Fatima Ghatala, a teacher at East Oakland School of the Arts (Castlemont), tells us about her AP United States history students’ diligent preparation for tomorrow’s National History Day competition. EOSA is the only school representing OUSD in the contest.

“Who would like to present their project at the county-wide National History Day competition on March 20th?” I asked. The group members excitedly looked at each other to confirm, and enthusiastically raised their hands to volunteer. The class had already spent weeks working on research topics, and this particular group of students were researching the United States-Mexico War. They were first inspired to learn more about the war because of the impact the current U.S.-Mexico border has on their communities.

Ms. Natalie Carrillo, 16, Ms. Evelyn Gameros, 17, Mr. Gerardo Martinez, 15, Mr. Ricardo Cruz, 16, and Mr. Roberto Mendoza, 17 — all AP United States History students at East Oakland School of the Arts (EOSA) — spent weeks researching, including talking to teachers in the community, visiting libraries and reading books, interviewing community organizers and activists, and canvassing internet archives. As historians, they explored primary and secondary sources and developed a thesis: The United States-Mexico War was the first in United States history in which the media was used to generate public support for war.

The five students will be presenting their research project at tomorrow’s competition, where this year’s theme of History Day is “Innovation: Impact and Change.” EOSA has the only high school students representing the Oakland Unified School District.

I have been impressed by their dedication to the project from the first day I introduced it in class. They have embodied the roles of historians and researchers, as students and as of teachers, as they dived in, asked questions, taught each other, and taught the adults around them. As an EOSA teacher, I am privileged to be witness to the brightness and beauty my students present everyday, but oftentimes I feel youth — especially black and brown youth from Deep East Oakland — are overlooked, ignored, or cast off as unable, lacking, and unintelligent.

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How do teachers inspire powerful learning? A new Web site, Rethink Learning Now, is trying to stimulate debate about this question. It is seeking brief descriptions of effective and influential teachers. Here is my submission. I hope some of you will submit your experiences also and copy your statements here on Katy’s site. -Steven

The teacher who influenced me the most was Josiah Sheilds, my eighth grade American History teacher, whose class I entered 50 years ago this month.

It was not his lectures that I remember, nor his homework assignments or tests. No, what fascinated me were the trials of historical figures he conducted in his class.

Each month students charged and tried an important and controversial person of the time period being studied. Students took the roles of the accused, witnesses, lawyers, and jurors. The student lawyers had the largest roles, researching the time period, preparing opening and closing statements, recruiting and prepping witnesses, and cross-examining the opposition witnesses. Read the rest of this entry »