Citrus County TEA Party

On April 18, 2009, Citrus County joined with numerous other sites across the United States and held a TEA Party at the old Courthouse. Over 1,000 citizens came to voice their protest on what they perceive as reckless spending and the cost of increasing taxes - local, state, and Federal - as well as a more drastic move toward creating a socialist state.

Here is a YouTube summary of the event. Civics in Action!

Essential Question: What rights listed under the Bill of Rights were the citizens exercising during the TEA Party?

National Day on Writing: October 20, 2009

In order to show competency, understanding, and the thinking process of any of the various areas that fall under the concept of Social Studies, one must be able to write, and write effectively, in a variety of formats.

Often writing is an overlooked aspect of our work, or one of a continue debate of “that’s the English department’s job”.

The NCTE (the National Council of Teachers of English) is emphasizing the need for effective writing in all formats through the National Day on Writing, which is on October 20, 2009 this year. Their website contains a wealth of information concerning the National Day of Writing.

From their site:

Why a National Day on Writing?
In light of the significance of writing in our national life, to draw attention to the remarkable variety of writing we engage in, and to help writers from all walks of life recognize how important writing is to their lives, October 20, 2009, will be celebrated as The National Day on Writing. The National Day on Writing will
-celebrate the foundational place of writing in Americans' personal, professional, and civic lives.
-point to the importance of writing instruction and practice at every grade level, for every student and in every subject area from preschool through university. (See The Genteel Unteaching of America’s Poor.)
-emphasize the lifelong process of learning to write and composing for different audiences, purposes, and occasions.
-recognize the scope and range of writing done by the American people and others.
-honor the use of the full range of media for composing.
-encourage Americans to write and enjoy and learn from the writing of others.

I would encourage our teachers to think about implementing a special writing activity on October 20th in order to help emphasize the importance of writing in our lives.

Essential Question: What place does writing hold in the Social Studies classroom?

PHOTO RESOURCE:

Hephaestus Audio

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Lessons Life Taught Me

Regina Britt wrote the following in the Plain Dealer in 2006, and on Britt's blog in 2007. It's being presented here just for something to think about as a new school year starts.

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.

It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don't ask, you don't get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Essential Question: How might these lessons on life be used in the classroom?
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From BBC News: Nine Reasons to Celebrate America

In celebration of our 233rd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, BBC News correspondent Kevin Connolly provides his lighthearted list of reasons why America should be celebrated. This is one man’s view, focusing on technological, industrial, and social facets of America rather than political ideals.

Still, it’s rather interesting to see the view of our cousins across the pond.

To read the article, go here.

Essential Question: What type of list of reasons to celebrate America would our students compile?

Book Review: Visions from a Foxhole

I just finished reading a book written by a World War II veteran, and found it fascinating enough to share and encourage others to check it out and read it.

I always like the ‘grunts’ view of war – not the huge strategic plans moving armies and tens of thousands of men hither and yon. I like to read and share somewhat the experiences of the man in the trenches (World War I) or the foxhole (World War II) or the trenches again (Korea) or the fortified hamlets and firebases (Vietnam). These are men who did not know the whole scope of the war – their focus was on surviving day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute.

Visions from a Foxhole: A Rifleman in Patton’s Ghost Corps was written by 94th Infantry Division veteran William A. Foley Jr. – who was eighteen years old when he joined with the division in January 1945.

In his book Foley graphically describes the infantryman’s view of war – the shelling, the mines, the snipers, and the intense combat that, even in the last stages of World War II in Europe, was up close and personal.

What really stirred me with this book was the artistry of the author. He drew during the war, fleshed out the images, and now presents a selection of them in his book.

The author readily admits a lack of ability to remember names – I can relate to that – and some of the flow of events (though not the experiences) have faded over the years since the war ended. Combining his experiences with research on the 94th Division, Foley has created a credible story of survival during his five months ‘over there’.

Foley is was interviewed for the Library of Congress Veteran’s Project, and four of his drawings are posted there. It might be helpful to read the Amazon reviews as well.

Our local Citrus County library has this book available.

Essential Question: How could a resource like this book be used in a Social Studies classroom?

PHOTO SOURCES:

Library of Congress Veteran’s Project
Amazon

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The 45 Goals of Communism in America: 1963... and Today?

After posting an earlier blog on a Russian’s view of America’s path, I remembered something I heard when I was at a conference in May. There I heard one speaker refer to ‘the 45 Goals of Communism’ and how they were being fulfilled. Curious about this, I looked them up.

Florida Congressman Albert S. Herlong, Jr read the now-famous ‘45 Goals of Communism’ into the Congressional Record on January 10, 1963. Herlong served in Congress from 1949 to 1969.

This list was derived from a book titled “The Naked Communist”, by Willard Cleon Skousen.

The list is interesting both historically, and as application to events that have occurred during the last forty-six years. To read all of them, go here.

Below are just two or three highlights from the list that are particular to our discipline:

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

I find of particular interest how many of these are either fulfilled or in the process of being fulfilled. I’d encourage readers to look at these claims for themselves, and see what they think. I know there are a few claims I’d like to find out more about, and how it will influence my country.

Essential Question: In a world where the term ‘Communism’ is not really known nor frequently studied in American classrooms, what use would a document like the one above have for applying the concept of history and historical trends to our students?

PHOTO SOURCES:

Albert S. Herlong portrait, Florida Memory
Albert S. Herlong talking, Florida Memory
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Cross of Gold

One hundred thirteen years ago, on July 9, 1896, William Jennings Bryan stepped to the podium at the Democratic National Convention and made what was to become one of the most famous speeches in American History.

The Democratic National Convention was debating the issue of bimetallism – the keeping of silver and gold as backing for the economic system versus following the trend of many European countries and use only a gold standard. The idea of bimetallism was popular with the common man – and was a standard for the Populist Party – but it was unpopular with big business and banking interests. The issues centered on helping those who were in debt by making money more available or protecting those who loaned money – the business and banking interests. A similar argument seems to be going on today – as well as the trend toward following others versus leading others on the international scene.

There was a reason for the debate: The People’s Party (popularly known as the Populists Party) was a popular third party. Traditionally in America when the issues backed by third parties become too popular, one of the two major parties adopt them, thus taking the steam from the upstart newcomer. Hence we’ve remained primarily a two-party system. The Populists had several popular issues that the Democrats were addressing in their platform in 1896.

Bryan – thirty-six years old – stepped to the podium and gave a speech that rocked the convention and rocketed him into the limelight.

His speech was so well received that he was nominated as the Democratic candidate for President the next day. He would lose the election, and gold would become the monetary standard for the United States from 1900 until 1975, when the dollar became our ‘fiat’ money (money with no intrinsic value other than the faith and credit placed on it).

You can here Jennings recreation of the speech for a recording twenty-five years after his original speech here. YouTube has an interesting 3-minute presentation here. You can read the entire speech here. Finally, a lesson plan on bimetallism can be found here. This lesson includes an excellent video explaining the issue of bimetallism - click here to see it.

While the Cross of Gold speech is not often studied today, perhaps it is one we should take a look at again – with 113 years of perspective.

Essential Question: What relationship do the famous historic speeches of the past have on the world we live in today?

PHOTO SOURCES:

William Jennings Bryan portrait, Library of Congress ID cph 3a00786
William Jennings Bryan at the Convention, Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities
Opposing cartoon, Wikipedia
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