Teaching the United States as an Imperial Power

Those who read way too much history, and get lost in internet comment sections like myself, often come across statements like “wow, I never learned that in high school”.  The book “Lies my teacher told me” still resonates with adults who remember spending hours and days memorizing information that turned out to be only partially true or downright false.  And that book was written in 1995.  Since then there continues to be misinformation taught in schools about US History, and World History in general.

The United States is an empire.  We all know it, but we don’t have time to really think about it.  However, it is the job of teachers to present the story of the United States correctly, without the mythology.  The United States has been gathering territory since it began as a small colony in Virginia.  The United States is the progeny of a colonial power - Britain.  So it only makes since that the nation would carry in the parent country’s footsteps.  But the United States has taken it to a new level.  White Britain boasted of its colonial might, the United States hides it.  In fact, it hides it so well that many people born, raised, and schooled in the United States rarely hear about our Imperial might.

We have to teach about the United States as an imperial power for many reasons.  The most important reason is that Americans often look ignorant in the eyes of foreigners who know more about our colonial past than we do.  People living in United States territories know very well that they live in U.S. outposts but the people in the mainland have no idea.  Those teachers who have the responsibility of teaching American history should explain this story.  Instead of trying to show the United States as a great power who has grown because of it’s intelligence, hard work, and religion (or in other number of myths), history teachers should explain how the country grew at the expense of others.  And this should be highlighted over and over again because it happens over and over again.  Every story of American history could be told from the side of the losing party, and it would have a much different tone.

Another reason to teach the United States as an imperial power is economics.  Many people complain about losing jobs to immigrants.  These people have no idea how much money the country brings in from its imperial interests.  Or how much money is spent to maintain those territories.  Teaching U.S. as an empire will help students ask the right questions about our nation’s finances as they become adults.

A third reason to teach U.S. as an empire is honesty.  Our country has dirt on our hands and we should feel guilty.  Too often, we try to hide the bad things that our country does.  The consequence is that we repeat the mistakes of the past.  Our country has done things that would be considered genocide and military crimes if committed by another country.  It is a tough story to tell, but it is the truth.  And if we want our nation to reach the potential that it claims - that we are a great nation - we should own up to the mistakes of the past.  The history class is a great place to share these stories and work out ways that our country can be better.

Oftentimes, people try to shy away from the past, saying that certain things happened because times were different.  But that is not true.  People in the past knew that the Iroquois, and the Seminoles, and the Apache were real people.  And they killed and stole their land anyway.  People knew that the people of Puerto Rico and the people of the Philippines had a unique culture and fought hard to gain independence from the Spanish.  They conquered and turned them into American territories anyway.  The United States had a choice in so many matters of empire, and our nation chose to murder and take land from people who we decided were inferior.  As a teacher today, you have the choice to teach the truth of these historical incidences, or teach the mythology.

Below are sources that can be used to tell the story of Imperial America.

How to Hide an Empire

Daniel Immerwahr does an amazing job of explaining how the U.S. retains colonial power, without claiming all of its territory.  His book was actually the inspiration for this article.  If you are not sure about reading the book, check out some of his interviews.  It will make you want to learn more about these stories.

Filipino American War

This article gives a brief summary of the Filipino American war.  This is an important story to highlight the cost of war in lives.  As well as the efforts to rebel against imperial conquest.  Theodore Roosevelt was part of the group that led the fight against the people of the Philippines.  This fighting takes place after the people of the island had gained independence from the Spanish Empire.

At a time when the United States could have been a great liberator, helping a smaller group fight off an empire, we chose to attack this smaller group instead.

Conquest of Hawaii

When the United States was attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor, that military base was not yet part of the United States.  Hawaii was still a territory of the United States on December 7, 1941, that day that will live in infamy.

Hawaii became a territory of the United States through the efforts of businessmen and military personnel who disregarded the native people of the island who asked and fought for self-government.  Different United States presidents, including Grover Cleveland and William McKinley had the opportunity to step in and prevent the removal of the Hawaiian monarch, but chose instead to allow it to happen.

Immerwahr, Daniel. How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2019.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Philippine-American War.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/event/Philippine-American-War.

Greenspan, Jesse. “Hawaii's Monarchy Overthrown With U.S. Support, 120 Years Ago.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 17 Jan. 2013, www.history.com/news/hawaiis-monarchy-overthrown-with-u-s-support-120-years-ago.

Illinois Has Fixed Its School Funding Formula, But That Didn’t Help My Student

Illinois Has Fixed Its School Funding Formula, But That Didn’t Help My Student

Illinois Has Fixed Its School Funding Formula, But That Didn’t Help My Student
by Jonathan Baymon

(This article originally published in Education Post, link above)

Kylie, now an eighth-grader, came to our school in second grade. In her six years with us, she came to think of our school as a safe place where she had beloved friends and inspiring teachers. She grew to become an honor roll student and a three-sport athlete.

But last fall, Kylie’s school trajectory changed abruptly. Our school district is required to act on residency issues and Kylie’s family was unable to prove that they lived in our district. Kylie actually lives out of our district and was sent to her underfunded, underperforming neighborhood school. It was tough for me to see Kylie go simply because she did not live in our neighborhood. And Kylie was not alone. When our district took action, our small school, with an enrollment of just over 400 students, lost nearly 20 students to residency issues.

IT IS NO WONDER PARENTS TAKE THE RISK OF SENDING THEIR CHILDREN TO SCHOOLS OUT-OF-DISTRICT.Kylie’s family, like many others, recognized the disparities between their neighborhood school and other schools nearby. Kylie’s neighborhood school suffers from low test scores and high staff turnover. It is no wonder parents take the risk of sending their children to schools out-of-district. For many, it may be the only way to give their child a better educational future.

Parents should not have to send their children to an out-of-district school in order to receive a quality education. Research has shown that when school funding reforms put more money into schools and districts,low-income children benefit significantly, both in educational attainment and in life outcomes like higher wages. As a teacher, I can tell you why.

YOU CAN’T GET RESULTS WITHOUT ADEQUATE FUNDING

Without adequate funding, schools can’t provide the resources their students need: more staff to reduce student-teacher ratio, more special education and English language teachers to help students who need those services and more sports and arts to challenge students in non-academic activities.

Here in Illinois, thanks to our new school funding formula and new state investment in schools, districts are making big strides toward full funding for all schools. In 2017, 183 Illinois school districts were receiving less than 60% of funds deemed adequate to educate students. Now, two years later, only 14 districts in the state are still funded below the 60% level. That’s real progress.

Illinois—traditionally one of the worst states in the nation for school funding disparities—is on a path to become a national leader in school funding equity. But it’s not happening fast enough for kids like Kylie. When our legislators return from spring break this week, we need to ask them to continue funding this formula so no school is inadequately funded.

IF WE REALLY BELIEVE IN GIVING ALL STUDENTS A QUALITY EDUCATION, WE SHOULD TAKE THE STEPS NECESSARY TO ENSURE THAT NO SCHOOL IS UNDERFUNDED.Illinois could also reduce the gap in funding sooner with an increase in the funding model from $300 million annually to $450 million annually. As a state, if we really believe in giving all students a quality education, we should take the steps necessary to ensure that no school is underfunded.

Kylie probably doesn’t realize that it was her neighborhood school’s inadequate funding that led her parents to move her to an out-of-district school. What she does know is that she will have to graduate with a different group of students from the ones she got to know so well during the last six years. She will not be able to learn in the building among her classmates and teachers, and she will have to trade in her blue and gold basketball uniform.

I know that Kylie’s family will help her through this adjustment, and that she will succeed wherever she goes. I just wish that she and her parents didn’t have to choose between a good school and a low-performing one. Kylie and all our students deserve better.

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Black History Begins before Slavery

Black History Begins before Slavery

By Jonathan Baymon

Knowing the positive contributions of our ancestors builds confidence.  It builds a sense of pride.  That was one of the original goals when Dr. Carter G. Woodson created Negro History Week in the 1920’s.  He recognized that the history of the descendants of African people was being taught incorrectly, or not taught at all.

As we go further into the 21st century, almost one hundred years since Woodson’s creation, we have to remember the purpose of teaching history, and the importance of teaching it correctly.  For African American history, we have to try to paint a picture of more than just the struggle against slavery.  We have to remind, or teach students about the civilizations that existed before slavery.

It is not about teaching that all Africans were kings and queens.  It is about teaching the complexity of the society that existed before slavery, and even during slavery.  Although the Atlantic  slave trade began in the late 1400’s, it lasted until the late 1800s.  That is over 400 years of history - longer than the United States has been a nation.  There is a complexity to the place where African Americans originate from.

Teaching students about their history can give them a sense of pride.  It can also give them something to attach themselves to.  The United States has an incredible mythology.  The stories of the Pilgrims who left Europe because of religious persecution is a great story of triumph.  The stories of Thomas Jefferson and the Founding Fathers creating the world’s first modern democracy is a great story of triumph.  The stories of the United States coming to the rescue with military might in World War I and World War are great stories of triumph.  This gives American people a great sense of pride and confidence.  But within those stories are the tragedy of the descendants of Africans who would later be called African Americans.

These stories do not give African Americans a sense of pride.  In fact, it can turn a lot of students away from history altogether.  If a person reads deeper into those triumphal mythologies, there are stories of great civilizations being destroyed, and the people of those civilizations reduced to slaves, if not outright murdered (Native Americans).

That is why it is important to teach students about the complex societies that existed in Africa before the slave trade, and during the slave trade.  This way students can see themselves in history as more than just uncivilized people who were brought over by Europeans to work the land.  This can also make students want to learn more about the other places that Africans landed during the slave trade.  The Caribbean Islands and South America have a complex history with Africa, Europe, and the slave trade that would be a great addition to any lesson on African American history.

I tried writing this article before, and it became a history lesson, and that is not what I set out to do.  There are a number of stories to tell and it is extremely important that any teacher working with African American children take the time to learn those stories. It is extremely important to teach an in-depth African history to children who descend from that land.  The confidence from knowing one’s place in history works wonders in the decisions that a person makes in the future.  When people see their value, they expect greatness from themselves.

These lessons are also important for students who are not African American.  There is a history of misinformation on African American culture, and African culture.  As students learn more correct information, it can improve the perspective that people have of one another.

Here are some lessons that can help to increase student’s knowledge of Africa before and during the slave trade.  I encourage any teacher to look further into the stories, and look for other stories of Africa during this time period.  There is plenty of great research that exists!

Songhai Empire

When the earliest Europeans chose to trade along the coast of West Africa, it was the Songhai Empire that they encountered.  The Songhai Empire became dominant in the late 1400’s after defeating the Mali Empire which ruled the area since the 13th century.  The Portuguese learned of the gold that was abundant in Africa and this is what originally sparked trade between the two groups.  The Songhai empire also conducted trade across the Sahara with North African empires.  One of the great kings of Songhai was Sunni Ali who reigned from 1464 - 1492.

This story is important because it shows that the Portuguese recognized the importance of this African kingdom as a place of equality.  It was much later in history that Europeans made up the stories of entering Africa to civilized the continent.

University of al-Qarawiyyin

This University is considered the oldest standing university in the world.  It was founded by a Muslim princess from Tunisia - Fatima al-Fihri - in the year 859.  The University is located in Fez, Morocco. 

This university is important to the story of Africa because often, African history separates Northern Africa from Sub-Saharan Africa.  This creates the idea that Northern Africa - places like Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt are part of the Middle Eastern world, instead of the African world.  However, students should recognize the continent as a whole. 

This university taught students from around the world, including not just Morocco and North Africa, but also Central Asia, and West Africa.  The school had many applicants and thus had a rigorous selection process to attend.

Abu Bakr (of Jamaica)

Abu Bakr was an African Muslim who was captured and taken to Jamaica.  He was named after one of the most important figures in Muslim history, which makes finding information on him on the web very difficult. 

Abu Bakr’s story is interesting and very important because it shows that there was a high level of culture in Africa during the time of the slave trade.  His story combats the myth that Africans needed to be civilized by Europeans.  Abu Bakr was an accomplished, educated man who used his knowledge of the Arabic language to explain the complexity of his native land in West Africa.

Abu Bakr’s story is also important because it shows the connection of African Americans to different parts of the Western hemisphere.  In the United States, we learn the history of the slave trade with a focus on our country.  But many, many more slaves landed in the Caribbean Islands and South America.  This is a story of a shared history of African heritage.

Below are web sources for the information used.  There are incredible books and journals on these topics as well.

Songhai Empire

Tinashe. “Africa, Portugal.” South African History Online, 23 Jan. 2014, www.sahistory.org.za/topic/africa-portugal.

Cartwright, Mark. “Songhai Empire.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 1 Aug. 2019, www.ancient.eu/Songhai_Empire/.

University of al-Qarawiyyin (also written University of Al-Karaouine)

Ugc. “University of Al-Karaouine.” Atlas Obscura, Atlas Obscura, 31 May 2016, www.atlasobscura.com/places/university-of-alkaraouine.

“The Oldest University Is in Africa, and Was Founded by a Woman.” Face2Face Africa, 24 May 2019, face2faceafrica.com/article/the-oldest-university-is-in-africa-and-was-founded-by-a-woman.

Abu Bakr (of Jamaica)

Wisconsin Muslim Journal. “Muslim Slaves in America: Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq.” Wisconsin Muslim Journal, 9 Feb. 2018, wisconsinmuslimjournal.org/muslim-slaves-in-america-abu-bakr-al-siddiq/.

AFROZ, SULTANA. “The Unsung Slaves: Islam in Plantation Jamaica.” Caribbean Quarterly, vol. 41, no. 3/4, 1995, pp. 30–44. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40653941.

Illinois taking a step in the right direction

“Illinois taking a step in the right direction”

By: Jonathan Baymon

 

The new Illinois funding plan will greatly improve the education potential in underfunded schools throughout the state.  This remedy has been hard fought and it’s time is long overdue.  The funding will not be a success overnight though.  This is an important time in Illinois for lawmakers, school administrators, educators and parents in low income areas.  With great wealth comes great responsibility.  An increase in funding could mean a chance at closing important education gaps. 

How can legislators help.  

Legislators can help by keeping this topic in the forefront and continuing to advocate for improvements in state funding.  This bill is highly related to local property taxes and districts that are wealthy in property taxes will receive less money from the state.  It is important that new funds can continue to go towards education in areas that need it the most.  Low income areas will need allies in all parts of the state to advocate for equity.

How can school administrators help.  

Administrators can help by being innovative and fiscally responsible.  School districts that survived on less than 70% adequacy will receive the biggest increases.  This is a great time to make improvements that will make a school more attractive and help improve curriculum.  There are so many ideas to choose from and it is extremely important that schools have a plan that can sustain time.  Schools with such an inadequate funding will need a long time to catch up.  Looking for quick fix solutions is not the answer.

How can educators help.  

Educators can help by being innovative and fiscally responsible as well.  The new funding is public record.  Teachers will ask for improvements that benefit them most and they have every right to.  However, the best way to look at these improvements is sustained growth.  This increase is just a patch and will take years to reach adequacy.  Teachers can come up with ideas that will be useful to the school as a whole and will be good for the next group of educators that will come into their building.

How can parents and community members help.  

Attend board meetings and Local School Council meetings.  Encourage other parents to come along.  Ask for transparency from your school.  Ask that your school involve stakeholders in it’s decision making.  Ask that the school share information in a way that more people are aware that changes are taking place.

This is an exciting time in Illinois.  After years of debate and research to prove the inadequacy of our funding system, a change was actually made.  This is something that the state can be proud of.  However, this is an improvement that needs the help of the entire community of stakeholders in order to be truly successful.  

For more information on this topic see the Advance Illinois website below.

http://www.advanceillinois.org/datadesk-equitydashboard/

4 ways to Ace your Teacher Evaluation

Acing your observation / evaluation 

My principal would tell us that our observations were not a dog and pony show. And I believe him. However, it is important to put on a good show when you are being observed. If for no other reason, it shows respect for the hierarchy by taking the time do something special when you know he or she is coming to see you.

1. Prepare like a comedian

No, don't do any Eddie Murphy jokes (no matter how much you enjoyed Delirious). You should look at your observation the same way that an entertainer prepares for a show. When a comedian does a one hour special they do not come out with untested material. They practice the jokes at other earlier shows to find out which jokes work best. This is how you should prepare for your observation. Try out new teaching methods first to see which ones the students like. And use the most effective ones on the day that you are observed. And don't focus on the content, focus on the presentation. How will you deliver the lesson?   How will students be seated?  Will students work individually, in pairs, or in groups?  These questions are much more important than the exciting information you will discuss on MacArthur’s tactics in the Pacific Theater.

2. Let the students do the heavy lifting 

Your principal does not want to watch you lecture for 45 minutes. No matter how interesting you think you are!  They want to see your ability to engage students and get them to work. Create a hands-on lesson where students are building, creating or discussing. This takes the pressure off of you and also allows students to be active. It also gives you some time to interact with your evaluator instead of watching him take notes wondering if he has noticed a kid shooting a spitball while you were explaining the military ingenuity of MacArthur to a group of disinterested 7th graders!

3. Bell ringers and Exit questions 

Start your lesson by activating prior knowledge.  Find out what students know about the lesson. This works in a couple of ways for your observation. First, if you are in the middle of a unit, you can show off to your evaluator what students know so far. Or, if students do not know very much, you give merit to the lesson because you will be teaching them new information

Exit questions are great because you can demonstrate to the evaluator how much new information the students have gathered during the lesson. Make the exit questions simple enough that students will know the answers.  This will give the students confidence as the leave class which could reflect well on your evaluation.  Also, if possible have students take notes during the lesson or activity, that way they will be able to refer to the notes for the exit questions.

4. Teach like every day you will be observed
Obviously you should use best practices every day. We all have bad days, and we all have lessons that don't work. We have students who are disruptive, wi-fi that goes down at the worst time, and copy machines that break down twice a week! But if you are using good strategies all of the time, you will have new and exciting lessons every day.   And when you are evaluated, you will have plenty of tricks up your sleeve!

How to Engage Uninterested Students

Get off the stage!!

Students like to be hands on learners.  I notice this in teaching all of the time.  I even notice it with my nine year old daughter.  Whenever I am teaching her something, or telling her a story, she immediately wants to give her own insight or act it out.  What I realized is that, teachers need to make as much time in their lesson for students to demonstrate as possible.  Although you are the teacher, that does not mean that you should do all of the talking and acting out.  Give your students a chance to talk and demonstrate too.

Teacher Helpers

Give those uninterested students a job.  They can be in charge of passing out papers or collecting homework.  With technology being used more often in class, you can make a student a computer helper.  They can be in charge of changing slides during a powerpoint presentation.

During group work, you can allow a struggling student to be a “facilitator”.  You can give this student the answer to a difficult question that also includes the steps to get to the answer.  Then, they can help the other students arrive to the answer (without actually giving them the answer of course).  This can help a student become engaged, and also give them more confidence during the lesson.

Turn and Talk

This is a great method for students who are nervous about answering questions out loud.  It is also a good way to bring in students who tune out during lectures. 

Instead of asking the entire class to raise their hands to tell how to complete a difficult math problem, or explain the cause and effect of a historical incident, have students answer the question with a small group of 2 – 4 people.  The students may not want to share with the class because they are afraid to be wrong.  But in a small group, they may be more willing to share, or admit what they don’t know.  While students turn and talk, the teacher walks around to make sure that students are on task, but also gathers insight on how well students understand.

Think, Pair, Share

A follow up to the Turn and Talk method, is “Think, Pair, Share”.  After asking a question and having students discuss in partners or small groups, have the students share the answer with the class.  With students being in pairs or groups, now you can have a designated speaker.  Also, now that the students have had an opportunity to go over the answer with a partner, they may have more confidence to share with the class.

Brain Breaks

Brain breaks are a great way to turn students’ attention away from work, while still keeping them engaged in learning.  Most brain break activities involve movement.    A teacher can go to YouTube and find a fun video with dance moves and instructions that students can follow along with (Brain Break Video).    Sometimes, doing physical education exercises can also become a fun activity to take students minds off of work.  Fitness Bingo can be used to give students different exercise options that they can perform.

Some brain break activities don’t require dance or exercise, but still give students a chance to be off task.  I have recognized that older students don’t like to exercise and dance in front of their classmates as much as younger students.  Using a quiz game is a great way to get students thinking and moving, while not exerting too much energy (or embarrassing them in front of their cool friends).  Ask the whole class a multiple choice question, then, have students move to a certain area of the class based on their answer.  You can label areas of the class with letters or colors and have students move to a specific location (Fun Quiz Games). 

Brain breaks work best when the activity is age appropriate and the setting of the activity is taken into consideration.  Plan out the amount of space that you will need so that the students have enough room to move!

Student Presentations

I notice that students who are often disengaged from daily assignments, such as note taking, lectures, and worksheets, usually give more effort when it comes to projects and presentations.

Student presentations are a great way to keep students motivated and engaged.  This works even better when students are given a choice of what they will present.  Of course, there will be rules and guidelines.  As a social studies teacher, I tend to use countries or biographies as topics.

When students know that they will have to speak in front of class, or display their work, they tend to take better care of the final product.  Sometimes, they are more invested.  Also, although they may work alone on the assignment, they will enlist the help of others, or even the teacher, to come up with the best way to complete the assignment.

Conclusion

The most important way to keep students engaged is to have a variety of tools at your disposal.  Depending on the grade that you teach, many students have seen the tricks that teachers have and have lost interest or are turned off by them.  None of these ideas can be used all of the time.  They should be used at different times based on students’ age, ability and overall interest.  The school day will not always be fun, but it should never be boring.  As long as you are able to be innovative and look for ideas that encourage students to be hands on in their learning, you will be able to keep students engaged.   Good luck!