reevaluate the tests and scores it deems appropriate for the granting of college credit.

“If you read the recent College Board report, the phrase ‘college-level work’ is repeated over and over again like a mantra,” Ennis said. “What college? What level of college? Colleges aren’t all one thing. The idea that there is this easy-to-ascertain method of determining college-level work for all colleges in the United States is questionable. If it were up to me, I’d set [the proposed limit of credits] lower than five.”

Some students, however, find the proposal’s limit of pre-matriculation credits to five somewhat arbitrary and argue that the required AP test scores to earn credit should instead be increased for all disciplines.

“I felt the message this proposal sends is different from the one Tufts should be sending,” said Duncan Pickard, Tufts Community Union president and a junior history major. “What’s the difference between the fifth AP credit I receive and the sixth one? Instead, I think the focus should remain on limiting the allowable score to earn credit. This would make a statement about the academic quality we expect of a student.”

Though Ennis admitted that the limit of pre-matriculation credit to five is arbitrary, he noted it was “arbitrary in the way that a 90 percent is an A” and that Tufts’ “graduation requirement is 34 credits.” He noted that initial ideas to raise the AP score thresholds for earning credit across all disciplines were shot down by the committee.

“That presumes a five is a five is a five,” Ennis said of the test’s maximum score. “It presumes department aren’t in the best place to ascertain what signal is best relative to their discipline. It begs the question whether these scores are worth dealing with in the first place. Is five the god signal of academic quality, or is a four in calculus equivalent to a five in world history?”

The committee’s proposal also echoes some of the recent results of the College Board’s annual report - which noted that participation in AP tests was up across the board, but that were still gaps for certain racial and ethnic minorities. Instead of dividing up its AP-taking students by racial or ethnic groups, the proposal divided these students by the amount of aid they received from the institution.

Considering this data, Ennis said the committee accepted that there was “a modest socio-economic skew” to the AP credits awarded by the institution and noted that there was not “a level playing field as to who has access” to these tests.

Compared to some of its self-selected peer institutions, he noted, Tufts’s proposed restriction of AP credits would still be relatively generous. Boston College and Williams College, for example, do not allow any AP credits to be used to reduce the number of courses required for graduation. Williams made this change last year. Other institutions with which Tufts compares itself cap the number of AP credits that can be awarded. For example, Wesleyan University allows students to count two courses toward graduation from AP credit, Washington University in St. Louis allows for five courses and Wellesley College allows for eight courses.

Ennis said he would like to see the university eventually wean itself completely off of counting AP credits toward graduation, noting that he did not think that the credits were comparable to college-earned credit. Still, he added that any changes to this policy would best be implemented slowly and that he was willing to reach a “reasonable compromise” in the meantime.

Many students, however, see the committee’s proposal to limit AP credits as placing an undue burden on them in already tough financial times. Last week, the Tufts Community Union Senate — the student government body — formally recommended that the university not make these suggested changes. The student resolution argued that changes to the AP credit policy would place a strain on already “high-demand introductory-level courses.” Noting that the current cost of an AP test is $86 and that a full semester at Tufts costs $25,700 — five-and-a-half credits at $4,672 per credit — it also argued that many students use AP credits to graduate early and thereby save money.

“Being able to graduate early with AP credits means saving money for a lot of students at Tufts,” said Scott Silverman, Tufts Community Union vice president and a junior biology major. “One of our primary concerns is that this could become a financial burden, changing the way students are forced to pay for education.”

Although Ennis said these changes might affect the “very small number” of students who attempt to accelerate their graduation by a full year, he pointed out that it might not affect those students who attempt to accelerate their graduation by a semester - or five credits, the proposed limit on AP courses.

Tufts undergraduate faculty will vote on the proposal later this month at their next meeting. Students and professors on both sides of this issue said they expect the measure to pass.

On African-American History by David White

Published March 7, 2009 Black People , Courses , Diversity , History 3 Comments

David White is the history chairman at Kaufman High School in Kaufman, Texas. I have known David for what seems like forever; we have attended conferences together and have exchanged ideas related to the teaching of history over the course of this time. He also maintains a blog here. David is a wonderful colleague and a better friend.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Above: Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Recently TIME Magazine invited Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. to participate in TIME’s weekly feature “10 Questions.” Each week “10 Questions” allows readers to submit questions to various well known personalities.

The entire article can be found here…

I’ve admired Henry Louis Gates Jr. for a long time. As one of America’s most noted scholars on African-American studies I’ve always appreciated his thorough academic approach to dealing with the problems of race relations in America.

That is why I was a bit surprised by some of his answers to TIME’s 10 Questions. One reader posed the following question…
Is African-American history taught enough in our schools? David Veigel, VIRGINIA BEACH

Gates: No. African-American history is generally taught only in Black History Month, which is February, the coldest, darkest, shortest month. It’s like the month that was left over, they gave to black people. I’m a big advocate of teaching history in our public schools on a multicultural level.

While I agree that that African-American history should be taught throughout the year and on a multicultural level I was astounded by his inference that Black History Month was assigned to the month of February out of spite by the white establishment since it is the “coldest, darkest, shortest month.” Gates is a brilliant man which is why I am shocked by the ignorance of his statement that February was assigned Black History Month because it was “the month that was left over.”
Black History Month was borne from Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson’s attempt to rectify the neglect of African American history in American academia. Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson, the second African-American after W.E.B. Du Bois to earn a PhD in history from Harvard University, established the second week of February as Negro History Week to help bring African American studies to the American educational consciousness. He deliberately chose the second week of February to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass which fall during that week. In 1976 Negro History Week was expanded to Black History Month and assigned to February out of respect for both Lincoln and Douglass’s birthday and Woodson’s inspired assignation. It is widely believed that Woodson himself hoped that someday the week would be eliminated as African-American History became fully integrated into American historical studies.
Ironically, Gates detailed the history of African History Month with Cornel West in their scholarly work, The African American Century. There are very few people, if any, with a greater grasp of African American history than Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. That’s what makes his comments so difficult to fathom. These types of comments are intellectually dangerous because they only serve to stoke the fires of ignorance regarding the history of race relationships in America and the place of African American studies in the American Academy.
These fires regarding the place of African American history still persist. This past year I was serving on the committee that determines our school district’s calendar. One high level administrator was hell-bent on assigning President’s Day as a student holiday despite the fact that my district had never honored that holiday in the ten-years I had served there. I had no issue celebrating President’s Day however the justification he gave was deplorable at best and racist at worst. His argument, a time-tested one in East Texas, was that if Martin Luther King Jr. gets a day then we better darn well celebrate Lincoln and Washington in February.
Another one of the featured questions presented to Gates and his answer in the TIME feature involved this exchange…

Is it right for African Americans to use the N word? Pitufo Geiger BAGUIO CITY, PHILIPPINES

Gates: I was raised hearing black people using the N word, and I don’t find it offensive at all. I do find it offensive when a nonblack person uses it. The use of the “N word” has been debated and discussed in many forums including this blog so I don’t want to belabor the point except to say that Gates’ argument violates every principle of Aristotilean logic. A word as offensive as the N word is as offensive in a black context as it is in a white context. Granted, I write this as a white male and in pragmatic terms it may make sense that my use of the word seems more heinous than its use by an African-American. But I personally believe that any word that demeans any person of any color demeans the entire human race regardless of context.
I believe Gates, who has done so much for the advancement of African American studies, did a great disservice with his recent 10 Questions. My hope is that this man who I greatly admire was taken out of context. Perhaps the mood of the interview was satirical and jocular in tone. However I believe his comments only add fuel to the fire for those looking to perpetuate any attempt to eliminate multi-cultural studies in the United States. Fortunately there is a great possibility that those who do perpetuate racial hatred in America never would likely read an article in TIME magazine in the first place.

I love History

Published March 5, 2009 Academic Life , History 17 Comments

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Above: Picture by student Shelby See. My t-shirt was given to me as a gift by student Nico Zulli.

While reflecting on the nature of my calling (it is not a job - yet), I read a book by Donald Kennedy called Academic Duty. In chapter ten of this work, Kennedy makes a nice analogy to the process of doing academic work. Here is the anecdote: “Three baseball umpires are in a bar engaged in a tipsy reminiscence about how good they were. ‘I called ‘em as I saw ‘em,’ the first one says. The second, after a brief pause, tops it: ‘I called ‘em as they were.’ The third umpire reflects for a while, takes another pull on his Scotch, and says firmly, ‘They weren’t nothing ’till I called em.’ What makes this anecdotal tale so great is the fact that it is so true, especially when studying history. Better yet, it is true in everyday life. I hope that my students will understand that the study of history is a complex element that is constantly changing. Some might say that history is the past thus it cannot change; however, I like to ask students the question of whose history are we discussing and who is telling the account? In a similar fashion to what the umpires addressed above, we all see and study events from various different views. Some of us like to write history as we have come to see it. Others have and will write history the way it is, which is difficult to define. And the rest of us will turn seemingly nothing into history.

Those students who have been a part of my classes know that history is a complex process that must constantly be revisited. I like to teach that America was not founded by those who sought to establish their own religious freedom, but by those who wanted the same thing they were fleeing: conformity, power, and wealth. If this type of historiography sounds a bit Marxist, it is not. Of course David Horowitz, the conservative writer, would disagree. History should be taught from multiple POVs. In doing so, students must understand that history is not always a pretty picture. If by studying history one starts to feel uncomfortable - good, he/she probably learned something new.

The History Excursion by Suzan Phenicie

Published March 2, 2009 Academic Life , History Department , Houston Christian High School , Independent Schools , Travel 7 Comments

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Above: HCHS history department dinning in downtown Boston at the home of the Iron Chef after a campus visit to Phillip’s Academy.

Suzan Phenicie teaches in the department of history and social science at Houston Christian; she currently teaches Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics as well as Economics. Phenicie adds a bit of the humorous and collegial side to our most recent travels in this post. Fellow colleagues Kevin Sivils and Casey Bourland made a few minor contributions to this post as well. I will run a fianl post by Keveil Sivils on our travels. Kevin discusses our visit to the Brooklyn-Friends School.

It all started on Tuesday evening at Bush Intercontinental Airport. The Houston Christian History Department embarked upon an adventure to New England. As usual, Carson was on the phone and Kevin Sivils wore his typical scowl. Phenicie was the last to arrive because she hit her car once again on the pylon at the Park-N-Fly. With boarding passes in hand, we all boarded the plane for NYC.

While traveling we learned as much about each other as we did about the various schools. The first thing we learned was that Gabe was a funny man. Just note, he was fully equipped to be a New York City Cab Driver. If you want to know what I mean, just ask him. He also did a wonderful impersonation of Eddie Carson; he just needs a phone as a prop.

As a matter of fact, laughter became our biggest cure. One of the challenges that required a humorous retort was when Enterprise Rentals failed to mention that we could not drop our car off in Boston. This left us stranded at 7pm in Port Jefferson, NY without a car. Because the ferry left at 8pm, we had to trouble shoot quickly. Needless to say, beggars cannot be choosey. Avis found one car for us, albeit large, we still became very comfy as we crammed all of our luggage and bodies into a Mercury Marquis, known later as the roaster. Metty, Phenicie, and Sivils crammed in the front, while Carson, Malouf, and Bourland squished into the back. It was a tight fit; it was as entertaining as a clown car — especially when we piled out in front of the Hilton in Boston. But we learned to live with the situation. Once again, Malouf cracked a myriad of jokes while Phenice interpreted scenes from Talladega Nights. Just a quick FYI, do not talk too loud in Bourland’s ears when she is tired. And, do not let Metty hold Bourland’s coffee while she is driving. Other than that, we all became united in our mission.

With all of the funny incidents, trials and misfortunes, we learned that we are a unique group of people with complimentary ideals. Do we all agree? Just ask Phenicie and Carson. But, we had fun? The history department was linked with a fortuitous spirit. We all love our students, we all love the challenge of teaching the relevance of the past, today and tomorrow, and most of all, and we all love each other. If you want to know more about the travels of HCHS- -just ask; I am sure any of the history teachers can relay the story with their own unique perspective. Be sure to see the pictures of our less academic endeavors and the perspectives of Sivils, Bourland and Carson below.
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Above: Bourland, Carson, and Metoyer visiting Harvard Square before meeting with an alum and current Harvard Student
Kevin Sivils Unique Outlook:

Trapped together in a single room at night, Malouf was forced to serve as mediator as Carson and Sivils worked to solve the world’s problems, each attacking the problem from their divergent and opposite worldviews. Malouf, interjecting both humor and alternative views, was able to ensure that peace was kept among the problem-solving panel of two.

Having solved the world’s political and economic problems, Carson and Sivils moved on to even more serious issues, much to Malouf’s relief, as the odd couple debated the merits of each of the NCAA men’s basketball teams on the bubble for the coming March Madness. Other equally serious issues debated concerned the merits of impending NBA trades, NHL trades, the NFL combine, and the Lucky Dog rule in NASCAR (the debate on this rule is as serious as the issue of the DH in MLB).

The fearless trio of males ventured out into the streets of Boston in search of much needed Italian food. Traveling the Freedom Trail through the markets of Boston, the trio entered an old Italian pizza restaurant where they were quickly adopted as family, being the only customer’s present, and lovingly referred to as “dear.” The trio finished their dinner with the owner’s large German Shepherd watching Carson intently.

Casey Bourland’s Addendum to Sivils:

The women enjoyed cozy conversations each night regarding the delightful accommodations. Solving the world’s problems came to halt as we were forced to creatively solve the “issues” in our own trip. If you have read the previous perspective you will understand why.

Departmental travels — Kingswood-Oxford School (KO) & Phillips Academy (PA)

Published March 1, 2009 Academic Life , History Department , Houston Christian High School , Independent Schools , Teaching , Travel 8 Comments

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Above: Carson and HCHS members with KO’s history chair Anne Serow in the faculty lounge

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Above: The history department building (house) at KO

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Above: HCHS members joined by Emma Frey and Peter Drench outside the academic building that houses the history department

After our initial visits to the Calhoun and Brooklyn-Friends School, my fellow colleagues and I spent Thursday on the very spacious campus of the Kingwoods-Oxford (KO) School, and the following day at Phillips Academy (PA). The first thing noticed upon our arrival to KO was its campus. Although a day school, KO felt like a boarding school. I suspect much of this had to do with the amount of down time between classes for both faculty and students. This was one of the more noted things about our visit to KO and PA; students did not feel rushed, and faculty members were comfortable in their transition from class meeting to class meeting. The function and highly utilized faculty lounge for teachers at KO and PA played a role in this feeling, as well as a strong sense of community. Students took advantage of the student center and the multiple student lounges.

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Above: Student Center & Dinning Hall at KO

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Above: Temporary dinning hall at PA. Their new one is set to open soon.

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Above: Sivils, Malouf, and Phenicie

The faculty at both KO and PA were much like the ones I met at the Calhoun School; they were energetic, passionate, academic, scholarly, and just plain old nice. Both schools stressed an emphasis on student motivation, hence the level of engagement coupled with their academic prowess proved to be highly stimulating. We found the curriculum of both KO and PA to be very challenging. PA’s history teacher, Emma Frey, stated that the academic work for students is quite rigorous because of the amount of weight and accountability placed on their shoulders. Moreover, students’ expectations of themselves and their peers promoted a high level of academic pressure to engage in class activities and discussions. Why? Because as one student noted: We are supposed to be the brightest.

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Above: Meeting in the faculty lounge at KO. It was here that we discussed the academic culture of the department. HCHS department chair Christine Metoyer conversing with KO’s members about the function of technology and faculty autonomy

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Above: On of the student lounges at KO; I love the picture of Martin Luther King Jr. framed.

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Above: Kevin Sivils observing PA’s history department’s lounge and faculty offices and library. I was impressed with the types of journals and academic news letters on the conference table.

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Above: Carson in front of PA’s Oliver Wendell Holmes’ Library

In the end, we were thoroughly impressed with the unpretentious nature of all four schools we visited. New England Schools have been amply misrepresented by Hollywood; I have visited a few of the nation’s most prestigious schools while working on my research about race and independent schools. You can read about that here. Kevin Sivils will draft a post on the Brooklyn-Friends School with some reflection, and Suzan Phenicie has drafted a post on our overall experience as well. I am looking forward to meeting a few teachers I met at future conferences, such as Emma Frey - a dynamic teacher and scholar at Andover. I hope to chat with her again this summer at the World History Association Conference in Salem, Massachusetts.

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Left: A classroom/office of the KO history department. love the pictures of Malcolm X and MLK Jr. I found the schools we visited to place a high value on diversity.

Below: As you drive down the main street of Andover, this is what you see as you enter its campus.

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Departmental Travels - The Calhoun School

Published February 26, 2009 Academic Life , Darwinism , Education , History Department , Houston Christian High School , Independent Schools , Teaching , Travel 3 Comments

(Sorry that the comments here got deleted. I had little choice)

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Above: Carson with Calhoun’s history chair Michal Hershkovitz

The Calhoun School is an interesting model demonstrating an exercise in social analysis vis-à-vis Dewey ism, and a sense of intellectualism; it is a progressive academic culture. This past Wednesday Christine Metoyer (department head), Casey Bourland, and I spent the day visiting the Calhoun School, while the rest of the department spent the day at the Brooklyn-Friends School. We all concluded that the Calhoun School is a very special place - for both students and faculty. There is a clear sense of warmth here. As we entered the foyer, we noticed the healthy and vibrant entrance that was unpretentious and very welcoming. Kirk Smothers, the Upper School Director and member of the history and social science department, greeted us with a gracious introduction before escorting us to the student center for coffee and tea.

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Above: Class Meetings. Typical class size is 4 - 15 in order to promote a seminar style gathering. Classes are not allowed to be any larger.

Afterwards, we met at a conference table to discuss the history of the Calhoun School and its academic philosophy. Smothers noted that the school’s elite culture is a bit hidden by the inclusive and progressive nature of its campus; he compared the upper-class community to that of Greenwich Village, an artsy academic community with a liberal bohemian structure. It is very clear that the driving force behind Calhoun’s history department is one shaped by an independent voice. One sees this through the school’s celebration and cake commemorating Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday. im000587

Above: Students relaxing in the academic halls of Calhoun’s urban campus. Students represent a vast range of diverse groups. All of the schools we visited have made a commitment to sending students and teachers to the People of Color Conference held by NAIS.

Calhoun’s teachers promote a student voice that is easily heard throughout the campus. It is clear that the great strength of Calhoun is found in its faculty. They are dynamic, academic, scholarly, interesting, and excellent teachers. Due to this description of its faculty, students easily gravitate towards them. Because of Calhoun’s progressive culture and sense of individuality, it has elected not to offer Advanced Placement courses. They do not believe such a prescribed curriculum assesses well. Thus all of their courses are advanced.

I found their system of marking to be of great interest; they give very few grades. Better yet, Calhoun instructors are expected to write a short narrative on the performance of each student. Though they do assign marks, it is secondary in their rigorous process. I have elected to avoid a comparison of my campus to the Calhoun School, but my colleagues and I have noted things we at HCHS do very well after visiting this upper tier independent school. Furthermore, we were observing a number of things we would like to see HCHS contemplate. I really like their focus on leadership. Decisions are made more by faculty members and faculty/student committees, rather than by boards or educational trends. This is not a fast rule of course.

I do like their advisory system; we have something similar at HCHS; it is our mentor program; however, our focus is more on spiritual mentoring and less on academic mentoring. So far, both the Calhoun and Kingwood-Oxford School have allowed us to see a great model for mentoring students in a more social and academic way. You can read about HCHS mentor program here, and the Calhoun School’s program here - as well as Kingwood-Oxford here.

I will draft a post on our visit to Kingwood-Oxford School on Thursday, and Phillips Andover Academy today.

Day I of Departmental Travel

Published February 25, 2009 Academic Life , History Department , Houston Christian High School , Independent Schools , Travel 5 Comments

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Above: Carson, Sivils, Malouf, Malouf, Metoyer, Phenicie, and Bourland upon our arrival to New York.

We left Houston for New York City yesterday afternoon. We will spend the week visiting a number of history departments at various New York and New England day and boarding schools; I will post a few thoughts regarding our trip here at The Professors.

Houston Christian’s head of school and the board approved departmental travels for each department to visit other independent schools throughout the country. Purpose: To learn what they do well and what makes them elite at what they do. It is exciting to see that we are continuing to move in an academic direction of distinction. I honestly believe we are on the brink of being one of the more notable schools. Although I am clearly biased here, I do believe the most important quality of academic greatness is having a dynamic faculty. Elite faculty members make a school better.

Here are the two campuses we are visiting today:

Brooklyn Friends-NY

Est: 1867

Grades:PreK - 12

Student/Faculty Ratio: 7:1

Size: 640

Tuition: $28,000

Programs:IB,

SAT/ACT:

AP:

Accreditations: NAIS,NY Assoc of Independent Schools,

Misc: 1/3 on tuition assistance grants, similar core values, Leadership, Oversees Travel

History Specific: 9^th World, 10^th US, 11^th/12^th electives including Psychology, Art, Euro, China, Rome, Global, Equal Rights, Holocaust

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Calhoun School-NY

Est: ca. 1904

Grades:PreK-12

Student/Faculty Ratio: 10-15 in class

Size: 740

Tuition: $33,000

Programs:

SAT/ACT:

AP:

Accreditations: NYSAIS

Misc: Oversees Travel, Community Service

History Specific: 9^th/10^th World, 11^th US, 12^th electives including psychology, constitutional law, Atlantic history, globalization, US foreign policy from 1799, Modern middle east, Latin America,

Poor Practices in Institutional Hiring

Published February 23, 2009 Employment , Independent Schools , Interviews , Tenure 16 Comments

I have long noted that institutions that practice academic incest and inbreeding do their students the greatest disservice. Not only does it allow for a sense of anti-intellectualism and closed mindedness, but it also stunts an institution’s growth. Schools that continue to hire only those that attended its institution or have some type of close tie cannot fully offer a true education to its community; I have found this to be the case among a number of baptist and church of Christ schools — secondary and college. Furthermore, one must wonder whether or not such institutions have any desire to become a top tier school. I must say I have become weary of religious schools that ask applicants questions in ways I deem quasi discriminatory. For example, there is a school in the Nashville area that asks the following questions on its application:

Have you traveled abroad?
Do you consume alcohol or smoke?
If you are single, please list the name of the last person you had a close relationship with?
Are you divorced?

There is no way I would be a part of any institution that asked the above questions. Furthermore, I have stated before that I will never have anything to do with institutions that believe one must be of the same religious sect or attend that school’s “church” in order to obtain employment. I love the religious diversity HCHS offers.

Below, read the employment statement found on Bob Jones University’s employment page. Pretty scary.

Disclaimer: The jobs posted here are open to individuals who have previous ties to Bob Jones University whether they be educational, familial, churches with a history of BJU interests, etc. –only those who have such relationships or other ties that the University would consider to be in alignment with our charter, creed, mission statement, and general policies.

Bob Jones University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, national origin, protected disability, marital status or veteran status.

San Antonio Conference

Published February 22, 2009 Academic Life , Advanced Placement , European Art , History , Teaching 1 Comment

I attended the San Antonio two-day Advanced Placement history and social science conference this weekend; it was a great meeting with a number of great teachers that turned out. I presented three sessions at this conference in which I witnessed great attendance in my sessions. Teachers were great during Q & A. I want belabor all of the details of each session, but I did list the titles below, as well as a discussion of session one. My Houston Christian students do get the benefit of my outside work. Much of what I write and research is a mere reflection of my teaching; it is a statement of what we do in the classroom — my kingdom. I am lucky!

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Above: Close friends and colleagues: Eugene Chase, Barbra Ozuna, Marsha Gray, and Carson. We tend to always cross paths at conferences. When we do, there is usually time to chat over a nice dinner. Ozuna has become a great friend to me over the past few years. Last summer while at TCU for a conference, she treated me to dinner in return for me treating her to the Onion Creek.

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Above: My friend and colleague Jim Brown who has written for The Professor and who teaches in Houston at the Second Baptist School.

Jim is teaching our (HCHS) World History course during summer session. He will do a great job. His wife teaches in our math department.

Session One: Looking at the French Revolution and the Thirty Years’ War as Shapers of Modern European History

Session Two: The Transatlantic and Its Impact on the AP European History Course

Session Three: Review of the 2008 European History Exam

During session One, I started the session off by showing a slide of Europe circa 1648. I asked members of the audience to share their thoughts on how we have approached the teaching and scholarship of the Thirty Years’ war in our classes. We engaged in what I thought was a productive conversation on the conceptualization of the periodization ca. 1450 to 1648. As you can see from the map below, the concept of borders and national identity were paramount in the structural organization of Europe; still we failed to fully launch into a conversation about the nature of Europe and Europeans’ understanding of identity. However, this concept allowed me to address one of the major premises of my talk: Identity and change.

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Some historians like to teach the Thirty Years’ War as the point in which Europe gave rise to nationalism; hence Europe’s states formulated thus marking the dawn of the nation-state. As I mentioned in my presentation, I cannot nor do I teach this in my European history course. I noted in my talk the emergence of the following due to the Thirty Years’ War:

* Concept of sovereignty
* Establishment of international relations, hence international law
* Actors shared the same legal responsibilities
* Creation of rules and hierarchy for all actors to model
* Negotiate treaties and settle disputes

Furthermore, I spoke on how this transitional point showcased Europe’s sense of change from its traditional past to the dawn of a new age. Technology best represented the change. With the Ottomans siege of Constantinople circa 1453, Europe’s feudal past was clearly in jeopardy of sustaining its place amongst political and military conflict. Feudal lords were forced to rethink modern conflict with the use of cannons and munitions.

Below is a slide of a castle noting its ineffectiveness with the changes that were taking place during the Thirty Years War.

Neuplatz

Guns also marked a change in conflict; however, many soldiers who belonged to a professional guard opted the use of feudal techniques because guns often jammed.

I spoke about the impact of the Thirty Years’ War on agrarian society - particularly peasants who were bound by the land. The change in conflict also marked a change in social structure. Many peasants watched their fields and villages turn into a wasteland. A concept often missed in the European history survey course is that of push migration during the Thirty Years’ War. Due to the devastation of fields, many peasants migrated to nearby cities in search of breaking from their bonds of serfdom. Enclosure also contributed to migrational trends after the conflict; yet, as one teacher noted during my presentation, we cannot forget about the impact of religion and its impact on demographical trends. The number of peasants killed by professional troops and feudal lords further notes the conflict of change as seen in the Thirty Years’ War. People often link the French Revolution as a mark in which we teach that Europe underwent a change in its Feudal development, but it was really that of the Thirty Years’ War. I used this concept to discuss both Marxist and Revisionist views of the French Revolution. Moreover, as I discuss in my classes with my students, the French Revolution was less a conflict of class conflict as noted by Marxist scholars, and one of fluid change in which the 2nd and 3rd estates (middle class) wanted a break from tradition in order to expand their wealth. I have used this concept to expand upon the importance of the Atlantic in my Atlantic Market Thesis.

Below is the Hanging Tree; it is a morbid depiction of the reality of religious, economic, and political conflict thousands of peasants faced. Roughly 40% of the German population was killed during this war.

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I did address the concept of war and religion with a particular focus on Baroque. Below is Peter Paul Reuben’s Horrors of War. In this piece, the principle figure is Mars [the god of war], who… rushes forth with shield and blood-stained sword, threatening the people with great disaster. He pays little heed to Venus, his mistress, who …strives with caresses and embraces to hold him…. On the ground, turning her back lays a woman with a broken lute, representing Harmony, which is incompatible with the discord of War…. That Grief-stricken woman, clothed in black… is the unfortunate Europe, who, for so many years now, has suffered plunder, outrage and misery, which are so injurious to everyone that it is not necessary to go detail.

Academic Life and Being Bohemian

Published February 17, 2009 Academic Life , Culture , Diversity , Ideology , Mixed Races , Political Correctness 5 Comments

BERJAYA

Academic types will tell you that it is important to find a place to belong to; it is important to have the social outlet in which one can discuss life, politics, academic work, study, read, have a drink, and meet diverse people. Vibrant communities tend to be made up of bars and coffee houses that permit various groups to socialize and interact with those of like mind, and not so like minded. A bohemian venue often time tends to attract a more educated audience from the middle class; however, its diversity often but not usually extends beyond class.

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I spend a number of hours on the weekends, at night, and after school at the Onion Creek, a diverse bar, eatery, and coffee house found in Houston’s The Heights, a historical district around the corner from downtown. Here you find groups of different races – primarily Asian, black, white, and middle eastern. Moreover, places such as the Onion Creek are usually gay/lesbian friendly, and politically leftist. Like many places of this nature, one cannot help but sit on the patio and people watch; I find much joy observing the various interracial couples that hang out here. It is easy to get lost in a conversation with a complete stranger over the day’s issue of the New York Times. But, most people that come to this particular venue do so in a group or with a partner. For me, I like any good company. I love having lunch or coffee here with a favorite student. Yes, I do have favorites.

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Above: Carson post hours at the Onion Creek

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Above: Outside patio of the Onion Creek

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Above: Cool setting and interesting people make this place ideal after work.

On Campus with Carson Part II

Published February 16, 2009 Campus Life , Houston Christian High School 5 Comments

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Above: This is today; ignore the date. Do not worry about the few files hidden under the desk. That is our secret.

Below: That was yesterday.

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Teaching Great Students Part VI

Published February 15, 2009 Great Students , Houston Christian High School , Students 3 Comments

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I hope to introduce a few of my students this week; I have had a number of them write articles for this blog before. I interviewed a current student who is doing great research on the Ottomans. I will bring that interview to you later this week. For now, admire these cool guys above. They make me feel short for some reason.

Here at Houston Christin we have a program in which students are grouped with a [quote] mentor teacher; the concept is that I and those with me will get to develop a closer relationship outside of the halls of the school; I could do a better job here. I am hoping that we will take a moment from time to time to get a cup of coffee or as we did a few days ago, have pizza for lunch together. Like any family, we all have very busy schedules making this gathering difficult at times. Because our campus is small enough, it is difficult for any one student to feel left out. The great thing here is that we have a dynamic group of teachers that make all students feel welcomed. That is the nice part of being a liberal arts school.

According to HCHS:

Mentoring Program

For 2008-2009 we will continue to have “Junior Mentors”, upperclassmen willing to take on a leadership role in 9th and 10th grade mentor groups. The mentoring program offers the HCHS student a small-group connection, providing an informal setting for regular sharing and discussion of life’s challenges. Mentor groups meet with a faculty advisor for monthly Mentoring Meetings, and will spend special time praying for one another during chapel and throughout the year. Mentor groups also provide a venue for leadership focus as part of the Passport to Lead Program.

Love Me “Tenure”

Published February 13, 2009 Tenure 3 Comments

Ok, I do like some of Elvis Presley’s music; I thought this picture was somewhat appropriate for the fact that Clark Atlanta, a historically black college, has laid off a number of faculty members — tenured and non tenured alike. Education is often thought to be a safe place in today’s economy — yes this is true, unless you are in a lower tier private school or college. I suspect the issue at this historically black college is one of mismanagement and leadership. Many black colleges have become endangered species in recent years. This I find disturbing. I do have a future post on the future of black colleges.

Read here.

On Campus with Carson

Published February 12, 2009 Campus Life , Courses , Houston Christian High School 9 Comments

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I am excited that I have actually marked most of the essays in my brief case; I completed the writing of my AP European history exam which one section took yesterday, and the other will do today; I still need to finish writing my United States history take home exam. With that stated, I hope that I can get my desk cleared and a number of papers filed today; I have been reorganizing a number of files of late. And because I have elected not to visit campus the past two weekends, I have no choice but to get this done during the week. What a mess!!!!

It is not as bad as it looks.

Barack Obama: FDR or Clinton? by Alejandro Penafiel

Published February 11, 2009 Bill Clinton , Hillary Clinton , History , Ideology , Liberals , Obama 27 Comments

The following piece was written by Alejandro Penafiel, a friend and former HCHS student of mine. Alejandro is a third year student at American University in Washington D.C. Moreover, he spent his first semester of college interning for the Republican Party at its national head office working for Senator John McCain. Alejandro is one of only three students that I have taught in four different Advanced Placement courses. He has submitted articles to the Professor in the past.

As I have been watching Obama’s transition and his first few weeks in office, I have been asking myself this question and trying to decide if he has more in common FDR or Bill Clinton? I got this idea from talking to Carson about the Time cover of Obama stylized as FDR. I am sure he will be kind enough to include the photo with this post. While he has displayed much in common with both his Democratic predecessors, I think he fits much better in the Clinton mold.

What gave me the most trouble in coming to this conclusion is the fact that all three have a great deal in common. They all came after republican administrations during a time of recession and public outcry, as well as with a great deal of popularity. However, what make me tip Obama towards Bill are his centrist tendencies and his pragmatic governing philosophy. Throughout the campaign Obama has consistently shown that he is highly flexible in handling issues and crises, and thus not overly attached to strict ideology. For example, his posturing on NAFTA during the primaries and more recently, his inclusion of Sec. Robert Gates in the new cabinet both show his understanding of the need to be pragmatic in order to get the results he wants. I think the strongest case can be made off his governing philosophy, but you can also see that his administration is filled with Clinton alums. Take into account that Hillary is his foreign minister, which speaks volumes on the similarity of their approach to government policy. This can also be seen with his economic policy and the rise of Larry Summers as Obama’s chief macroeconomic policy advisor. If you take a look at the press releases coming out of the White House regarding the intent and effects of the proposed stimulus package, they match up almost entirely to what Summers has said publicly. I guess the administration is a better fit than Harvard. Maybe this keeps him from talking about social issues that he is “oh so good” at doing. Obama is enacting standard counter-cyclical fiscal policy in order to fight the contraction in the economy.

It is still far too early to say anything lasting about his legacy, and it is impossible to put any two presidents in the exact same category. The only useful part of this exercise, besides the fact that it is fun to talk about, is that it helps create a frame of reference to study his presidency. While I hope he does take after Clinton, the true test will come a few years later when the time comes to apply the flip side of Keynesian fiscal policy rules. It is always much easier and popular to spend more money. The stimulus will get passed. It has to, and everyone knows it. The hard part will be to start cutting spending and moving to balance the budget as the economy begins its expansionary cycle.

My CAC Trip to Europe

Published February 9, 2009 CAC , Students 15 Comments

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Above: Carson by his Madrid communist flag from CAC’s European trip

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Above are a few of my past favorites: Alexis Stamp, Dana Huggins, Laura Richards, and Katie Short. In front of the students is Ken Roberts, head of CAC’s upper school.

During the spring term of 2003, a number of my students and colleagues took a trip to Europe while I was teaching at CAC; on this trip, the United States invaded Iraq launching protesters throughout the world, including myself. Much like a number of academics and liberals, I too opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq. I saw it as a smoke screen to deter the average American from the reality of the crisis. Moreover, I viewed it as an American attempt to display its might as a unilateral power by making a unilateral decision. Thus in many ways furthering the notion that this conflict was not ‘wholly’ about terrorism and America’s plight, but a point to the world that we are still fighting the Cold War; seeing through this smoke screen, Russia clearly became a much more aggressive actor. Putin’s might increased as he and the Russian state made note of America’s action.

In my “small” attempt at protesting America’s invasion of Iraq, I participated in a small march with the Madrid communists. Honestly, I did it so that I could blog about it six years later. They gave me a communist Madrid flag (see in top picture) to wave as I marched down the streets of Madrid displaying my anger at America’s actions. I will always recall seeing fleeing people escape angry protesters. My former colleague and dear friend Anita Davis (former CAC AP Calculus instructor) and I once had to run into a store just to survive an angry mob of protesters one night while perusing the streets of Madrid. Above you will notice a picture of me with two young ladies: One of those ladies is Amy Grooms, who was one of my favorite students; she married Jeff Grooms – who was my favorite student. I attended their wedding a couple of years ago and traveled to the University of Arkansas to watch Jeff get his degree in history; he is currently working on a PhD in European history at UA; it is a dream that we will one day work side by side on the same campus. I do suspect we will draft a few papers together in the future.