Week 15 in Mr. Bruce's History

Parents and Students,

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! As of clicking "Publish", I am headed to the gym for a "12 Days of Christmas" WOD and then home for a needed break. A special thanks to those of you who offered gifts - a very kind and thoughtful gesture. I have many ornaments and decorations at home that carry the signature of these little rewards of teaching, though the "consumable" gifts are appreciated all the same :)

Our week was spent debating the key issues that arose out of the Convention in Philadelphia as our Founding Fathers drafted the new Constitution for the new nation. Please ask your son/daughter about our debates in class. For a recap, what we did was research one of the delegates to assume their identity as a contributing member of the debates that fateful Summer in 1787. I prepared lessons where we unpacked a key issue in the form of a question:

1. How should States be represented in the new government?
2. How should slaves be counted?
3. How should the Chief Executive be elected?

These questions were debated using some of the same arguments used by Madison (VA), Hamilton (NY), Sherman (CT), Gerry (MA), Wilson (PA), and others. When in doubt, or for guidance, we leaned on Madison's own notes from the convention. As you ask your son/daughter about OUR version of the debates, feel free to reference the "official" minutes of our proceedings. Once we came to a conclusion, we compared and contrasted our results to the real delegates. Some times we were real close, and other times, we were way off. Of course, it's not right to compare, but it involved us in the process to think critically about why the compromises fell as they did, both for better and for worse.

Finally, we completed our unit on Creating and Debating the Constitution. We wrapped that up today as we participated in an interactive quiz/test using Plickers. I asked them some tough questions and they got to see immediate feedback and immediate reflection on their answers.

As we look forward to the new year, we are going to begin January with a critical look at the Bill of Rights by probing the question that emerged from an article I shared with all students and now you as well. The question challenges us to assess our deeply-held views in the Bill of Rights, primarily freedom of religion. We must consider what is required of us as citizens if we expect to uphold the freedoms and liberties we hold so dear. The question is this: "Did the Founding Fathers envision/discuss the possibility of a Muslim president?"

I am looking forward to this lesson because I wonder about the contemporary challenge facing our nation as we become increasingly antagonistic toward a worldview, belief system, and civic order that we resist understanding. Please take time during these next few weeks and read the article together, keeping an open mind to what I challenged above. This is not required, but may provide for a richer experience in the classroom.

In the meantime, I wish you and your family a Very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! As well as a Happy New Year.

If we don't bump into each other until then, I remain yours,
Mr. Bruce

5th Hour Delegates from the various states meeting and
greeting as we open the Philadelphia Convention.