Short week

No school on Monday this week for the Columbus Day Holiday. I would argue that no other Holiday is as uncelebrated and as undeserving as this one. Even the most favorable interpretation of Columbus puts him along side William Bradford, Hernando Cortes, and maybe Andrew Jackson. None of whom have their own holidays. The least favorable views of him put him closer to Josef Stalin or Adolf Hitler, and no one would advocate for a holiday for any of those guys. The creation of the holiday goes back to a time when Americans were looking to improve our own morale and image by focusing on the aspect of Columbus as the great explorer and supposed discoverer of America. If not for how this Italian and his holiday was able to lift Italian-Americans and improve their own pride and morale, the holiday would probably already cease to exist. The fact that the holiday has become what St. Patrick's Day is for the Irish, has complicated attempts to get rid of it. Native Americans of course would love to see it disappear. In some case a compromise if renaming the day to "Indigenous Peoples Day" or something like that has gotten momentum in recent years. If Native Americans achieve success in renaming the Washington Redskins, I wouldn't be surprised if the next point of emphasis will be Columbus Day. It's nice to have a little break this time of ear with the day off, but to call it Columbus Day and give him some type of honor is just not right in my opinion.

Tuesday was our first day of school and we had planned to have the education director from the National D-Day Memorial have a conversation with my Sacrifice for Freedom Class through Skype. Felicia Lowrance gave a brief presentation to the class about doing oral history. She also talked about some examples of soldiers who died on D-Day and some primary sources that go along with them. The students asked a lot of questions. She did a really nice job in presenting the idea of how images can convey, taste, touch, smell, and really bring primary sources to life. She also sent us the names of the Maine soldiers who died on D-Day and we will begin the work of trying to learn more about them. It was really great to have her as a guest speaker all the way from Bedford, VA!

On Wednesday, on 10th graders and 11th graders took the PSAT, known as the "Practice SAT". This is a 3.5 hour test of Reading and Math. It's also a 3.5 hour test of a teacher's patience! We tested with 2 advisee groups in a room so that we could take turns as teachers half the time "off" and the other half proctoring the test. The students struggle with the restrictions- no books, no electronics, no leaving. So many of them commented on how long it was and how it was "the worst day ever". The griping gets a bit old for the teachers too, and that's why its nice to take turns. Hopefully they see some benefit that will help them on the actual SAT when they take that.

I attended my first Maine Council for the Social Studies (MCSS) Board meeting of the year this week.  I was too busy to attend the last two meetings and was feeling a bit out of the loop. But I was quickly caught up. Much of our attention is on the NCSS Conference in Boston next month. I will be attending the House of Delegates on behalf of MCSS. Also, the Massachusetts Historical Society will be hosting a reception on behalf of MCSS to welcome Maine teachers during the Conference on the the 21st from 6-8 pm. We also have been working on creating committees to help build membership and to plan the next Conference and professional development opportunities. I get really energized being on this board, but I fear that there are so many more demands on my time at school this year, that I may not be able to continue. I hope to make it work, but time will tell.

Election season is in full swing! I hate seeing the political signs ruining the beautiful road ways, and the commercials on TV are horrible. But in my classes we will discuss more about the issues on the ballot as we get closer and the candidates for Senate, the House, and the Governor. In Ethics, as we practice our protocol for helping to resolve ethical dilemmas, we applied this to the issue Question 1 on the ballot. this question asks Mainers, "Do you want to ban the use of bait, dogs or traps in bear hunting except to protect property, public safety, or for research?". So I asked my students to examine the ethics of using bait, dogs, or traps to hunt bears. I provided them with articles on both sides of the question, and with the current law. Then we watched this video from a Televised debate over Question 1. It was a very interesting discussion and debate. Students learned a lot about hunting, and about being respectful of someone else's views. I really enjoyed our discussion and I think they saw what makes this such an ethical dilemma, and got some insight into which side they fall heading into the election.

Next week is Make a Difference Week in my school as we collect donations to help stock our local food banks!