The Lincoln Experience
Submitted by rykkepau on August 29, 2010 - 8:37am
Rykken/Talking History, High School
A year ago I had the opportunity to be a community columnist for the LaCrosse Tribune. For my final entry I offered reflections on Lincoln based on the experience I had in July at the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College.
I was involved in a Gilder-Lehrman Seminar and spent 6 days with Matthew Pinsker, a Lincoln scholar who teaches at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania. Part of our time was spent at Soldier's Home in Washington, D.C. Pinsker has written a wonderful book on Lincoln's time at Soldier's Home (Lincoln's Sanctuary).
Throughout the week it became increasingly clear to me that Lincoln provides an excellent model for leadership on many levels. Here is a link to the piece that appreared in the Tribune:
Welcome to my page. I am in my second year of teaching for the Black River Falls School District. Prior to coming to Black River Falls, I taught middle school business classes for the Sparta School District and am an adjunct instructor for Western Technical College.
Places I have worked prior to becoming a teacher include: Smith Accounting, Millis Transfer, Lunda Construction Company, Fort McCoy, Jackson County Job Center, and Western Technical College.
"Shockingly Ignorant?"
Submitted by rykkepau on August 29, 2010 - 8:31am
Rykken/Talking History, High School
In the early 1980s I was in graduate school and the focus of my thesis in history was the "movement for international education during the years 1900-1925" in American high schools.
The topic gripped my interest due to the fact that there had been a substantial "peace education" movement in the schools during the early years of the century just prior to and during the years of the most cataclysmic war in human history (WW 1). That contradiction was worth exploring.
My research was being done in the context of rather dramatic criticisms being leveled at our schools for not emphasizing the world enough in the curriculum. Ernest Boyer, for example, made the following stinging observation in his 1983 book, "High School: A Report on Secondary Education in America,":
History Without Reading?
Submitted by rykkepau on August 29, 2010 - 8:24am
Rykken/Talking History, High School
Jim Cullen has written a thought-provoking piece recently concerning the teaching of history and reading (or better, not reading).
He offers several insights into students in the 21st Century and how we need to better grasp the type of readers (or non-readers) that they are. Essentially he makes the case that if we assume our students are reading, we are misguided and that we need to be much more savvy than that. Further, he asserts that we need to bring more imagination into the teaching of history so that they see a reason to read.
History Teachers of the Future
Submitted by rykkepau on August 29, 2010 - 8:18am
Rykken/Talking History, High School
This is an interesting piece on Islamic perspectives of history and it spurred the thoughts that follow.
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/news-analysis/World-History-Looks-Different-When-Seen-Through-Islamic-Eyes-83634867.html
Perhaps it is because of my age or point in my career, but I've been thinking a lot lately about what history education is going to look like 10 years from now, 20 years from now, and so forth. I'm becoming more and more convinced that if you are looking at another 15 years in your career, what we are doing now will look like "Abraham Lincoln writing on a piece of slate by candlelight" to our colleagues (or us if we're still teaching). Here's a couple things to think about:
Class of 2014, it’s time to schedule senior portraits!
BRFHS Yearbook Senior Portrait Deadline: October 30, 2013
The Breeze staff is already beginning to plan the Black River Falls High School 2014 Breeze yearbook. In order to help students and parents make plans for senior portrait sessions and keep hassles to a minimum, the Breeze 2014 staff would like to share its senior portrait policy.
Because the staff wants to edit, crop and resize photos as little as possible, it is requiring all photos submitted to meet the following requirements:
All Accounting I students need to read the latest issue of Brass Magazine. Please email me at megan [dot] finch [at] brf [dot] org the highlights of two articles of your choosing. Your responses will be due Friday, February 22, 2013 at 3:30 p.m.
The next online question for Accounting I students will be posted on during the month of March.
Welcome to my page! I have taught for more than ten years in the Black River Falls School District, and I am excited about another great year.
I have earned degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Winona State University. This year my classes include Keyboarding, Computer Applications I, Computer Applications III, Accounting I, and Business Law. I am co-advisor for the FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) club and a class advisor for juniors along with Ms. Wojciechowski and Ms. Shaw.
Please contact me if you have any questions. My extension is 2705 and my e-mail address is megan [dot] finch [at] brf [dot] org.
Accounting students can go here for guidance on the next online question: http://www.brf.org/page/high-school/accounting-current-week
Walk into Room 216 with a positive attitude. Even if you have heard that English 9 can be tough, with some work and patience you CAN succeed!
If you want an idea of what we're studying the first term, take a look at this:
