How I Joined Teach for America—and Got Sued for $20 Million

[Jaron]

It is covered in 6th grade:

6.2   Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Kush.

[Jaron]

Please note:

That really means: students draw a map of mesopotamia, read a couple of myths, make king tut masks, and go back to learning cursive.

[Malthus]

Connecting the sumerians and babylonians to western political thought may not be at the high school level, but certainly they should learn about them in a course on western history. Don't you think?

Well, yes. But expecting more than a sketchy outline may be a bit too ambitious.

[jimmy olsen]

So no sumerians, babylonians, assyrians, egyptians(!), persians either? I'm not against teaching to the test in subjects like math or science, but if history tests are going to exclude so much material, then I don't think teaching to the test is adequate.

Your average student may find it difficult to 'relate the moral and ethical principles in ancient sumerian, babylonian, assyrian, egyptian and persian thought to the development of Western political thought'. 

I made my students write an essay comparing the Justinian concept of law to our own.

[Jaron]

I wasn't allowed to assign writing.


Them: "Don't assign any writing assignments."

Me: "Why not?"

Them: "Because their writing abilities are low, so we don't make them write. Also, this is history class, not english."

Me: "Okay "

[Neil]

10.9.8   Discuss the establishment and work of the United Nations and the purposes and functions of the Warsaw Pact, SEATO, NATO, and the Organization of American States

Wait a second - SEATO had a function ????

Goodwill with Australia and New Zealand.  Gave Nixon something to do when he wasn't filling in for Eisenhower's disabled ass.

[Jaron]

10.9.8   Discuss the establishment and work of the United Nations and the purposes and functions of the Warsaw Pact, SEATO, NATO, and the Organization of American States

Wait a second - SEATO had a function ????

Goodwill with Australia and New Zealand.  Gave Nixon something to do when he wasn't filling in for Eisenhower's disabled ass.

[Malthus]

So no sumerians, babylonians, assyrians, egyptians(!), persians either? I'm not against teaching to the test in subjects like math or science, but if history tests are going to exclude so much material, then I don't think teaching to the test is adequate.

Your average student may find it difficult to 'relate the moral and ethical principles in ancient sumerian, babylonian, assyrian, egyptian and persian thought to the development of Western political thought'. 

I made my students write an essay comparing the Justinian concept of law to our own.

As far as I know Justinian wasn't a "sumerian, babylonian, assyrian, egyptian [or] persian". 

[Jaron]

So no sumerians, babylonians, assyrians, egyptians(!), persians either? I'm not against teaching to the test in subjects like math or science, but if history tests are going to exclude so much material, then I don't think teaching to the test is adequate.

Your average student may find it difficult to 'relate the moral and ethical principles in ancient sumerian, babylonian, assyrian, egyptian and persian thought to the development of Western political thought'. 

I made my students write an essay comparing the Justinian concept of law to our own.

As far as I know Justinian wasn't a "sumerian, babylonian, assyrian, egyptian [or] persian". 

[Ed Anger]

Should have made them do a report on The Secret History

[jimmy olsen]

So no sumerians, babylonians, assyrians, egyptians(!), persians either? I'm not against teaching to the test in subjects like math or science, but if history tests are going to exclude so much material, then I don't think teaching to the test is adequate.

Your average student may find it difficult to 'relate the moral and ethical principles in ancient sumerian, babylonian, assyrian, egyptian and persian thought to the development of Western political thought'. 

I made my students write an essay comparing the Justinian concept of law to our own.

As far as I know Justinian wasn't a "sumerian, babylonian, assyrian, egyptian [or] persian". 

But he doesn't fall under the category of "Greek, Roman or Jew"

[Jaron]

When I had to teach 8th grade , my teacher made me give the students revolutionary war masks to cut out and made up some shit she called "University of US Constitutional Law" and made me hand them fake hand written diplomas if they get an A on the test while she played Pomp and Circumstance on her ghetto blaster.

A part of me died that day.

[Malthus]

Should have made them do a report on The Secret History

10.1.4   Students compare and contrast the political ramifications of the Empress Theodora's "animal act" stage show on the Byzantine mob, with the media circus surrounding Clinton's infamous Whitehouse blowjob.   

[Malthus]

But he doesn't fall under the category of "Greek, Roman or Jew"

Disagree. He was both ethnically Roman (spoke Latin rather than Greek as a child) and grew to preside over a court that still considered itself "Roman".  The Corpus Juris Civilis was written in Latin and was self-conciously a compilation of "Roman" law.

[Jaron]

But he doesn't fall under the category of "Greek, Roman or Jew"

Disagree. He was both ethnically Roman (spoke Latin rather than Greek as a child) and grew to preside over a court that still considered itself "Roman".  The Corpus Juris Civilis was written in Latin and was self-conciously a compilation of "Roman" law.

Agree.