Celebrating January 2026 Celebrate the New Year and make big plans for your classroom.

After a decade, #StrangerThings concludes. The Mind Flayer's true role gets lost, opportunities for deeper 1980s themes missed. As someone who lived it, the nostalgia rings hollow.

Merry Christmas Hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas.

25+ books that shaped my year: Alan Taylor's continental histories, leadership lessons from Longstreet to Truman, Steve Berry's financial thrillers, and graphic novels from March to Batman. Full list inside.

Teaching in the age of AI: Students reach for ChatGPT at every moment of struggle, bypassing the cognitive work that builds critical thinking. Are we creating answer-finders or thinkers?

#WhatIf the Prussian leaders of German military corps along the Russian border helped to create a security league in response to the rise of Bolshevism? The Baltic Defense League with support of Entente leaders could have lead Europe into a very different 20th century.

Happy Snow Day Kentucky

Using comics to teach the Bill of Rights engages students by transforming abstract legal principles into relatable narratives, facilitating understanding of constitutional law through visual storytelling and current events. #ComicsInTheClassroom #BillOfRights

Real leadership isn't about power—it's about protecting others, creating more leaders, and leading with empathy. Reflections on teaching freshmen what it truly means to value people. #leadership

Moving Discovery from Udvar-Hazy to Houston misses the point. Instead of fighting over Cold War trophies, Houston should showcase SpaceX, ISS modules & the future of space exploration.

December 2025 encourages celebrating diverse traditions, reflecting on personal growth, and fostering cultural understanding through various educational activities, ensuring inclusive and joyful learning experiences in classrooms. #MonthlyMindfulness

Cuban troops fighting in Angola shattered apartheid South Africa's myth of military invincibility, forcing negotiations that would help end white minority rule. #Cuba

The bitter 1932-33 transition between Hoover and FDR deepened the Depression as political strategy trumped cooperation. A cautionary tale about the costs of partisan conflict during crisis. #Hoover #FDR

In the Great Depression, Major General Butler exposed a conspiracy by wealthy industrialists to instigate a fascist coup against Roosevelt's government, raising concerns about democracy's fragility.

Using comic books to teach representation, digital citizenship, and social justice. Check out my fall semester posters exploring Hispanic heritage, Digital Citizenship, Native American stories, and Jewish culture through superhero narratives. #ComicBooksInClassrooms

November 2025 encourages gratitude, cultural appreciation, and reflection on history, inspiring educational opportunities that celebrate heritage, recognize contributions, and foster critical thinking and community engagement. #MonthlyMindfulness

Ada Ferrer's "Cuba: An American History" redefines US-Cuba relations, blending personal insights with rigorous scholarship, making it essential for understanding intertwined histories and contemporary foreign policy. #BookReview

A failed 1952 coup against Batista could have sparked Caribbean unity, leading to a confederation resisting imperialism and fostering democracy, transforming regional dynamics significantly.

King George III, who reigned from 1760 to 1820, significantly influenced British history through military conflicts, imperial expansion, and personal struggles, shaping the pre-Victorian global order.

From Page to Screen: Teaching Suspense Through Tolkien and Shelley Using books like LOTR and Frankenstein to evaluate screenwriting process and teach suspense is a great activity for October.

October 2025 offers educational opportunities celebrating cultural heritage, historical milestones, and scientific discoveries, inspiring students to appreciate diversity and develop critical thinking skills for the future. #MonthlyMindfulness

"The Ornament of the World" by María Rosa Menocal explores the collaborative cultural achievements of Muslims, Jews, and Christians in medieval Spain, emphasizing their tolerance and intellectual exchange. #BookReview

Adobe Creative Educators uses monthly challenges to try new activities in @AdobeExpress each month please enjoy my take on the September and October challenges for fall 2025. #AdobeEduCreative

Toledo became a crucial hub for knowledge transfer between Islamic and Christian worlds after its conquest in 1085, sparking the Renaissance and laying foundations for modern European civilization. #HispanicHeritageMonth

420 Years of Don Quixote Miguel de Cervantes' "Don Quixote" revolutionized the novel form, explored the human condition, offered social commentary, and inspired various adaptations across art forms.

#JohnMarshall Chief Justice for 34 years, shaped American law, established judicial review, and balanced federal and state powers, creating a framework for national unity and growth.

Medieval Spain was a tolerant, multicultural society where Muslims, Christians, and Jews collaborated intellectually, preserving and expanding knowledge, influencing Europe's Renaissance, and shaping modern Hispanic culture. #HispanicHeritageMonth

What We Need To Remember Image generated using Google Gemini Image prompt:Create a neon sign with the words Be Kind in blue neon over the empty parking of a rural grocery store in the American Midwest. Night time image. Aspect ratio 16:9

#WhatIf Otto von Bismarck's early death during the Franco-Prussian War could have escalated the conflict into a widespread European war, drastically altering history and delaying German unification.

Congrats to #Andor

September 2025 is an opportunity for educators to foster inclusive classroom communities by celebrating cultural heritage, promoting mental health awareness, and addressing significant historical events. #MonthlyMindfulness

#HurricaneKatrina legacy shapes American disaster response, education reform, and climate preparedness. Its lessons remain vital as new disasters emerge, highlighting ongoing challenges and adaptation needs.

As educators and learners, we have a responsibility to teach and learn this history with honesty, nuance, and respect for those who lived it. Only through understanding our complete past can we work toward a more just future.

Book Review: Harry Turtledove Southern Victory Series Harry Turtledove's Southern Victory series examines an alternate history where the Confederacy wins the Civil War, exploring its implications through complex characters and insightful themes.

#StNapoleonaDay illustrates how political leaders manipulate cultural traditions to enhance power, shaping national identity while intertwining Napoleon's legacy with religious significance in France. #TDIH #OTD

Martyn Rady's "The Middle Kingdoms" presents a comprehensive history of Central Europe, emphasizing its unique identity and detailing the complexity of its regional cultures for general readers. #BookReview

Happy First Day of School Starting year 23 for me and my classroom adventures.

This article presents an alternate history of D-Day, exploring how different strategic decisions by Roosevelt and Churchill could have reshaped World War II and the post-war era.

The Educator Who Rose from Civil War Ashes: How Mary McLeod Bethune Built an Educational Empire from Slavery’s Ruins When most Americans think of Civil War heroes, they envision generals like Grant and Sherman, or politicians like Lincoln and Douglas. But the war's most profound victory may have…

August 2025 offers opportunities to celebrate diversity, honor history, and inspire students' engagement. #BackToSchool

This isn't just a reboot; it's a love letter to everything that makes Superman enduring, wrapped in modern filmmaking techniques and delivered with Gunn's signature blend of humor and genuine emotion. #MovieReview #Superman

David I. Kertzer's "The Pope at War" critically analyzes Pope Pius XII's actions during World War II, revealing complicity with fascist regimes and moral failings amid the Holocaust. #BookReview

Elizabeth Varon's "Longstreet" redefines the Confederate general's legacy, highlighting his tactical brilliance and post-war advocacy for racial reconciliation, challenging entrenched historical myths. #BookReview

Simon Hall's "Three Revolutions" explores the impact of journalism on revolutionary movements in the 20th century through dual biographies of revolutionaries and their journalists, highlighting media's influence on history. #BookReview

This summer's reading highlighted leadership lessons from historical figures and the importance of moral courage, adaptability, and vision, emphasizing that effective leadership emerges during crises. #SummerReading #BookReview

Rachel Chrastil's "Bismarck's War: The Franco-Prussian War and the Making of Modern Europe" brings these human stories to the forefront, creating what critics have called "the definitive history of a transformative conflict." #FrancoPrussianWar

Finding a random map led to a #WhatIf discovery about a possible labor induced Civil War in 1937 USA.

The reviewed collections, Cowley's "What If?" trilogy and Ferguson's "Virtual History," offer distinct approaches to counterfactual history, enhancing critical thinking skills for advanced students in history education. #BookReview

The post explores how baseball films transcend mere entertainment, offering profound reflections on American dreams, identity, and the human experience through narratives that resonate emotionally and culturally. #MLBAllStarGame

Hubert Humphrey's 1948 convention speech redefined the Democratic Party's approach to civil rights, shaping its future political identity and liberating it from Southern segregationist influences.