It’s no secret that the indigenous people of the Americas suffered a catastrophic collapse in the 16th century, driven by disease and the genocidal practices of European colonizers. Every year, fierce debates rage over the legitimacy of Columbus Day, with detractors pointing to Christopher Columbus’s mistreatment of native people. One of the most barbaric, gut-wrenching,... Continue Reading →
Note: This article was previously titled "Sorry GOP, Biden didn't cause prices to surge." Since Biden is no longer in the race, but the talking point has remained the same, I have re-titled this article. It is important for people to know how policies in 2020 primed the economy for inflationary surges.UPDATE: While this article... Continue Reading →
Note: If you have not read Historical thinking skills in the classroom, Part 1: Shifting your mindset, do that before reading this article! We've finally made it to the portion of this series where I detail what the skills are and how to teach them in the classroom! As always, this has come a year... Continue Reading →
I’m throwing an audible here. I was originally going to move forward with my article on the gathering sources and sourcing competencies, but due to the repeated requests for more information and resources after publishing Part 1 (which you should read before this one), I thought it prudent to do this article first. But before... Continue Reading →
Update (9/7/25): An update was issued regarding the origins of the supposed Silk Road drawing. Two years ago, I wrote an article on historical thinking skills in the classroom after I had read a few books that introduced me to the topic. In my opinion, the article is decent and makes some solid points, but... Continue Reading →
It's no secret that us Social Studies teachers have felt like we're walking on eggshells for the last few years: calls to ban books, raging debates around the teaching of Critical Race Theory, and the numerous "divisive concepts" laws that have had the unintended outcome of making us targets. Whether you're in a liberal, conservative,... Continue Reading →
Let me pose a question: What were you taught about Columbus?
Introduction The following interview was conducted on June 8th, 2022. The interviewee, Mr. "M", was at the time an assistant principal at our high school (a large high school of a little under 1500 students), but is moving on to become a principal at another high school in the area. The interview was for a... Continue Reading →
Wednesday was a tough day. Of course, going to school the day after a mass school shooting always is. Compounding that, our school had a student-planned mental health assembly, and the keynote speaker, unbeknownst to us, just happened to be the mother of a Sandy Hook victim. As I sat there listening to her presentation... Continue Reading →
(Image courtesy of ABC News) Last Saturday was a sad day for the city of Buffalo and the nation as a whole, as another act of domestic terrorism was committed in the name of hatred and fear. But this one struck me as particularly disturbing due to the age of the shooter (18) and military... Continue Reading →
History in Focus 