Category Archives: US History

Social Justice

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Social justice is a cornerstone of every class I teach. It is so wonderful that Carondelet embraces this belief in social justice. How can any student truly understand the concept of “leadership and service to the dear neighbor without distinction” without first understanding the meaning of social justice? I consider myself so lucky to be in a school where these values are not just tolerated, but truly embraced.


Jeff Bezos is the world’s lone hectobillionaire.

This brings me to the topic at hand. Amazon. I love Amazon. It is so easy, and they have everything under the sun from my weird refrigerator water filters to the latest literature about education. But this convenience comes at a price. There is the environmental impact of packaging and fuel. There is the cost to local businesses, and even other online businesses. But the really big cost, the one that gets me the most is the human cost. The more I read about what Amazon is doing to its employees, and the comparison to the obscene income of Jeff Bezos, the more I realize that Amazon is becoming a giant symbol of social injustice.


Amazon is the leader of the new robber baron companies. The more I read, the more I realize how much I need to find ways to protest Amazon. A recent Atlantic Monthly article brought to my attention just how bad Amazon is for its employees and how bad an example it is of a “successful” company. “Bezos is the world’s lone hectobillionaire. He is worth what the average American family is, nearly two million times over.” Amazon pays below the going average wages for unskilled labor. Amazon works its labor force at a grueling pace. This is not Bangladesh or some other third world country. This is the American mainstream labor force. No wonder we have so many social problems.

Bringing this back to Carondelet, Amazon is only one of real world problems we present to our students. This is the type of problem that has the power to truly engage our students. As I see how our students respond to such problems, as I witness our students’ empathy, I am given hope that these are the students that will go out into the world and make a real difference. Carondelet is preparing students to bring light to an otherwise dark future. How many schools can make that claim?

When Ven a Ver Experiences Are Equally Beneficial To The Teacher

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So far this year I have had the privilege of experiencing two Ven A Ver Trips, Washington D.C. and Appalachia (West Virginia). Although both experiences were very different (conference vs an immersion), but spoke to me in a way that I was able to bring what I learned back into the classroom. Although I teach Religious Studies, I don’t believe that this is the only discipline that can do this. Areas of Science, Social Studies, English and Modern Languages can all apply the information that I gained on these experiences. I will touch on the parallels in these disciplines in the following paragraphs. In Washington D.C. the Teach-In had its emphasis on Immigration (especially DACA), and Racism and it’s links to Mass Incarceration. This experience was eye opening for a number of reasons. Hearing first hand about the lives of those effected by racism and outdated legislation created a fire in me to not be silent to and make it a priority to educate those who can help make those changes; our students. We can often be blind to legislation that exists in other states because it doesn’t effect us, but in reality those pieces of legislation are a part of the problem because they increase the numbers in the prison system. When we met with our local California Representatives they received us in a very positive way and were supportive of the causes we were advocating for. But the legislation problems lie outside of our state boarders. This trip opened our group up to see a responsibility to not only speak with our Representative, but also seek to contact Representatives from other areas. It also allowed us to not be ignorant regarding racism and how it is effecting this country today.
The stories that were told by other students and presenters emphasized the need to be educated in these areas and to not be content with saying it is better now, so let’s focus on something else. I am sure that these issues are already being discussed in our Modern Language classes. Our English classes already write letters to our Representatives, and this is another confirmation that we need to keep doing this. The message we received from our Representatives was that they want to hear from us regarding specific legislation that they can focus on. In Appalachia the effects of the Opioid epidemic and the decline of the Coal and Steel industry were clearly visible. Unemployment rates in statistics can allow us to oversee the issues in a state such as West Virginia where two counties have unemployment as high as 9.5%. Being in the state makes it even more real, and emphasized the importance of helping our students realize the reality that fellow Americans face. The sources of energy per state differs and we need to be mindful of the environmental impact from those different sources. Mountain Top Removal and environmental disasters such as coal slurry pits are covered in Science courses. The moral dilemmas of how much to effect our natural environment is also covered in Religious Studies courses. The Ven a Ver to Appalachia helps the students see first hand what they had been studying. It also help me bring what I discovered there back to Carondelet to help the students understand the issues from another point of view. Although it may appear that these trips portray a sense of hopelessness, slivers of hope can be found in the stories we heard. One Post-Graduate student in West Virginia is experimenting with Coal and the properties it has when it is superheated. It turns into a non-flammable substance that is an incredible insulator. What this Post-Graduate student has created is not being looked in to by NASA. I have been incredibly happy to have been able to experience these two Ven a Ver trips and to bring back what I have learned to Carondelet and the classroom. These trips allow for the problems and solutions to be seen through the lens of a variety of disciplines, which helps me teach to a broader pool of students (and their interests). I am looking forward to being a part of more trips and to help see the solutions through the fog of despair.

North Korea Conflict Discussion assignment

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This assignment worked well at the beginning of my U.S. History class this year.

North Korea Nuclear Missile Crisis

Each team will make slides that answers your teams questions. After the team completes the slides, your team will give a brief presentation using the slides to inform the class about your topic. Each group should cover each question with the answers clearly so the class understands the topic you are presenting. (Remember to bring your textbook, IPAD
Team 1 –North Korea
1.  Where is North Korea? (Show location-a map)
2. Who is the leader of North Korea? (Include a picture of the leader.)
3. What is North Korea’s relationship with the United States and her allies? Explain.
4. Why did Kim Jong Un vow to retaliate “thousands of times” against Washington for new U.N. sanctions and North Korea was “examining” a strike on American forces on the Pacific Island of Guam?
5. Why is North Korea building ICBM’s and developing nuclear capacity? Who is their target? Explain.
Team 2-South Korea

1. Where is South Korea? (Show location-a map)
2. Who is the leader of South Korea? (Include a picture of the leader.)
3. What is South Korea’s relationship with the United States? Explain.
4. What is the DMZ? Discuss the importance of United Nations troops that are stationed there.
5. How are South Korea and United Nation troops responding to North Korea’s threats?

Team 3-United States

1. Where are the United States and Guam located in relationship to North Korea? (Show locations-a map)
2. How are the United States and the United Nations responding to North Korea ICBM tests? Explain what an ICBM missile is and why it is so important strategically.
3. What is the United States policy regarding North Korea becoming a nuclear power? Explain.
4. How did President Trump respond to the vow of North Korea to retaliate “thousands of times” against Washington for new U.N. sanctions and North Korea was “examining” a strike on American forces on the Pacific Island of Guam?
5. What are the United Nations sanctions against North Korea and what does the U.N. want North Korea to do? (Include the work of Nikki Haley to provide a unified United Nations front against North Korea so they stop their testing program.)

Team 4-Guam

1. Where is Guam located? (Show location-a map)
2. Who is the leader of Guam and who controls this area? (Show a picture of the leader.)
3. What is Guam’s relationship to the United States? Explain.
4. How is Guam reacting to North Korea’s threat? Explain.
5. What does 14 minutes mean to people living on the island of Guam?

Team 5-Japan

1. Where is Japan located? (Show location-a map)
2. Who is the leader of Japan? (Show a picture of the leader)
3. What is Japan’s relationship to the United States? Explain.
4. How is Japan reacting to North Korea threats to the region? Explain.
5. What is Japan doing to prepare for the possible ICBM threat?

Team 6-China

1. Where is China located? (Show location-a map)
2. Who is the leader of China? (Show a picture of the leader)
3. What is China’s relationship with North Korea? Explain.
4. What is China’s relationship with the United States? Explain.
5. How is China reacting to North Korea threats to the region? Explain.
6. Why is China so important diplomatically in this current crisis in the Pacific? (Explain)

Quiz Questions:

1.  Completely discuss the question-Should North Korea be allowed to have nuclear weapons? (support your answer with examples and evidence)

2.  Completely discuss the question-North Korea is examining a strike on American forces on the Pacific Island of Guam, how should the United States respond to that threat? (support your answer with examples and evidence)

3.  Completely discuss the question-The United Nations have unanimously sanctioned North Korea, what else should the United Nations do to contain North Korea? (support your examples and evidence.)