“Have To” History: Landmark Supreme Court Cases (Promo & Supplementals)

August 22, 2020June 4, 2023 ~ Blue Cereal

So I’ve written and published a book of important Supreme Court cases:

I’ve considered blogging about the process itself in hopes it might help others considering something similar, but I’m pretty sure the way I approach most things is roundabout and unnecessarily convoluted and would probably make any reasonable person want run from the room screaming. I will say this, though – it’s an amazing feeling to finally have it done. It’s also overwhelming the number of things that go wrong in the process itself and the volume of errors and problems you discover the first time your baby finally goes live – all of which can be traced back to me one way or the other.

Don’t worry, though – everything in it is fixed and practically perfect now. You should absolutely buy a few dozen copies. They make great gifts, look good on any bookshelf (at home, school, or other workplace), and they’re just the right thickness to go under unbalanced tables or chairs or give a little boost to your computer when live conferencing so your chin doesn’t look chubby.

“Have To” History: Landmark Supreme Court Cases: Stuff You Don’t Really Want To Know (But For Some Reason Have To) About The Most Important Cases In Supreme Court History (I know – catchy, isn’t it?) was a project which began largely for my own reference and classroom use. Some of the material I posted here on Blue Cereal as early drafts. I wasn’t always focused on “landmark” cases – much like with anything in history, for every thread you pull, every question you pose, every rabbit you chase, there are something like a four-hundred and eleven new threads, questions, and rabbits begging to be pulled, posed, and chased – and not always in that order. It doesn’t require you to be particularly knowledgeable or profound; it’s a simple function of focusing on, well… anything, for any real length of time.

As I tell my students, when history is “boring,” the problem isn’t the history. It’s them.

At some point I began wondering if my efforts might prove useful to other educators in their various circumstances. I’m under no illusions about my own abilities, but there’s so much out there and so little time to really dig through it; you never really know what others might find helpful. I pulled together fifteen or so cases, excerpts from the Court’s written opinions, and some questions I’d written as “scaffolding” for my less-enthusiastic classes. I added a few more for sake of completion, along with some simple graphic organizers to manage major periods with multiple related cases.

I initially posted the final product to Teachers Pay Teachers along with a dozen other items. I have mixed feelings about TPT – I’m not against it, necessarily, but I’ve always preferred to simply share whatever I have that others might find useful. Then again, none of us seem to be against getting paid for leading workshops or writing teacher books promising this year’s magical cure to all the things, so I’m not sure why there’s so much faux outrage at those willing to offer up their own labor and creations for a few bucks so they can buy grandma that penicillin.

I sold a few items, but not enough to justify how I was feeling about it. My principles may be for sale, but I’d like to think the price is a little higher than what I was making.

Plus, I gradually realized several things which should have already been obvious. First, not every class needs the same sorts of questions or guidelines, even if they are studying some of the same cases. Second, if my goal was to self-publish the final product (which over time seemed more and more likely), I was limiting its usefulness by formatting it as a “workbook” of some sort. I mean, I read all sorts of nerdy things from other subjects or fields, but I’m not sure I’d actually pay for something if I thought half of the cost was for “homework” I wasn’t going to do. Finally, I’m in a one-to-one school. I tend to assume students can easily look up any relevant information not explicitly covered in the content. That means my questions aren’t always limited to stuff from the materials I’ve provided; they regularly include relevant background info one can easily Yahoo.

In short, my constant second-guessing became a bit silly. I deleted my TPT account and decided to write something which might appeal to students, teachers, or actual people in roughly equal proportions.

I combed several sets of state standards for American History and U.S. Government, plodded through the official Course Descriptions for APUSH and AP-GOV to make sure I included every case referenced in either (whether I’d have chosen those personally or not), and revised my summaries to make them as useful as possible for both students and teachers while remaining as accessible as possible to people who simply wanted to understand a little more about what the hell was going on with this or that issue in the news today.

I’m not saying the final product is perfect, but there’s a reason it took a year longer than I’d planned. (Plus, the final product really is perfect – I was just trying to be humble.)

Because this post is serving the dual purpose of sharing supplemental goodies while working in a subtle promo for you to open a new tab and buy the book, I’ll even share the final description from the (quite stylish) back cover:

Whether you’re a student trying to fake your way through an American History or Government class, a loyal American citizen seeking constitutional context for current events, or simply trying to look smart on a budget, “Have To” History: Landmark Supreme Court Cases covers all the stuff you don’t really want to know (but for some reason have to) about 44 of the most important cases in our collective history. From midnight judges to gay marriage, internment camps to presidential shenanigans, you’ll find yourself looking more thoughtful and insightful just by leaving a few copies lying around. And if you actually read it, well… your credibility and self-confidence will soar and you’ll start decisively winning all of those arguments on social media. (Just tell them you have the book!)
Each featured case comes with historical context, the “three big things” you should remember, and an explanation of the decision and why we’re still talking about it today. Excerpts from the Court’s majority opinions are included, along with interesting bits from important concurring or dissenting opinions (so you can take in the Court’s reasoning in its own words). Additional “worth-a-look” cases are presented in compact form with brief highlights from the Court’s decision and a quick summary of the case and why it mattered. “Have To” History: Landmark Supreme Court Cases is readable and fresh and covers everything likely to be on the test.
Take that last bit as literally or metaphorically as you wish.

Once everything was finally finished and published, I started thinking that it might still be useful to a few teachers to have those questions and graphic organizers and whatnot – especially if they weren’t something they were expected to purchase. I added a few more to go with the expanded format of the book, and here we are.

I’ve attached the same materials in two different versions. The “All” file, not surprisingly, has everything in a single PDF document. The “Questions” file has just the questions over case summaries and written opinions, and the remaining attachments are the various graphic organizers from the “All” file but in higher quality PDFs of their own. There’s also a summary of how the courts work which I didn’t write but have used in class from time to time.

Do with any or all of it as you see fit – or don’t. I genuinely hope some of it’s useful. If so, I’d love to know. If you create better stuff and you’re willing to share, send it along and I’ll post it.

What’s Your Name? (This Year’s First ‘Virtual’ Assignment)

August 5, 2020June 4, 2023 ~ Blue Cereal

What’s In A Name?

In Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, Juliet laments that she cannot be with Romeo largely because of their last names. Their families are enemies and neither would ever accept the other into their homes. Standing on her balcony, unaware that he’s listening, she rejects the idea that names could be so important. Why should it matter what you’re called if you’re as awesome as Romeo – at least in Juliet’s eyes?

Still, sometimes our names do matter. It varies from century to century, family to family, and culture to culture, but sometimes your name means more than others might realize. Maybe it was given to you for a specific reason, or maybe it’s influenced how people react to you or what they assume about you. If nothing else, it usually (but not always) reflects the family into which you were born. Sometimes a major religious conversion prompts a name change. Many women still take the name of their husbands when they marry. Best friends sometimes have nicknames for each other which only they use. Couples often call one another by names that no one outside the couple can use without causing problems.

Or maybe your name is just a name and its meaning is only what you give it by being you. That’s OK, too.

The Importance of Communication

One of the primary goals of any English class is to improve our communication skills. While there are an endless number of ways humans communicate with one another, two of the most important and most universal are (a) speaking and (b) writing. We’re going to work on both this semester.

Please note that it’s never my goal to embarrass you or put you on the spot or push you to share anything you don’t wish to share. If you don’t want to say it or write it, then DON’T. I won’t be fact-checking you on anything unless there’s some specific reason I should. Our goal is to get better at communicating our own thoughts and ideas and understanding the thoughts and ideas of others. What your thoughts and ideas ARE is your business. Share them or not as you choose.

The Name Video Assignment (Due ____________)

You’re going to make a brief video (60 – 90 seconds) talking about your name and share it with me by uploading it to Student ‘Name’ Videos {linklinklink}. Your video can be as simple or as involved as you like, as long as it meets a few basic guidelines.

1) Your video should be at least 60 seconds but no longer than 90 seconds.

2) It should begin with you introducing yourself with your full name.

3) For the rest of your brief introductory video, talk about your name or some part of your name – were you named after someone? Does one or more of your names have a particular meaning? Is your name common? Rare? Often misunderstood? How does your name reflect you and/or how has having this name shaped your life a little bit? (You don’t have to cover all of this. These are just starting places and ideas. Talk about whatever you wish in conjunction with your name.)

Click Here For My Sample ‘Name Video’

The Technical Stuff (How To Make It Work)

Use Chromebooks or phones or whatever you wish.

If you’re unsure how to record video on your Chromebook, there are a few quick ‘How To’ guides posted along with this assignment on Google Classroom.

If you’re not sure how to upload your video, click the link for Student ‘Name’ Videos {linklinklink}. Then choose the ‘+ New’ near the top left of the screen, and ‘File Upload’.

If for some reason you can’t upload your video using these instructions (for example, you don’t have a working Chromebook and you’re doing all of this on another device or something), try sharing it with me some other way – email a link, etc. MAKE SURE YOU LET ME KNOW, however, so I don’t miss it and think you simply didn’t do it.

Email me with questions or problems – {email address}

This, pretty much, is my opening day assignment this year. The links will be different (the only one that actually works here is to the sample ‘name video’ – and even that will look different for students), but otherwise, this is how we’re starting off.

I borrowed this lesson from Barrett Doke, who teaches 8th Grade American History in the Houston area. We taught a series of virtual workshops together this summer, and I loved his approach to technology in the classroom, even when ‘in person’ school was still a thing back in the day. He’s done it successfully for years, although I’ve dressed it up a bit differently (anything you don’t like is probably me).

Why This?

Some of my motivation I covered in the actual directions. I won’t see my kids in person for at least nine weeks, and that’s going to make it difficult to form that there ‘rapport’ we always talk about. And honestly, while my pedagogy is fine, my strength has always been the face-to-face. Obviously, that’s out for a while.

I also believe the part about communication being an essential skill and all that. In fact, the second assignment is a short personal essay which builds on the “let’s talk about YOU” idea. Yes, it’s partly about trying to establish connection, but the ability to talk about ourselves coherently is an essential academic and professional skill. (You won’t get through many college admissions officers or job interviews if you can’t handle “so tell me about yourself a bit” decently.)

On a related front, if much of this year is going to be done long-distance, we’d better start getting comfortable using the technology – both students and teachers. If I’m going to ask them to eventually submit video summaries of what they’ve read or otherwise express themselves using this format, we’d better practice it with something easy first.

Finally, there’s an additional, somewhat awkward motivation as well. I’m an old white guy whose hearing isn’t what it used to be. I genuinely want to learn my students’ names and say them correctly, but there are more each year that I never seem to quite get comfortable with. At the same time, it feels more important than ever that I demonstrate at least that much attention and respect to those whose names are most likely to give me trouble. With this assigment, I’ll have a reference as often as I need it to exactly how they want their name pronounced – because they’re the ones saying it.

These instructions clearly take an ELA approach, but that’s not essential. When I taught American history we’d always discuss the power of names, usually in relation to slaves and slave-owners. I’m not even sure you’d need a justification for it if you’re interested. It’s your class, and you have to start somewhere.

If you want to give it a shot, all I ask is that you NOT use my sample “name video” or Barrett’s. Obviously you’d want to make your own anyway, right? Also, I’d love to hear how it goes – seriously.

Here are my instructions (pretty much the same as the first half of this post) as a Google Doc if you’d rather edit them than start from scratch. You’re also welcome to the follow up personal essay instructions. I should probably note that while I’m definitely using these this year, I haven’t yet. I honestly have no idea how it will go.

But then, that’s often the case – even with things I’ve used for years. We wouldn’t want it to get too easy or boring, would we?

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Reading in Social Studies

November 13, 2016June 4, 2023 ~ Blue Cereal

I’m a big fan of reading in social studies. I realize there are reasons we don’t do more of it, but I don’t want ‘lack of ideas’ to be one of them.

At the end of this post is a link to some content-specific lists compiled from teacher suggestions at various workshops and in my own department. I’ve read most of them along the way, but some descriptions are paraphrased from other sources. I’ve tried to stick with titles either recommended by multiple teachers or at least recommended somewhat passionately by whoever did the recommending. I’ve also tried to leave out titles not currently in print, since that would render them rather difficult to use in class.

I’m also looking for your suggestions for other titles, or comments if you’ve used any of these in class yourself – what you liked, or didn’t, thoughts for other teachers considering them, or other titles you’d use instead – and why. Don’t do it for me – do it for… *sniff* the children.

Questions about why and how and when to fit in reading to an already overcrowded schedule deserve more time and wisdom than I’m able to give them here, but that hasn’t stopped me from anything else on this site, so…

First – I teach a non-tested subject in a district which has consistently prioritized literacy for over a decade. I have my kids read because I can. I never ever judge another teacher for doing what they think is best for their kids in their classroom, but I will try to make the case for you to consider rethinking the time you’re not dedicating to reading.

OK, I might actually be judging you a little. But I assure you, I’ll do my best to hide it.

Second – In my department, every class uses at least two novels or other ‘outside books’ (i.e., non-textbooks) per semester. Most of us use three or four. If you can’t do that, do one per semester. Different teachers in the department do it different ways – some read to their kids, others have them in small groups, etc. We struggle with the right balance between supporting the reading (previewing vocab, setting the scene, etc.), holding the kids accountable for reading (quizzes or small projects), and just leaving them alone to READ without always thinking of it as one more requirement to check off the list.

But we all read. Regularly.

Third – Reading supports content. ‘Going deep’ on a few key moments, issues, or individuals provides an ‘anchor’ in students historical understanding. It makes knowledge from before, during, and after that anchor ‘stickier’ – easier to understand, easier to remember.

Fourth – Reading is good for them. It’s good for them long-term for a dozen reasons you know as well as I do. It’s good for them short-term because it helps them learn to focus and think in ways disrupted by modern conveniences and technology. I’m not anti-tech by any means, but our darlings need more practice than ever before committing to one linear task at a time. So do many of us.

Fifth – Reading has a chance of being enjoyable. I don’t want my kids to leave my class hating history for all the reasons many of my peers did years ago. History is so neato keen awesome swell strange, don’t you think? Novels increase the odds they’ll get a taste of that. Do you really think their test scores will be higher if they hate EVERYTHING they’re supposed to know, but in more detail?

Speaking of which…

Sixth – Reading increases test scores. I know, I know – we’re trying to pretend to be above such things. But how much of YOUR state test is reading comprehension? Even if it’s not, how many of your kids are missing stuff they shouldn’t miss because they can’t or won’t read the entire question, the provided excerpts, or whatever?

Seventh – Reading is good for them. I know I said this one already, but it merits repeating. I realize every state has different pressures, and every district and building and classroom different challenges, but at some point we all signed up for this gig to help kids, right? I want to make it to retirement without getting in trouble as much as anyone, but if we’re not pushing for what’s best for our kids while we’re here, maybe we should bail now and go sell shoes or something where we’ll do less damage.

There’s a discussion worth having about how to come up with books, etc. Feel free to email me if you’d like some ideas, but chances are you or those around you have a half-dozen things you could try if you decide it’s important to you. There are usually ways. That being said, I’m always happy to discuss – [email protected].

Oh – I almost forgot… THE CURRENT LIST!

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My Five Big Questions (Essential Questions in History / Social Sciences)

June 11, 2016June 4, 2023 ~ Blue Cereal

Most of us are assigned some fragment of curriculum to teach with far too little time to cover it adequately. It’s the nature of public education, perhaps even a necessary evil. I’m not sure what a class would look like that claimed in a fluid whole to cover all of known history, everywhere in the world, since we first wiggled forth from the primordial ooze.

The textbook would be huge – even without ancillaries.

We should take intentional time, however, to step back from the specifics of whatever we’re covering and make sure we’re connecting those specifics to parts of a ‘bigger picture’. Done regularly and well, this does several things:

(1) It makes history more meaningful and provides context, connecting various subjects under the ‘Social Studies’ umbrella all the way through today. Think of your favorite episodic TV show (’24’, ‘House of Cards’, ‘Game of Thrones’, etc.) Any given episode may have individual meaning and value, but that meaning and value increase dramatically if you understand the overall story arch.

(2) It makes content ‘stickier’ by giving it a place in an overall theme. Most information is much harder to retain in fragments; we can recall gigabytes of crap if it’s part of a story, a larger idea, or an album we loved in the 1970’s.

(3) It helps students see Cause & Effect, Change Over Time, and all those other ‘Big Picture’ relationships. Here I’m referring to something more specific than in the first point. For example, the desire to reform or improve society is recurring in American History. The Progressive Movement has things in common with the Age of Reform in the 1820’s and 1830’s, but also traits which were different. In some ways it led to the New Deal, in other ways FDR was dealing with very different problems.

Even a general awareness of these connections and relationships makes the specifics of each event richer and more meaningful. That in turn makes information easier to understand, recall, and apply. Any kid who’s played a ‘series’ of video games like Halo, Fallout, Assassin’s Creed, etc., can appreciate this connectivity.

Step back a bit further, and gamers easily recognize similarities and differences between these series as well. We’ve come a long way from Mario jumping on mushrooms, but there’s still almost always a ‘Big Boss’ at the end of each ‘story’ or ‘level’ who must be defeated to save whoever or whatever it is we’re saving this time.

All rock’n’roll is the same but different, as are all buildings, all chain restaurants, or all game shows. It’s all about making the connections.

So, ‘essential questions’…

There is much written on this topic, and several rather involved and grandiose schema of exactly which questions are or should be ‘Essential’. I’m not that fancy, so I’m going to share and briefly discuss the Five Big Questions I’ve used in class for years. It’s up to you to choose them, adapt them, or replace them as you see fit. I’ve also shared my favorite article on the topic on the Classroom Resources version of this post.

I keep these posted on all four walls and refer to them regularly throughout the year, whether we’re in American History, American Government, or even the strange wonderland of Oklahoma History. My personal rule is that if I don’t connect what we’re discussing to one or more of the questions, students may ask at any time which of the Five are relevant to the topic at hand. If I can’t respond and explain the connections without having to think about it, they don’t have to do it or know it.

But that’s just me.

This is one of the easiest to see in action – any time period, any topic, on any scale.

In any given family – who makes the decisions? If there’s an effort to share that responsibility, who really makes the call when there’s an impasse?

In any school – who’s really running the place? Is it the building principal? The secretary? The math department? The teachers’ union? The angriest parents? How much sway do each of them really have?

In any classroom – who’s in charge, and how in charge are they? How much power should classroom teachers have? How much should they exercise, and in what circumstances? Which less-obvious sources of power and influence are in play in some classrooms, and how can you tell?

Early American History – who’s in charge, the Colonies or England? The Federalists or the Anti-Federalists? The States or the Central Government? The Executive, the Legislative, or the Judicial – and in what mixture?

The Civil War was all about this question. Eventually it became a world issue.

In the 21st century we’re still arguing over the powers of the President vs. Congress vs. the Courts. How much power should money give you? Fame? Family name? Your religion? When is a crime or a conflict a local matter? A state issue? Time for the federal govenrnment to step in?

When Jefferson first wrote that “all men are created equal, and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,” it was widely assumed that “all men” actually meant “all wealthy, educated, white, actually born-as-males-and-still-males men.”

Over time, that definition has evolved to include those who aren’t so wealthy or aren’t so educated. After the Civil War, they no longer had to be white – although the rights on paper came much sooner than the realities in practice. Eventually they no longer had to be men – “all men” was read to mean “all of mankind.”

Most of the historical examples of this question in action are obvious – slavery, women’s rights, the Civil Rights movement, A.I.M., Japanese-American Internment Camps, etc.

But we’re still trying to figure out today who “all men” are. Many don’t believe that “all men” created by that Creator with a big ‘C’ deserve unalienable rights – although if Jefferson was correct, that may not be up to us. (The real question might be whether or not we’re regularly violating rights they unalienably have but we refuse to acknowledge – ironic, right?)

Are undocumented immigrants “all men”? To which rights should they be entitled? If we educate their kids, what are the pros and cons? What if we don’t? If we provide emergency medical care or basic health services, what are the results, good and bad? What are the results if we don’t?

Do black people deserve due process even if they’ve committed some sort of crime? Should white athletes with SO much potential be held to the same legal standards as people who can’t swim as fast?

What about same sex marriage? What about Muslims – are they “all men” endowed by their Creator with certain “unalienable rights”?

What about people who aren’t American citizens at all? Should it be OK to torture or hold without trial as long as we do it off-shore? Perhaps Jefferson meant “all men within a certain latitude and longitude”?

This one’s HUGE. We’ve argued about it a great deal and fought about it more than almost any other issue.

Americans have always had a sense of purpose or calling, something beyond a paycheck and clean water to which they aspire. But what is it, and how has it changed?

Is it about a set of ideals by which men should live – a chance to prove that a government founded on the proposition that all men are created equal can, in fact, long endure?

Is it about land and opportunity? Westward expansion? 40 Acres and a Mule?

Is it about freedom or other basic protections? Access to health care, education, or personal safety?

Is it about power? Fame? Wealth? Notoriety? Striking oil? Winning the lottery?

Maybe just a little 3-bedroom house with a dog and a white picket fence? Love? Netflix? Being the first to own the iPhone13?

Is the guy who jumps up and down behind the local reporter and waves his arms claiming his little slice of the American Dream? The people who try out on American Idol or other ‘talent competitions’? Or is it being lived out by everyone able to walk into a pretentious little coffee shop and order a $10 cup of something hot they can’t pronounce, changing at least one of the ingredients as they order just to prove they can?

This one matters because we pass a lot of laws claiming to promote the ‘American Dream’, and we devote a great deal of personal time and energy into pursuing it. Both might be more productive if we could first figure out exactly what it is.

This was an issue from the beginning. There were a number of irritants leading to the American Revolution, but the Proclamation of 1763 – “Don’t you dare go past those mountains!” – was certainly among the most important.

What about Manifest Destiny? Indian Removal? War with Mexico?

What about Imperialism? Walking softly but carrying a big stick? The Monroe Doctrine or the Roosevelt Corollary?

What about Isolationism, WWI, WWII?

What about the Cold War, and fighting communism in Korea, then Vietnam?

What about the ‘War in Terror’? How much should we be involved in the Middle East or anywhere else, fighting who and for what purposes?

How far should we go to recreate other cultures and other governments in our own image, or else?

This is one of the easiest for my kids to grasp when we’re talking literal freedom and physical security. I respectfully sugggest, however, that in reality this one is just as important socially, and economically, as it is militarily or legally.

If you have a cat or a dog, you have to decide whether to keep it safe or give it some freedom. Inside, it’s less likely to get weird diseases or get hit by a car. Outside, though, it’s able to do the kinds of stuff cats and dogs actually like to do. Even inside the house they’re not completely safe – not telling what sorts of trouble they’ll get into when you’re not home. The safest place for them is a small kennel, placed in the tub, inside a central bathroom with the door closed, 24/7. There is a small trade-off in terms of their happiness, however.

Most of my kids’ parents are trying to find this balance with their little darlings – how much freedom do they give their student to decide when or how to do homework? How to handle a problem at school? Do they have curfews? Bedtimes? Do you try to limit who their friends are? How long can they go without calling? Helicopter too much, and your kid grows up useless and either afraid or confrontational; give them too much leeway, and they might fail a class or fall in the wrong crowd. You don’t want to tell them who to fall in love with, but you’re also hoping to prevent pre-marital spawning if at all possible – probably because of your outdated and oppressive morals.

The safest place for them is a small kennel, placed in the tub, inside a central bathroom with the door closed, 24/7. You’ll want something to muffle sound so your neighbors don’t call the police, however.

Teachers wrestle with similar concerns, although along a narrower spectrum – to what extent do I let students choose what to read? Whether or not to do homework? When to turn stuff in? Too much guidance, and we kill any joy in learning; too little, and there’s no learning to begin with.

We see it easily throughout American History:

The Articles of Confederation – lots of state and local freedom / insufficient national security or coherence to hold the nation together.

The Alien & Sedition Acts – largely a political maneuver, but still asking valid questions about how far free speech and acceptance of “foreigners” should go if national security appears at risk. We’re still asking this one.

Martial Law during the Civil War. Free speech during the ‘Red Scare’ and various War Protests. And pretty much everything related to Edward Snowden and the so-called “War on Terror.”

Because if the feds can’t turn on your daughter’s laptop camera while she’s changing without a warrant and without her knowing, the terrorists have won.

But it’s equally difficult when we talk social issues. The Scarlet Letter condemned society’s judgmentalism over adultery, but does it benefit society to promote loose sexual morals? Can we both discourage single motherhood and support single mothers? Can we accomodate poor choices and bad behavior without encouraging more of the same?

There are pros and cons to sexual freedom, to legalizing drugs, to letting people eat, smoke, or drink whatever they want. Rare is the situation in which your choices simply will not impact me in the least, however personal they may be.

If I’m standing in the middle of your neighborhood street naked, pleasuring myself, I can SAY you simply shouldn’t look if you don’t like it – and I’m truly NOT hurting you or anyone else – but you could still argue that you have some right to inflict your uptight outdated morality on me for reasons beyond physical or fiscal harm. What I smoke or eat or drink shouldn’t be up to you either, but if you’re responsible for my health care or other public services, maybe you should have a voice. Domestic violence impacts all of us, as does how well you raise your child. Maybe people who wish to get married or reproduce should be required to seek community support first – after all, what they do will impact those around them dramatically for the next two decades at least, right?

It’s complicated, and if reasonable balances can be found, they’re still likely to change regularly based on societal norms and circumstances.

I’d love to know which Essential Questions you use or would consider for your class, and why. You’re welcome to them if you like them, or you can modify them as you see fit. If you don’t have ANY, however, I’d encourage you to think about trying to come up with some. After all, if there are no guiding themes for whatever you’re teaching, why exactly are we bothering to begin with?

Asking Good Questions (And You Don’t Have to Mean It)

June 6, 2016June 4, 2023 ~ Blue Cereal

One of the fundamental skills I try to teach my students is to ask good questions. And they don’t have to mean them.

I mean, it’s great if they do. If there’s something in class which catches their attention – even for a moment – by all means, they should speak up. “Why yes, Jacobie – we DID used to value ‘due process’ in this country… long, long ago.”

But even if they’re not naturally engaged, I assure them, if they’ll throw themselves into it, and FAKE their interest and concern WELL, that works just about as well as true interrogative conviction.

We discuss the psychology behind this and look at examples. I mean, how many romantic comedies have you endured in which the two leads PRETEND to be in love – to get a job, to win a bet, to secure immmigration papers, etc.? What’s going to happen by halfway through the movie? Every time?

“Oh, but movies aren’t real life,” says the clearly-not-a-history-teacher reading this. Alright, then – how many actors and actresses, having played romantic leads, emerge convinced that they are, in fact, IN LOVE? They’ve been pretending hard enough that it “takes” – they end up believing it, and acting on it (as it were). Supermarket tabloids depend on this phenomenon.

Cedric Diggory and that girl from Twilight? They’re not in love. Never were. No one’s “in love” with Kristen Stewart – it’s not possible. She has neither emotions or a soul. But they played “in love” enough in the dozen or so Twilight movies that they no longer knew the difference.

But Blue, you say, actors aren’t the brightest people – that’s not a fair example.

OK, to history then.

Throughout human history, hundreds of cultures over thousands of years have promoted some form of arranged marriage. You turn 14, and your parents introduce you to third-cousin BeauBeau. “BeauBeau, this is Beulah – your betrothed. Beulah, this is BeauBeua – your defender and provider and ruler of all you are. You are now eternally – BEAUBEAU STOP PICKING THAT OR IT WILL NEVER HEAL! – now eternally bound before God through your love and devotion to one another.”

You know the historical success rate for arranged marriages? Upwards of 90%, depending on your sources. I respectfully suggest this is largely because not being in love – not being “interested”, in our analogy – is simply not an option. She’s gonna cook, you’re gonna hunt, and together you will make babies, because that’s what you’re supposed to do.

You thus throw yourselves into it with fervor.

More often than not, a few years down the road, you realize you’ve actually grown quite attached. Sometimes you’ve even fallen in love along the way. The intentional has become internalized.

We have a completely different system in American culture. We follow the “tingly feeling” system. I start feeling tingly for you; you get a little tingly for me… eventually we decide to mingle our tingles.

But then… tragedy. A year or two down the road, the tingle has faded. Maybe vanished. Worse, you’re feeling tingly towards someone else (maybe Cedric Diggory, who’s foolishly trying to tingle with Kristen Stewart. SHE CAN’T TINGLE, CEDRIC – WE’VE COVERED THIS.) I’m feeling a bit tingly towards @sluttyunicorn17 who I met online #dontjudgeourlove.

We’re not tingling together anymore! Our love… it is dead – like our interest in Oklahoma History, or Kristen Stewart’s eyes, for example.

Because divorce is expensive, we go to a marriage counselor, who will tell us – in essence – that we need to fake it harder.

She’ll dress it up as ‘reflective listening’ and ‘love languages,’ which is fine, but they all come down to a simple principle – you need to pretend harder to care even when you don’t right that moment. Do this long enough and odds are good you’ll start to feel it again. At least partially.

Once introduced, this is an ‘open charade’ in class, all year. If students will pretend to be interested in whatever history we’re studying at the time – the people, the events, the issues – chances are good they’ll become more interested… at least slightly. Comprehension improves, as does retention – the kind of things you’d expect when genuinely interested. Like exercising or practicing the piano, meaning it deeply is great, but doing it because it needs done is almost as effective in practical terms.

Such is reality – it’s the thinnest of gildings, yes?

My first several wives would argue that I’m not the best source of relationship advice – but pedagogically I’m on solid ground. Nothing tricks your brain into learning like pretending you care and asking really good questions. And nothing’s more exciting for a teacher than teenagers coming up with meaningful, unexpected, thoughtful questions – sometimes questions you can’t possibly answer! Maybe, with enough information, enough time, enough understanding, they could begin to answer them – or maybe not. Isn’t it great?

Usually we begin with something easy – provocative, but accessible. I like photographs as a first step:

How many questions can you come up with? Come on, don’t just move on – try for a moment. Ten good questions? Twenty? The more questions we ask, the more details we notice. We think of things we wouldn’t have thought of if we were just ‘observing’. Here’s another:

Stop and see how many you could ask. The first dozen or so are usually fairly predictable – when was this taken? Where are they? Who’s the man? Why is he giving these boys cigarettes? Is this a locker room? Is he smiling? Have they smoked before? Was smoking not evil at this time? Is he Philip Morris?

Eventually, though, some really interesting things begin to emerge – how do we reconcile the racial diversity of the boys with the time period indicated by the clothing, hair, and b&w photo? Is this a boys’ home of some sort? Are these actually cigarettes? Where’s the lighter? Are they candy? Is this a reward for something, or a lesson of some sort? What was the photographer intending to convey? And who IS that MAN?!?

It works with other types of visuals as well…

“Government Bureau” (George Tooker, 1956)

The key is to S L O W D O W N and prompt everyone to be involved. How you do that is up to you, but we have to let curiosity have time to brew. It doesn’t have to be curiousity specifically ABOUT anything represented here – just the experience itself is a good foundation for everything else ever.

Scoff if you like, but you haven’t lived the good life until you’ve had to regain control of a room of teenagers (or teachers) arguing the implications and inferences of a good table full of numbers or the most important questions to ask about a swell bar graph. Seriously – who doesn’t love a good bar graph?

It works with text as well, if you’re so inclined…

I have a story that goes with this one, actually. See, I found out at the last minute one year that I was going to teach 10th grade U.S. History, and I had never really –

Actually, that one’s better in person.

You don’t have to use these of course, or these kinds of visuals or text samples, or this many, or whatever. I am a big fan, however, of starting with ‘non-threatening’ material when learning and practicing a new skill. I like to start with stuff I find amusing or strange, and transition into the legit stuff. Whatever gets THEM doing more ASKING is YAY!

RELATED POST: What Was Your Question?

RELATED POST: Who’s Asking? (from Alfie Kohn on AlfieKohn.org)