This school year, I am teaching five periods of 8th grade American history; one of these periods is a GATE class (Junior Scholars).  In these classes, I will cover American history from its beginning as colonies through the start of the 20th century. (Email me if you'd like to see my Pacing Guide.) One easy way to view this class is to break it down into the history of two wars: The Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Generally, I teach the causes, major events, and effects of both wars, and almost everything in my course falls into one of those categories.

Another way that I like to break my courses down is into general thematic concepts: Power, Justice, Rights, Conflict, Diversity, and Technology. Everything we study - all year - will fall into all of these themes.

I have plenty of job duties at Vista Heights: I am an ASB co-coordinator, helping Ms. Hoffman whenever I can. ASB lets me work with the best kids in the school. Also, I am the History Department Chairman, which means I oversee the department's budget, etc. I have been a Team Lead for a number of years, setting up parent meetings and participating in leadership meetings. For the past six years, I have facilitated our school's Speech program. (We have been very successful in many oratorical competitions). Further, I am the site National History Day coordinator.

Furthermore, I am an Administrator Designee at Vista Heights, meaning I fill in for the Administrators when they are absent. Though I have an Administrative Credential, I don't plan on being a principal for a long time, since I love teaching too much.

I believe it is okay - and important - to develop a good rapport with students. I do this by being thoroughly concerned for their academic needs, having an on-going relationship with their parents, and even playing sports with them regularly. Lately, we have been having fun playing softball at lunchtime. I run a school-wide guitar workshop which allows me to meet other students who are not in my class. I coordinate the school's Talent Show, which is a yearly success and a lot of fun because it isn't too serious. I also facilitate the school's 2nd lunch Bible study group.

My students know that I am their ally, not their adversary. Of course, I try to use my rapport with students to lead them into a deeper appreciation and love for U.S. History.

Some have characterized my teaching style in two words: Structure and Standards. I suppose that is because my class runs in a crisp, organized manner, with standards-based lessons as a regularity. However, those two words do not fully describe how I teach. I am an energetic teacher and I try to utilize a wide variety of strategies. I use cooperative learning, technology, role-plays, humor, and my favorite strategy of all, competition. Furthermore, my lessons demand high expectations, combining creativity and relevance to make history come alive in a fresh and infectious way.

I learned long ago that in order to become a great teacher who produces life-long learning students, I would need to be a life-long learner myself. I am a dedicated student, always interested in learning historical content, additional approaches in lesson planning, and new strategies for capturing the hearts and minds of students. Furthermore, I try to be a pioneer at Vista Heights Middle School, willing to try new technological equipment, organize lesson studies with fellow staff, and implement new programs designed to raise scores. A few times a year, I videotape my lesson in order to analyze possible negative teaching habits. I understand that teaching is a profession where the more you put in, the more you get out.

Perhaps the most meaningful way that I reach out to students on a school-wide level is by being the coordinator of an East Coast Tour. Each year, I customize an itinerary that takes dozens of students to Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., all of which compliments the Social Studies Standards. Among the many sites we visit are Plimoth Plantation, Harvard University, the Statue of Liberty, a Broadway Play, Independence Hall, the Smithsonian Museums, and Arlington National Cemetery. The trip is truly life-changing. (Click on "ECT Photos" above to see pictures from our various trips.)

Many years ago, I decided to tackle something challenging: National History Day. I spent the summer of 2012 studying how History Day works, meeting with knowledgeable teachers and coordinators from various school Districts. I introduced History Day to my GATE class in late August, and then took them on a field trip to Riverside City College to learn some tips and tricks regarding research. My class demonstrated tremendous success with History Day. 13 students won at the District level and moved on to the County contest. Then, seven students won there and moved to the State level. Two of these kids won 1st place at State and moved on to Nationals! (Watch Sam and Maddison win the State championship here.) In fact, Maddison placed 2nd at the National competition! It was an unforgettable experience to travel to the University of Maryland with two of my students and their families. Since then, a number of my students have succeeded at high levels of National History Day.

My philosophy of education is clear and concise: Reach ALL students because ALL students can learn.

Lately, I have been involved in as much professional development as possible, including attending the AVID Summer Institute (for the fourth time) and the California League of Schools Conference in Sacramento. I plan on presenting at the next C.L.S. Conference as well as a National Council for Social Studies Conference later this year. My presentations would be on "Technology in the Social Studies Classroom" and "How to Successfully Implement an East Coast Tour."

I regularly implement technology into my teaching. From surround sound in my classroom, to using social media to keep parents involved, I believe that technology helps keep my class fresh. I just purchased a class set of VRs, and plan to use them to show Revolutinary and Civil War videos in virtual reality. A few years ago, using the iPad, the Apple TV unit, an LCD Projector, and a SMART Board, I was able to show my classes 3-D images from the Civil War. I had purchased 50 pair of 3-D glasses off of eBay for about 10 bucks. Email me if you want some advice on using the iPad in the classroom.

 Applications such as Doceri, PollEverywhere, Educreations, and dozens of others, make teaching enjoyable for all content areas. Further, each student has access to a Chromebook, which proves useful when doing history webquests and webinars, or using Google Scholar to find scholarly, peer-reviewed articles.

Hopefully the above has given you a clearer understanding of my teaching style, strategies, and successes.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.