Bridge of Spies is a Time-Piece!

We have all seen period films and realize that their historical accuracy often leaves much to be desired. Having just viewed Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies recently, I fully recognize that there were some liberties taken with events, dialogue, and so on. However… a huge “However”… this film does not take liberties at all in the […]

A Tribute to Teachers

Picked up from The Washington Post, here is piece from the blog of Sarah Blaine, a parent, now a practicing attorney but previously a teacher:   We all know what teachers do, right? After all, we were all students. Each one of us, each product of public education, we each sat through class after class […]

O’Reilly’s “Killing…” works

I was reluctant to pick up any of the works authored by Fox Network’s Bill O’Reilly over the years for I am not on the same page politically with Mr. O’Reilly. I do find him personally to be very comfortable to listen to when he is on other programs, but on his own I have […]

C3 Framework Holds Great Promise and Potential

At the recent St. Louis NCSS National Conference, the major initiative of the conference was the unveiling of and enthusiasm for the new College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards: State Guidance for Enhancing the Rigor of K-12 Civics, Economics, Geography, and History This initiative is the result of exhaustive […]

The Butler is Powerful

Recently saw The Butler and enjoyed it immensely. I went in expecting it to be more of an expose of what went on in the White House “behind closed doors” but was pleased to find that the primary story was that of Cecil Gaines and his family. We focus on the politics of Washington DC […]

Summer’s Wonderful Baltic Cruise has History Lesson

My wife and I, along with 3 other couples, all dear friends, cruised the Baltic Sea this past July. We had 12 days of ideal weather and enjoyed all the ship’s amenities (Celebrity Cruise lines – highly recommended). Our ports were Amsterdam, Rostock, Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Talinn, and Copenhagen. All were beautiful and really […]

NCSS National Convention Coming to Boston in 2014

NCSS National Conference Update   November 21-23, 2014 seems a long way off, but yet for the NCSS National Convention and those dates in Boston, it is right around the corner. The Conference’s theme is Let Freedom Ring! The Civic Mission of Our Schools and NCSS has already contracted with the Hynes Convention Center and […]