Lucky will be the teacher who gets the kids from The Living Classroom. I wager they’ll be eagar to learn, and that they’ll set the pace in good behaviors and academic achievement in future classes — unless someone throttles it out of them later.
For now it’s a bunch carrying a lot of hope to some lucky teachers next year. Check out this post, “All the Beauty We Can Find in Just One Day,” and this one, “My School.”
1 Comment | 
Classroom size, Creativity, Education, Education blogs, Leadership, Lesson plans, Pedagogy, Weblogs | 
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Posted by Ed Darrell
April 19. Does the date have significance? 
Among other things, it is the date of the firing of the “shot heard ’round the world,” the first shots in the American Revolution. On April 19, 1775, American Minutemen stood to protect arsenals they had created at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, against seizure by the British Army then occupying Boston.
April is National Poetry Month. What have we done to celebrate poetry?
What have we done to properly acknowledge the key events of April 18 and 19, 1775? Happily, poetry helps us out in history studies, or can do.
In contrast to my childhood, when we as students had poems to memorize weekly throughout our curriculum, modern students too often come to my classes seemingly unaware that rhyming and rhythm are used for anything other than celebrating materialist, establishment values obtained sub rosa. Poetry, to them, is mostly rhythm; but certainly not for polite company, and never for learning.
Poems slipped from our national curriculum, dropped away from our national consciousness.
And that is one small part of the reason that Aprils in the past two decades turned instead to memorials to violence, and fear that violence will break out again. We have allowed darker ideas to dominate April, and especially the days around April 19.
You and I have failed to properly commemorate the good, I fear. We have a duty to pass along these cultural icons, as touchstones to understanding America.
So, reclaim the high ground. Reclaim the high cultural ground.
Read a poem today. Plan to be sure to have the commemorative reading of “Paul Revere’s Ride” in your classes next April 18 or 19, and “The Concord Hymn” on April 19.
We must work to be sure our heritage of freedom is remembered, lest we condemn our students, our children and grandchildren to having to relearn these lessons of history, as Santayana warned.
Texts of the poems are below the fold, though you may be much better off to use the links and see those sites, the Paul Revere House, and the Minuteman National Historical Park.
18 Comments | 1776, Accuracy, America's founding, Education, Famous Battles, Famous quotes, Heroes, History, Santayana's ghost, Teaching, TEKS | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Weren’t we here just a few days ago? In the last week, for sure.
The 115th Carnival of Education is up at DY/DAN.
Look for Fuji Bucks. Look for selection processes for advanced classes. A lot of very good stuff.
Image: Horace Mann School, 1st Grade Class, 1923.
Which Horace Mann? Oh, Saline County, Illinois. Seriously, how many Horace Mann Schools can there be in America? Anyone have a clue?
1 Comment | Education, Education blogs, Education reform, Teaching, Weblogs | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
P. Z. Myers writes and quotes with flair and gusto, and I cannot improve upon it: The death of Darwin.
1 Comment | Charles Darwin, Darwin, History, Religious Freedom | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
We have a couple of sterling contributions for the next Fiesta de Tejas!
More. We should have more submissions. Texas is a big state, with a lot of people, and a lot of entertaining history. We need more entries. Deadline for entries is end of day April 30, 2007 — I’m looking to publish on May 2.
You may e-mail entries to me at edarrellATsbcglobalDOTnet, or you can take advantage of the Blog Carnival entry form, which has the advantage that it makes copies to keep the thing going should I get hit by a speeding Indian Motorcycle on its way from Fort Worth to North Carolina. If you blog, too, please feel free to pass this call for submissions along to your readers.
Last issue was the wildflower issue, but if you have photos of Texas wildflowers you would like to submit, please feel free to do that, too.
Pecan Tejas 95a, cultivar created at Texas A&M University in 1945, first fruited in 1949, released commercially in 1973.
Fiesta de Tejas! is a blog carnival celebrating Texas, Texas history and Texana. This blog focuses on education and social studies (though the focus wanders a bit sometimes). If you wonder whether a particular post might be useful to the Fiesta de Tejas!, simply ask whether you think more Texans ought to know about, especially Texas social studies teachers.
Leave a Comment » | Economics, Education, Education blogs, Education reform, Education spending, Fiesta de Tejas!, Geography - Physical, Geography - Political, History, History blogs, Texas, Texas history, Texas Lege, Texas Music, Weblogs | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
It didn’t start out to be such an odd question. “How does water get to the Arctic Ocean,” the kid asked. I’d just dropped on them a warm-up noting the designation of a fifth ocean, the Southern Ocean. They were working on maps, some coloring them in. To some of the students, it was news that we have more than one ocean on the planet.
“Water seeks its own level,” I explained. “Rivers carry waters to the oceans.”
He was really confused. Puzzling over Canada especially, he was venting. I was stupid, and not getting his question. “How come rivers don’t flow north?” he asked. Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Books, Education, Geography - Physical, Geography - Political, Lesson plans, Maps, Teaching, Weblogs | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
A fellow approached me in church about a month ago to ask who I support in the 2008 presidential election (haven’t made up my mind yet; there are very good people running on both sides, though it would take a major tsunami to get me to vote Republican for president over any of the Democrats). In the course of the conversation he mentioned the “dozens” of convictions of officials in the Clinton administration, and expressing hope we didn’t ‘return to a time when many government officials make such a mess of things.’
I felt the cold hand of Santayana’s ghost on my shoulder as Santayana reached past me to slap the man into reality.
So, later, I tried to find a comparison I had seen of corruption investigations in presidential administrations, one that listed who was charged with what, and the result of the investigation. I can’t find it.
Is anyone keeping score? Please point me to the place, if there is one, where such scores are accurately kept. Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Accuracy, Capturing history, Current History, Ethics, History, Politics, Presidents, Santayana's ghost, Scandals | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Quoting from the Pulitzer Prize website:
For distinguished musical composition by an American that has had its first performance or recording in the United States during the year, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to “Sound Grammar” by Ornette Coleman, recording released September 12, 2006.
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: “Grendel” by Elliot Goldenthal, premiered June 8, 2006 by the Los Angeles Opera at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, libretto by Julie Taymor and J.D. McClatchy, and “Astral Canticle” by Augusta Read Thomas, premiered June 1, 2006 by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (G. Schirmer, Inc.).
Ornette Coleman does nothing without flair (look at the photo — catch the color of the horn, and don’t miss the jacket). Fort Worth native, Coleman won the Pulitzer Prize for composition, for a recording released in 2006. It was the first time that a recording was considered for the composition prize. The Pulitzer judge panel put Coleman in competition sua sponte — his composition was not nominated prior to the judges’ consideration.
So Coleman won for an improvisation, the composition was presented as a recording rather than on paper, and he won despite not being nominated in the first place.
NPR has one of the best stories on the prize, with excerpts from the recording you may listen to. Here is Coleman’s own website.
Coleman would make a fun Texas Music Monday in seventh grade Texas history, but it may be difficult to find tracks that are really listenable. His work is deep, and it often takes a lot for a listener to keep up.
But in a context of the diversity of Texas music, in a curriculum that has already included Van Cliburn, Bob Wills, conjunto, “The Yellow Rose of Texas,” Charley Pride, George Strait, Tex Ritter, Janis Joplin, Flaco Jimenez, Brave Combo, Robert Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson, Scott Joplin, et cetera ad infinitum — everything from classical to the purest country, with rock, German and Mexican polka, and everything else thrown in* — kids might find it of interest, especially if they’re from Fort Worth.
Ornette Coleman is one more great Texas Native. Tip of the old scrub brush to P. M. Summer, who called my attention to the Coleman award in the comments of my previous Pulitzer post.
* Yes, of course I left off three or four of your favorite artists. If you can’t name five good-to-great Texas musicians who are not on this list, you’re not breathin’.
Leave a Comment » | History, Music, Texas, Texas Music | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Celebrate the hero, please.
He survived the Holocaust, arrested by the Nazis and sent to a concentration camp to die — he survived, instead. He survived the Communists, refusing to bow to demands he join the Communist party in post-war Romania; though a good engineer, his career was short-circuited by his stand on principle. He finally escaped Romania in 1978, emigrated to Israel, and then took a sabbatical to teach engineering at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. And he stayed on.
Yesterday, on Holocaust Remembrance Day, Liviu Librescu used his own body to jam the doors into his classroom, yelled at his students to leave through the windows, and gave up his life to a depressed kid bent on murder. Prof. Librescu was 76 years old. He was the oldest victim, and a hero.
Survived the Nazis, survived the communists. Died to the excesses of the Second Amendment and a culture that seems to create enough disturbed people to make mass murder a serious problem, not a rare event. Librescu was already a hero. It’s embarrassing he had to rise to heroic actions to protect his students. It’s embarrassing to us that he died the victim of an act of senseless violence.
It’s a national embarrassment. Survived the Nazis. Survived the communists. Killed by an out-of-control student with a gun in the U.S.
It’s a national embarrassment. What are we going to do about it?
12 Comments | Current History, Freedom - Political, Heroes, History, Holocaust, Leadership, War, World War II | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Columbia University unveiled the Pulitzer Prize winners yesterday.
In U.S. history, the prize went to The Race Beat:The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation, by Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff (Alfred A. Knopf).
Other finalists for U.S. History were: Middle Passages: African American Journeys to Africa, 1787-2005 by James T. Campbell (The Penguin Press), and Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick (Viking).
Roberts and Klibanoff share $10,000.
In Biography, the $10,000 first prize was awarded to The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher, by Debby Applegate (Doubleday).
Finalists for the biography prize included two other great books: John Wilkes: The Scandalous Father of Civil Liberty by Arthur H. Cash (Yale University Press), and Andrew Carnegie by David Nasaw (The Penguin Press).
In the category of general non-fiction, where evolution has triumphed over anti-science bigotry in recent years, history is rampant in 2007, also. The prize for general non-fiction was snagged by The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11″ by Lawrence Wright (Alfred A. Knopf). Other finalists for the general non-fiction prize were Crazy: A Father’s Search Through America’s Mental Health Madness by Pete Earley (G.P. Putnam’s Sons), and Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq by Thomas E. Ricks (The Penguin Press). 
High school history and other social studies teachers would do well to read each of these winners and the finalists. They will be significant additions to any serious history curriculum, or government, and perhaps economics.
2 Comments | Bill of Rights, Books, Civil Rights, Heroes, History, Iraq, Journalism, Justice, Leadership, School desegregation, War | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
A few hours ago I posted a notice on satellite studies of the uplifting of a part of the Yellowstone Caldera, and I suggested some (weak) links to how to use it in the classroom. In passing I noted that the volcanic rock site southwest of Yellowstone, the Craters of the Moon National Monument, had been used to show astronauts what the Moon would be like when they landed Apollo missions there.
Yellowstone and especially its volcanic features also provided dramatic insights to the origins of life on Earth, especially the rise of life in hot water. These findings advanced the science we now call astrobiology, or the search for life on other planets.
This evening I stumbled across an interesting feature: A full text of a classic 1978 book on thermophilic life in Yellowstone, explaining in greater detail the research conducted there and its significance in astrobiology and evolution. Thomas D. Brock’s book, Thermophilic microorganisms and life at high temperatures (Springer-Verlag, New York, 1978; 465 pages) is just sitting there, online, for anyone to read. 
In this book there is more real science to this one tiny facet of the study of the evolution of life than there is in the entirety of the intelligent design political movement.
I wonder what other gems there may be in that digital collection at the University of Wisconsin.
Below the fold: The frontispiece. Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Books, Darwin, Education, Evolution, Geography - Physical, History, Intelligent Design, Natural history, On-line learning, Public libraries, Science, Space exploration | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
WordPress’s counter claims this blog hits 100,000 views on April 17. This is more ambitious counting than Sitemeter or Truth Laid Bear. Who knows for sure?
The two biggest days of views both occurred after mentions at Pharyngula. For the past month or so we’ve been averaging more than 500 views daily, including weekends.
If you’re one of those faithful viewers, thanks. I hope you’ve found something of value. And, would it kill you to comment more?
Woodrow Wilson’s portrait adorns the obverse of the $100,000 gold certificate. Photo from Answers.com
1 Comment | Administrivia, Weblogs | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Uh-oh. Running behind.
One of the reasons I list various carnivals is to make sure I have a note of the good ones somewhere easy to find. Busy-ness in the last week just kept me away from the keyboard.
Carnivals you ought to check out:
Oekologie 4.1: Over at Behavioral Ecology. Lots on climate change, of course, and some very nice bird photos.
Carnival of the Godless at Neural Gourmet has a good run down of the Blog Against Theocracy, and complaints about it, too.
Carnival of the Liberals #36 is up at Truth in Politics. Well, that’s an obvious pairing. Free speech, the president and the Constitution, tyranny in the Middle East, and quite a bit more.
Carnival of Education #114 is back at The Education Wonks. State legislatures may be wrapping up their sessions, but education issues are heating up.
Skeptics’ Circle #58 finds a hangout at Geek Counterpoint, with several posts that get at how we know what is true — good stuff for historians and economists to ponder.
This is as good a time as any to remind you that that Fiesta de Tejas! #2 is coming up on May 2 — deadline for post nominations April 30. You may e-mail entries to me (edarrellATsbcglobalDOTnet), or submit them at the Blog Carnival portal to the Fiesta.
Leave a Comment » | Curricula, Economics, Education, Education blogs, Education reform, Education spending, Fiesta de Tejas!, Free market economics, Free speech, Freedom - Economic, Freedom - Political, History, History blogs, History video sources, Religious Freedom, School discipline, Science, Science and faith, Teaching, Technology in the classroom, Testing, Texas, Texas Lege, Weblogs | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
This is a story about space technology and why we orbit satellites, geography, geology, the risks of living in certain places, and the fun, and perhaps life-saving value, of finding things out. 
This is the kind of science news that excites normal kids and lends outcroppings on which to hang a lesson plan or class warm up: The Yellowstone Caldera is uplifting, according to new satellite measurements. Don’t worry. Yet. Read the rest of this entry »
5 Comments | Geography - Physical, Maps, Science, TEKS, Travel | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Where do Ed Brayton and P. Z. Myers find the time to blog so much?
Here are some things that deserve consideration, that I’ve not had time to consider.
Dallas is only #2 on the national allergy list: #1 is Tulsa. This is a ranking one wishes to lose.
The Texas Senate passed a bill to change the current state-mandated test for high school students. Tests are not a panacea, and the current structure seems to be doing more damage than good, in dropout rates, and especially in learning. What will take the place of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS)? No one knows, yet. Much work to do — but there is widespread understanding that TAKS is not doing much of what was hoped.
Incentive pay for teachers: Despite a cantakerous and troubled roll-out in Houston’s schools, and despite widespread discontent with the execution of incentive pay programs that appear to miss their targets of rewarding good teachers who teach their students will, Texas has identified 1,132 schools in the state that are eligible for the next phase of the $100 million teacher incentive program. Some administrators think that, no matter how a program misfires, they can’t change it once they’ve started it. ‘Stay the course, no matter the damage,’ seems to be the battle cry. (And you wondered where Bush got the idea?)
Saving historic trains: History and train advocates saved the Texas State Railroad earlier this year; now they want $12 million to upgrade the engines, cars and tracks, to make the thing a more valuable tourist attraction and history classroom. Texas has spent a decade abusing and underfunding its once-outstanding state park system. Citizens are fighting back.
Maybe you know more?
Leave a Comment » | Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), Current History, Curricula, Government, History, No Child Left Behind Act, Politics, Public education, TAKS, Teacher Pay, TEKS, Texas, Texas history, Travel | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
You are currently browsing the Millard Fillmore's Bathtub blog archives for April, 2007.
Ed Darrell on Texas's Colorado River
Come on in, the water's fine. Come often: Cleanliness is next to godliness.
Millard Fillmore's Bathtub 