Site Index - Updated October 28, 2023

When I was teaching,
I got tired of hearing how bad American educators were.

My Promise 

WHEN I STARTED BLOGGING IN 2011, I said I planned to speak up for good teachers. I would not defend bad ones. 

I began by trying to debunk the myth that something was wrong with America’s teachers as a group.

See:  Numbers Don’t Lie: Our Teachers (And Doctors) Are Failing.

I mocked the idea that U. S. teachers were stupid again in: America’s Teachers! We’re Dumb! And We Suck!

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Recently, I’ve shifted more towards posts that teachers might find useful. I’m retired. So I have plenty of free time to bang away on my keyboard.

Best Seating Chart Ever! I read about this setup in an article long ago. The arrangement helped with discipline and students loved it.

“Stupid Essays” as a Creative Punishment and CreativeDiscipline: Angie Collects Belly Button Lint: I found that humor and discipline were not mutually exclusive. This worked great for me.

First Day Plans from a Veteran Educator: My third year I stopped going over rules the first day and dove right into lessons I considered critical

A Reading List for American History: This list of hundreds of books was created for students in my class, but should be of value to teachers.

SITE INDEX 

I am currently posting what I think are interesting stories from American history, divided by years and topics. These appear in the most recent posts. I am saving the post-World War II years for last, and hope to get back to 1607 someday.

I also have: 

Maps and Pictures for History Teachers, all of which you can use if you like. I either took the pictures myself, or scanned them out of old sources, now out of copyright (some way out of copyright.) 

Also: Maps and Pictures for History Teachers, Part II (same). 

And: Maps and Pictures for History Teachers, Part III (same).

So far, I have posted all the years, starting in 1825, up to and including 1945. I will continue to add to entries as time allows – as I retired from teaching in 2008, and only later thought of doing this material in this way. 

Typically, in one day I posted what I had, so far, for 1858, 1859, and 1860. The Lincoln-Douglas debates are featured in 1858, and questions revolving around race abound. 

In 1859, a good deal of the focus is on the discovery of gold in the Pike’s Peak Region, in Nevada, and in the mountains of California, where the town of Bodie grew up and then died out, and became a ghost town.  

(I have a number of good pictures I took during a 2022 visit to Bodie, and teachers may use them if they like.) 

For 1860, I have included excerpts from Beloved, by Toni Morrison, a novel about slavery based in part on the true story of Margaret Garner. I used to read parts of her work to my seventh and eighth graders. 

Not sure you could even do that today. (Good luck, young teachers!)

Why do people explore: Columbus, Mountain Men or astronauts?
Scene near Leadville, Colorado.

Teachers make a difference in countless ways.
Note to a teacher and former student of mine.

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Early American Civilizations: A Few Interesting Pictures: This post didn’t get much interest; but I’m listing in chronological order.

The Chachapoya of Peru (A.D. 650-1470): Never heard of these people till I stumbled upon their story in National Geographic. A discussion of burial customs—and other cultural customs—is always worth having.

A Simple Lesson on Cultural Differences: Naming customs captured the interest of my classes, including their own names.

The Battle for Freedom in England and America: I created this document after I retired. It might be of use in your classes. I believe the examples would be useful for teachers to incorporate into lessons.

Do You Know what the Declaration of Independence Means? Six Questions: Like Abraham Lincoln, I considered an understanding of the Declaration of Independence central to understanding who we are as a people (flaws and all).

Remember the Ladies: Women in the American Revolution: My students liked this reading and we used it as a basis for skits. My seventh and eighth graders loved doing skits; and we set them up to last the entire period. (See: How I Worked Skits in My History Class, below.)

Founding Father vs. Founding Father: The idea that the Founding Fathers had all the answers is badly flawed, as the Founding Fathers liked to point out to each other.

Two “N” Words and a “D” Word: This was probably my favorite lesson plan every year. (I’m not sure you could do this today in an era when only standardized learning seems to “count.”)

Thomas Jefferson’s Slave Son, Madison Hemings, Tells His Story: Found this online; it’s very interesting.

Teaching about Slavery: A Novel Approach: If you’ve never read Gone with the Wind, it’s beautifully written—and full of racist tropes.

Currier & Ives: There are all kinds of possibilities open to teachers who might want to use a print from the company to start a discussion. 

The California Gold Rush, A Few Ideas for Class: This topic always interested students, whether we were talking about events in 1849, a Brazilian gold rush in the 1980s, including a “nugget” the size of a briefcase, and the recovery of tons of gold from the wreck of the SS Central America, which sank in 1857.

Mr. Lincoln’s Army, The Army of the Potomac, Part I: I grew up on Bruce Catton’s writings (okay, I’m old); but his stories about the Civil War would resonate with students.

Glory Road, The Army of the Potomac, Part II: Same as above; these two posts are quite lengthy; so pick and choose what you can use.

Retired Teachers Never Quit: Teaching about Gettysburg: Here are a few ideas and pictures from Gettysburg you might use.

Scars from the Civil War and Scars Today: The soldiers from every war could share their stories of pain and suffering.

A Rebel Soldier’s War: Sam Watkins of the First Tennessee: I used this essay in class for years; my students always liked it. Watkins saw tremendous bloodshed, but his humanity and humor come through. (See next listing, below.)

How I Worked Skits in My History Class: This was one of my favorite moments in more than three decades of teaching.

A Former Slave Writes to His Master: This letter is a classic, if you’ve never seen it.

A Selection of Works by Native American Painter Bret Learned: His work is beautiful, and you could easily use examples to start a discussion on almost any topic related to indigenous peoples. 

Notes on Sitting Bull and the Sioux Culture: Again, these notes are quite long; but if you want evidence of the humanity of the people we once considered “savage,” here it is; and Sitting Bull is a great leader.

Notes from the Book, With Custer at the Little Big Horn: An interesting point of view from a cavalryman who survived the fight—and also realized the Native Americans had reason to go to war.

A Bride Goes West: A Woman’s View of Frontier Montana: If you’re looking for the female perspective, Nannie Alderson’s story of raising a family in Montana in the 1880s and after is great. My students really liked her story.

World War I Cartoons and Pictures: I thought some of these would be useful to teachers.

What a Difference a Century Makes: 1915-2015: I wrote this the year my father would have turned 100; the differences might amaze students. If I was still teaching, I might do a discussion of changes kids think have been for the better, for the worse, and what they think will change in their lifetimes.

A Few Useful Notes on Hitler and the Nazis: If you teach about the Holocaust, this may help.

Holocaust Ideas for Teachers: Same with this.

I Read Mein Kampf, So You Don’t Have To: Hitler is quite clear about what he plans to do if he takes power. His ideas are grotesque; and (if you’ve never read this) his prose is often tedious. Here are his main ideas.

“Why Not 13?” Stories from the Holocaust: I have been collecting examples of close calls and heartbreak recently.

The Story of Pearl Harbor: My feeling has always been that descriptions in textbooks are brief and superficial. I tried to present stories in greater detail for my classes.

A Particular Tragedy at Pearl Harbor: This story is meant to make clear: war is rarely glamorous, often horrible.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Students today have almost no knowledge of what nuclear war is really like.

The Moore’s Ford Bridge Lynching: Four Victims out of 4,400: I only recently read about this incident. It’s a shock to realize how recently lynching was still occurring.

In Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: 100 Examples of Jim Crow Days

My students could always name four or five examples of Jim Crow laws: separate seat on buses, separate drinking fountains, separate schools, separated in sports and in restaurants. This reading gave them a “few” more examples—including bans on interracial checkers playing.

The Emperor of A, B, C, D (Auxiliary Post): More examples of racism and material you probably have to ignore due to standardized testing.

(I loathed standardized testing and called it educational malpractice.)

A Watergate Refresher: Students found the story of Watergate to be like a crime show investigation.

The Veterans Come to Loveland Middle School: I grew up thinking it would be cool to go to war, joined the Marines, myself, in 1968, and volunteered to go to Vietnam. (I was dumb.) I lucked out—didn’t get sent—but always believed students should have a realistic view regarding warfare. We found we could get plenty of veterans to come in and talk, including about their worst memories.

Useful Links for American History Teachers: Self-explanatory.

Who Were Those People Who Died on 9/11: I wrote this after I retired: but I’d use it in class today, if I were still teaching. It would probably make some students cry. It makes me cry.

A Few Good Ideas (I Think) for American History: If any of these ideas help you, I’ll be glad I bothered to post them.

A Few Good Ideas (I Think) for American History, Part II: Same as above.

“Snowballs” Fly inHistory Class, and Other Mistakes: Nothing like having real blood in the classroom…and a few of my other blunders.

History Shows: Kids Never Change: I recently hit 70; I tell my wife all the time, “If I ever start grumbling about ‘kids today,’ smack me upside the head.” She seemed to agree rather quickly that that was a good idea.

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I loved life in the classroom, loved working with teens, and taught for more than three decades. Today, I’m worried about what might happen to young teachers. When I look at current education reforms it appears to me that self-appointed experts (who never teach) are pushing disastrous policies.

Since I retired, I haven't been writing much about education policies; but Betsy DeVos is always good for a few laughs (or groans). See, for example, 

Besty Devos: The Amway Secretary of Education

Heroes Who Never Fight: U.S. Secretaries of Education (Betsy DeVos Edition)

Betsy Devos: The Midas Touch in Education

The For-Profit Model in Education: You Get Strippers

My most successful posts, and some of my personal favorites:

1) A Perfect Mesh of Common Core and New Technology. 

2) An Education Expert Goes to the Doctor.

3) Are Poor Public Schools Killing the U. S. Economy?

4) Corporate Public Schools! It’s Going to be Great! This one is new; but every ridiculous example is true.

5) Does Arne Duncan Realize that Teachers and Students Are Dying?

6) Do Recent School Reforms Help or Hinder Real Learning. 

7) ExxonMobile Announces Commitment to Fixing U. S. Education.

8) Hiking in Glacier National Park. This one has nothing to do with education. I just love the park; and if I was still teaching, I would try to convince students to go there someday. Not standardized education, of course.

9) How Many Reformers Does it Really Take to Fix a School? If you’re a real teacher you already know the answer to this question.

10) Michelle Rhee’s Perfect Ponzi Scheme. Speaking of reformers, the lady is a fraud.

11) N.F.L Adopts Common Core Playbook.

12) Privatizing Public Schools and the Loch Ness Monster Bonus.

13) R.I.P. No Child Left Behind. Ten years of reforms and SAT, ACT and PISA scores have all declined. Even NAEP reading scores are flat. (If you’re a real teacher you start to wonder: Do the experts who keep telling us what to do have a clue?)

14) Sham Standards: Governor Kasich and the Standardized Testing Fetish. What happens if we line up fourteen veterans from five different wars to talk to 700 Loveland Middle School students. Is that good education? How do we measure what students learned???

15) Why Teaching Matters—Part Four (Books).

16) Why Teaching Matters: What’s the Square Root of Inspiration?

17) Yellow Brick Road to Nowhere: Teachers and the Tea Party Movement. This is probably my personal favorite, of all my posts. I like the story of the boy who earned a standing ovation from peers in my class.

18) Confessions of a Bad Teacher: Okay, I admit it. I was a no good, rotten, terrible teacher. I didn’t believe standardized testing did much good. Seven thousand teachers seemed to agree when I put up this post.

19) Teachers Anonymous: A 12-Step Program for Bad Teachers: Follow up post to the post above. I explain how bad teachers can recover from their delusions and embrace the virtues of standardized tests.

20) 2014: The Year Teachers Became the Enemy: When did school reformers decide teachers were the biggest problem in U. S. education? And were they right?

Now Available: Two Legs Suffice: Lessons Learned by Teaching

I KNOW GOOD TEACHING IS extremely hard. I know even the best teachers face victory and defeat in the classroom, oftentimes the same day. I am currently putting the final touches on a book titled Two Legs Suffice: Lessons Learned by Teaching.

The title relates, in part, to two bicycle rides across America, one at age 58, the second four years later.

***

If you’re interested in reading about my first ride go to viall4diabetes2011.com. I transfered the story of my first ride, in 2007, to that blog not long ago. So that story now shows up at the start. (My youngest daughter is a type-1 diabetic and I pedaled to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. Students helped raise more than $13,500 for that great cause.)

My second ride—including my temporary arrest as a bank robbery suspect—is documented next, at the same site: viall4diabetes2011. I was able to prove my innocence and pedaled 4,615 miles in 58 days, again raising more than $10,000 for JDRF.

(Send me an email at vilejjv@yahoo.com if you are interested in a copy.)

Wyoming: near Jeffrey City: photo from a bicycle ride across the USA.
Students were amazed to learn that the state has only six people per square mile.

ARMING TEACHERS 

(This category keeps growing; but I have not updates in years.) 

Arming Teachers:  A Stupid Idea.

Another Teacher Killed in Danvers, Massachusetts. 

Colleen Ritzer: Find Something Good in Every Day. 

Problem Solved? Arm all the Teachers.

Shooting at Chardon High.

Will Bulletproof Whiteboards Be the Answer?

1825

 

The wife of President John Quincy Adams.

As early as 1744, Ben Franklin had worried that wood as a fuel for heating and cooking was becoming scarce in the settled regions of the Thirteen Colonies. 

As one modern historian notes, however, old-fashioned fireplaces were “insanely inefficient,” with up to 90% of the heat disappearing up the chimney. The discovery of anthracite coal in Pennsylvania changed the dynamic later – since anthracite burned with less smoke than bituminous coal. The introduction of stoves, however, struck some as “un-American.” 

One of the first testimonials for the new fuel came in an 1825 letter written by Mathew Carey, a Philadelphia publisher who boasted that coal kept his room “a toasty 60 degrees Fahrenheit during chilly months. ‘My feet used to be cold almost always at night, in winter,’ he wrote. ‘Since I have used this coal those grievances are removed entirely.’” 

The debate remained unsettled for several generations: 

In an 1864 essay, Harriet Beecher Stowe fulminated: “Would our Revolutionary fathers have gone barefooted and bleeding over snows to defend air-tight stoves and cooking-ranges? I trow [believe] not.” In his 1843 short story “Fire Worship,” Nathaniel Hawthorne argued that gathering before a flickering hearth was crucial to bringing families and citizens together.

 

“Social intercourse cannot long continue what it has been, now that we have subtracted from it so important...an element as firelight,” Hawthorne fretted. “While a man was true to the fireside, so long would he be true to country and law.”

 

The cultural arguments piled up. Food cooked in stoves was baked, not broiled, and that, too, offended American tastes. Meanwhile, Andrew Jackson Downing, an early landscape architect, argued in 1850 that stoves were “secret poisoners,” worse than “slavery ... tobacco, [or] patent medicines.”

 

“People were blaming coal-fired stoves for impaired vision, impaired nerves, baldness and tooth decay,” says Barbara Freese, author of Coal: A Human History. It certainly smelled less pleasant than wood. Further, coal – particularly soft coal – produces soot, which choked some towns with dangerous particulates.

 

Apart from the cultural backlash, coal was a pain to light. Anthracite stoves often required multiple attempts to start the flame and demanded constant fiddling with a poker. An 1827 guide for servants devoted 15 full pages to the black art. One period analysis found the new stoves added an hour of work to a housewife’s chores.

 

It would not be until 1885, that Americans – with increasing numbers living in burgeoning cities – would burn more coal than wood.

 

* 

February 9: No candidate for president having won a majority of the electoral votes, the decision falls to the House of Representatives, as set forth by the U.S. Constitution, to decide. With each state having a single vote, the final tally is as follows: 13 states vote for John Quincy Adams, 7 for Andrew Jackson, 4 for William Crawford.

Ladies had been excluded from the galleries of the House originally, in accordance with British precedent. But one night at a party a lady expressed her regret to Hon. Fisher Ames, of Massachusetts, that she could not hear the argument, especially his speeches. Mr. Ames gallantly replied that he knew of no reason why ladies should not hear the debates. “Then,” said Mrs. Langdon, “if you will let me know when next you intend to speak, I will make up a party of ladies and we will go hear you.”

 

The notice was given, the ladies went, and since then Congressional orators have always had fair hearers – with others perhaps not very fair.”  (Benjamin Perley Poole, Reminiscences; Volume 1, pp. 77-78)

 

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One in five New England brides reached the altar in a pregnant state.

The New York Times reviews Doomed Romance, which tells the story of Martha Parker, who in 1825, ran afoul of the moral police of the era. Born in Dunbarton, N.H. in 1804, she was one of eight siblings. They lost their father when they were young. 

With two elder sisters, she attended the “deeply religious” Bradford Academy, in Essex County, Mass.; the eldest, Ann Parker, soon married and went to the Palestine mission in Beirut. Teaching at another such school, Martha was besotted with the idea of “forsaking all” for Christ. 

 

All went well for her until, at 21, overwhelmed by a crush of courting during the summer of 1825, she made a series of romantic missteps. Fatefully, she dallied with [Thomas] Tenney, her second cousin, known to her since childhood, an earnest young man redolent of the “odor of sanctity” who had first courted another of her older sisters, Emily. His proposal rejected by Emily, he turned to Martha, proposing again ... causing sisterly astonishment over his fickle affections. Martha turned him down twice but that summer changed her mind, dangling before him the prospect of winning his “highest earthly happiness.” His affections violently rekindled, he decided that “she loved me ardently.” She and Tenney became engaged that December.

 

(Christine Leigh Heyrman, the author of Doomed Romance, notes that double standards were common in that era, as always. One in five New England brides, she says, reached the altar in a pregnant state.) 

Martha’s problems revolve around Tenny, and two other suitors of greater or lesser success. The second is Elisha Jenney, a student at Dartmouth, who tries to win her affection but fails. The third is Elnathan Girdley, a Yale grad preparing to go to Palestine “to minister to the heathen,” as the Times reviewer notes. When Martha first accepts Tenney’s proposal, then tosses him over for Gridley, who seems to offer her a chance for “missionary glory,” again, the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions becomes involved. An investigation results. No taint of scandal can be allowed to tarnish the reputation of their missionaries, in an era when some who travel overseas become martyrs, subjects of great admiration, and spark for significant donations.

Martha breaks with Tenney, accepts a proposal from Gridley, and then faces Tenney’s wrath. He labels her “a base girl, a deceiver, a liar” in one letter. He comes to believe it is his duty to keep such a woman from serving as a missionary in, of all places, the Holy Land, or anywhere else. Tenney testifies against her, and, says the reviewer, the investigating board “grilled poor Martha like a trout.” 

It was even said that if she married Gridley, it would be tantamount to “adultery.” Now she broke with her second fiancée. Gridley headed overseas by himself, and soon died of disease in Turkey. Under great pressure, Martha Parker agrees to marry Tenney, and is, says the reviewer, “silenced forthwith.” 

The review continues: 

Mining missionary records, Heyrman unearths some astonishing revelations. Even as church leaders were turning the screws on women, they were tolerant (given what would come later) of same-sex relationships. She quotes male partners in the mission at Beirut, Pliny Fisk and Levi Parsons, who had pledged to “give ourselves to each other,” “our hearts knit together as the heart of one man.” A pair of Virginia Methodists went further, with one “covenant brother” telling the other that he dreamed of “kissing you with the kisses of my Mouth.” She finds revenge too: The Tenneys’ eldest daughter, Mary Eliza, grew up to join the ranks of foreign missionaries with her aunt Ann’s help, fulfilling her mother’s ambition. She became a popular writer, and Heyrman catches her, in her fiction, dissing the very prototype of her “unprepossessing” father.