Pearson's 2008 Teacher of the Year Videos

Several weeks ago I was in New York with the other state teachers of the year and attended our last activity as a group. We were the guests of Pearson and had the opportunity to create a short video answering the question "Why Do I Teach?" It was a great experience as each of us created a short video in one afternoon of work. The videos of all the 2008 state teachers of the year are now posted online.

Link to see all the 2008 Teacher of the Year Videos from Pearson

I encourage you to visit the site and view some of the videos. Over the past 10 months this group of teachers became incredibly close and I have enjoyed viewing each of the videos and recalling conversations I have had with each of them. These teachers have so much to share and hearing their stories is truly inspiring.

I would like to thank Pearson for the opportunity to capture our stories and allow us as a group to experience digital storytelling. Pearson also provided each of us with a Flip videocam to use for future projects and I have truly enjoyed using this device which I think should be in the hands of each teacher in America.

Podcast - Grace Corrigan, Mother of Christa McAuliffe, at 2008 International Teachers Space Camp

Hello. Today's podcast is a presentation from the 2008 International Teacher Space Camp by Grace Corrigan (mother of Astronaut Christa McAuliffe). It is great presentation about the life of Christa and what it meant for her to represent teachers in space. I was not aware until listening to Grace that Christa was a history teacher and had a very interesting approach to how she taught history to her students.

Grace also gave us a copy of her book - A Journal for Christa. I have started it and highly recommend it to all teachers.

Direct link to Podcast #155 - Grace Corrigan, Mother of Christa McAuliffe at 2008 International Teachers Space Camp - MP3 Audio File

Attending 2008 International Teacher Space Camp

Hello. Today's podcast is a recap of the 2008 International Teacher Space Camp. The camp was a collection of the state teachers of the year and about 30 international teachers from around the world. As we attended the week long camp in Huntsville, Alabama we studied rockets, science, space, ran simulated shuttle missions, listened to astronauts and had a blast (no pun intended). After you listen to the podcast, check out the pictures and video from this great week.

Direct link to Podcast #154 - 2008 International Space Camp - MP3 Audio File

Zune in My Classroom Presentation at National Education Computing Conference in San Antonio

Microsoft's Kathy Richardson and myself at the Zune section of the Microsoft booth at NECC.

Hello. Today's podcast is the audio from my presentation last week in San Antonio at NECC. I gave my presentation on the second day of the conference at the Microsoft booth and described the Zune pilot I completed with my 8th grade American history students. It was a busy exhibit floor at the time of the presentation and there is a lot of background noise but I think it is still audible.

The Zune pilot I completed at South Valley Junior High School - along with the pilot which took place at Fort Sumner High School in New Mexico - has been featured in an AP story which was picked up by various media outlets including CNN.

Direct link to Speaking of History Podcast #153 - Zune In My Classroom Presentation at 2008 NECC in San Antonio - MP3 Audio - 23:25 Minutes

The presentation is also available in video format thanks to Texas teacher Kyle Stevens of the Final Curve blog who recorded it and posted it to YouTube as two videos. Thanks Kyle for taping and posting the videos. I have embedded the videos below.

Presentation on eLECTIONS at San Antonio - National Education Computing Conference

Hello. Today's podcast is the audio from our eLECTIONS presentation last week at NECC in San Antonio. I co-presented this session with Frank Gallagher of Cable in the Classroom. eLECTIONS is a free online simulation in which students can play against each other or the computer and run a presidential campaign. If you teach the 2008 election you need to check out this game for use in your classroom.

The session was well attended - a full house with people standing in the back. Of course it is only the audio so there are some limitations without the visuals but I think it has value if you are interested in using the resource.

If you have any comments please feel free to leave a comment on this blog post or you can e-mail me directly at speakingofhistory@gmail.com Thanks.

Direct link to Speaking of History Podcast #152 - eLECTIONS Presentation at 2008 NECC in San Antonio - MP3 Audio - 60 Minutes

Throwing Out The First Pitch at Royals - Cardinals Game in St. Louis

This past week I was able to fulfill a lifetime dream - throwing out the first pitch at a major league game. As the 2007/2008 Missouri Teacher of the Year I was asked to throw out the first pitch at the June 18th Kansas City Royals - St. Louis Cardinals game at Busch Stadium.

Boeing - the primary sponsor for the Missouri Teacher of the Year Program - made the event possible. It was an incredible experience that I was able to share with my dad and my brother. My dad actually caught the first pitch with the Bob Feller glove he had as a child in the late 1940's.

In the podcast I describe the event - which also included a TV interview on the pre-game show, a radio interview in the 4th inning on the Cardinals radio network, a tour of the video control center for Busch Stadium and watching the game from the Best Buy suite. I have included video of the first pitch - which has been posted on You Tube and a goofy pregame interview my brother did with my dad and I.

Direct link to Speaking of History #148 - Throwing Out the First Pitch at the Royals / Cardinals Game - MP3 Audio File - 10:05 Minutes

Presentation at Ladue Middle School in St. Louis

Ladue Middle School in St. Louis, Missouri

Me and Ladue Middle School Math Teacher Joe Klein

Today I am giving a presentation at Ladue Middle School in St. Louis, Missouri to 6th, 7th and 8th grade teachers. I have enjoyed presenting to a variety of audiences this year but speaking directly to middle school teachers about using technology to enhance the curriculum is very rewarding.

The presentation can be viewed here on SlideShare (love that application).

Visit to Mr. Chamberlain's 5th Grade Classroom in Noel, Missouri

Hello. Today I have a very special podcast. I have been following the activities of William Chamberlain's 5th grade science classroom in Noel, Missouri for months on the web. Mr. C's class is an excellent example of a web 2.0 classroom using blogs, Twitter, uStream, YouTube, VoiceThread, etc. I was given the opportunity to visit a classroom as the Missouri Teacher of the Year and jumped at the chance to travel about 3 hours south to spend a morning in their class.

The podcast features a short interview with the students. The audio doesn't do justice to the energy and excitement in this classroom. I applaud Mr. Chamberlain for all his efforts in using technology the right way. Several times today while visiting with him about using technology in the classroom he stressed the point that he only chooses to implement technology in his classroom if it has a purpose in meeting his primary goal of reaching his students. Please check out Mr. C's class here.

Special thanks to Mr. C and all of this students that I met today. I hope they finish out the school year with the same energy and that they continue to use these tools in future years. I have a deep respect for Mr. C and I would love to have him teach science to my daughters. Thanks for allowing me to visit your school.

Direct link to Podcast #142 - A Visit to William Chamberlain's 5th Grade Classroom in Noel, Missouri - MP3 Audio - 17:20 Minutes

Activities at the National Teacher of the Year Ceremonies in Washington DC

Note: This entry is also posted at Eric's regular blog - Speaking of History

Hello. Today I review the week my family and I spent in Washington DC last week attending national Teacher of the Year activities. My visit to the White House and meeting President Bush was discussed in the previous podcast (Speaking of History Podcast #140) but this podcast will discuss the events which took place during the remainder of the week. I have also included numerous pictures from the week.

Direct link to Podcast #141 - Teacher of the Year Activities in Washington DC - MP3 Audio File - 16:40 Minutes

Meeting President Bush in the Oval Office at the White House

Hello. Today is one of those days that you never forget. One of the amazing opportunities that I've had while serving as the 2007 / 2008 Missouri Teacher of the Year happened today as I met President Bush in the Oval Office of the White House. Of course as a history teacher and political geek that was beyond cool. It also seemed surreal as I had the chance to have my picture taken with the president and then participate in a Teacher of the Year ceremony at the Rose Garden.

I sat down and recorded a podcast before I went to bed for the night - in part so that my 8th grade students back in Liberty could share in the experience in class on Thursday. I have included some pictures that I took during the experience at the White House. I had a great seat on the isle during the ceremony at the White House and can't believe how great the pictures turned out.

Congratulations to our new 2008 National Teacher of the Year - Michael Geisen - a 7th grade science teacher from Oregon. He will be an amazing representative for all teachers across the country and I hope many of you will have the opportunity to see and hear him speak as he travels this year.

Direct link to Podcast #140 - Meeting President Bush at the Oval Office in the White House - MP3 Audio File - 16:30 minutes

Show Notes:

Official White House Press Release on the 2008 National Teacher of the Year Ceremony

Missouri State Daughters of the American Revolution Banquet

Hello. This year as I have the honor of traveling the state to as the Missouri Teacher of the Year at banquets, conferences and conventions I often record the presentation with my portable iRiver MP3 player. I usually don't produce the presentation but at times it does fit into one of the three themes of this podcast - education, history or technology. Today I am podcasting the speech I gave at the 2008 Missouri Daughters of the American Revolution banquet held on April 5 in Columbia, Missouri. It is a great organization that does amazing things to promote American history in our schools through student contests and scholarships.

Direct link to Speaking of History Podcast #139 - Speech at 2008 Missouri Daughters of the American Revolution Banquet - MP3 Audio - 17:20 Minutes

Lois Allen of the Missouri Daughters of the American Revolution and myself at the 2008 state convention in Columbia, Missouri.

Presentation at MASL (Missouri Association of School Librarians) Conference on Our Civil War Book Blog Project

Hello. Today's podcast is the audio from a presentation I gave at the MASL (Missouri Association of School Librarians) Conference at Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, Missouri on April 14, 2008. We have recently completed our Guerrilla Season book blog project - our second book blog project with this book by Pat Hughes in the past two years. I feel this project is one of my more sucessful personal applications of Web 2.0 in my own classroom.

The podcast is the audio of the presentation and is about 50 minutes in length. I do mention a wiki that has all the links to articles, sites mentioned, etc. during the presentation and that URL is listed below. I also show a short video describing the book blog project and that is available to view using the link listed below.

If you have any comments or questions about the presentation please feel free to contact me at speakingofhistory@gmail.com

Direct link to Speaking of History Podcast #137 - Hardtack to Hard Drives - The Guerrilla Season Book Blog Project - MASL Presentation - MP3 Audio Format - 56:00 minutes




Podcast #137 Show Notes:

- The Official 2008 Guerrilla Season Book Blog Project

- Wiki with links mentioned in the Hardtack to Hard Drives Presentation

- PowerPoint presentation for Hardtack to Hard Drives available on SlideShare

- Video describing the Guerrilla Season Book Blog Project

Cable in The Classroom Video

Hello. Several months ago my students were featured in a video by Cable in the Classroom that was created to demonstrate some of the ways that teachers can utilize the resources they provide to teachers. Viva Productions came and and transformed our classroom into a studio - lights, microphones, high definition cameras, etc. They shot video for the day and then created a 3 minute video that will be distributed by Cable in the Classroom to teachers throughout the country. The video is available on their web site and will be made available to cable networks across America. You can view the online version of the video here.

It was a very educational experience for myself and my students. One of the most interesting experiences for me was recording the voice over at RSVP Productions - a local sound studio. The podcast gives greater detail about the background of the project and the experience. Special thanks to everyone that made the production possible including Julie Zastrow - Viva Productions, Kat Stewart - Cable in the Classroom, RSVP Productions and Joyce Peters of Kansas City Time Warner. A huge thanks to my students who were movie stars and did an awesome job "on the set".

Direct link to Podcast #136 - Cable in the Classroom Video - A Teacher's Story - MP3 Audio File - 7:20 Minutes

NCCE Presentation on Using Microsoft and Web 2.0 Tools in the Classroom

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Northwest Council for Computing Education Conference - Seattle, Washington

I'm in Seattle for the 2008 NCCE Conference (Northwest Council for Computer Education). I will present on Friday as the Missouri Teacher of the Year on the topic of using Microsoft applications such as PhotoStory and MovieMaker along with Web 2.0 tools.

I arrived in Seattle on Wednesday afternoon - after a 2 hour delay from the Kansas City airport due to a part being replaced on the plane prior to takeoff - and headed down to the Pike Place Market. I love this place. I was here once before and the amount of fresh fruit, vegtables, fish, crafts, etc. is just incredible. I took a bunch of pictures, visited the original Starbucks and caught an amazing sunset over the Puget Sound next to the Pike Place Market.

Looking forward to a great day of attending sessions and getting some new ideas from the great people here in the Northwest.

Missouri Countil for the Social Studies Conference - St. Joseph, Missouri

I was scheduled to give a couple of presentations at the Missouri Council for Social Studies Conference in St. Joseph, Missouri over the next couple of days but winter weather - snow and ice - has postponed the conference. The conference has been rescheduled for May 9-10, 2008 and I plan on attended at that time and presenting.

Missouri Council for the Social Studies

Zune MP3 Player Pilot Podcast

Hello. In today's podcast I'll be discussing an exciting new project that will take place in my classroom this semester - a student Zune pilot. Microsoft is providing each of my 25 students in my 3rd period 8th grade American History classroom a 4GB Zune to use during the spring semester. Microsoft donated these Zunes to my school district to test out this program. Our project will start on Tuesday with a parent / student meeting where the students will be given their Zunes.

I have been using different types of digital audio content in my classroom for several years. Three years ago I started to incorporate what I call "StudyCasts" - an audio review that I create and save as an MP3 file that is then posted on the Internet so that students can listen to the review in preparing for an upcoming unit test by listening at home on the Internet, downloading the file to their MP3 player or asking me to burn it to a CD for them. The introduction of the studycast has been successful but I cannot always insure that my students have 100% access to the content. In this Zune project I know that my students will not only have the MP3 device they will also leave my classroom with the content using the Zune social feature which allows me to "beam" content - in the form of audio or pictures - to their players before the leave for the day. The Zune will allow students to listen to content, view images and view video.

Listen to the podcast to learn more about how the pilot will opperate, how we will measure outcomes and how the Zune will be incorporated into the curriculum. I will also be keeping everyone updated on the progress of the Zune pilot throughout the pilot.

Please feel free to leave a comment on the blog post or e-mail directly at speakingofhistory@gmail.com I would be interested in your experiences with a Zune or if you have used the Zune in your classroom with students.

Direct link to Podcast #132 - The Student Zune Pilot at South Valley Jr. High - MP3 audio file - 9:24 minutes

Zune MP3 Player Pilot - Liberty Tribune Article

Our 8th grade classroom Zune Pilot (see the Speaking of History Podcast #132 from February 18, 2008 for more details) was featured in our local newspaper this week - The Liberty Tribune here in Liberty, Missouri.

You can check out the article online here. Thanks to Natalie Shelton for contacting me to write the story and Anna Faltermier for the great photographs.

TechNet Conference - Lees' Summit, Missouri

Today I presented at the TechNet Conference in Lees' Summit, Missouri. Winter weather provided the Kansas City area with an icy and snowy blast this morning - in fact we did not have school today. I traveled to the conference with several other Liberty teachers, some of which also presented. I gave my general presentation on using Web 2.0 Tools in the Classroom. I was originally scheduled to present twice but we arrived late due to the weather and my first presentation was cancelled. Overall it was a great day with a limited number of participants due to the weather but I hope to attend again next year.

Powerful Learning Conference - Kansas City

I attended the Powerful Learning Conference in Kansas City today. The conference takes place over two days at the Westin Crown Center and is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The Liberty School District is a member of the Missouri Professional Learning Communitites organization and we had several staff members attending and presenting.

The keynote was a presentation by Carol Tomlinson and Jay McTighe entitled Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design. During the luncheon I was on stage to help present a variety of awards hosted by the Missouri Professional Learning Communities. I was also able to visit with teachers from around the state and met several teachers who listen to the Speaking of History podcast.

• Missouri Professional Learning Communities

Midwest Educational Computing Technology Conference - St. Charles, Missouri

This is the second year that I have attending the METC Conference in St. Charles, Missouri and it is a great conference. This year it was held at the St. Charles Convention Center - a beautiful location for this event. A total of six teachers from Liberty attended and we drove in Monday night.

I gave two presentations at the conference - "Using Web 2.0 in the Classroom" and "Hardtack to Hard Drives - The Guerrilla Season Book Blog Project". My first session, the one on Web 2.0, was packed with people standing in the back. I felt good to connect with so many teachers and I had numerous questions and positive comments after the session. The second session on the book blog had fewer people but they had some great questions.

I also attended some great sessions on digital storytelling, the Library of Congress online resources and using wikis. Rem Jackson and David Warlick gave the two keynote addresses.

Pictures from National Teacher of the Year Conference in Dallas

Myself with Jerri Powers (Kansas Teacher of the Year)

Richard Ognibene (New York Teacher of the Year ), Ann Marie Taylor (South Carolina Teacher of the Year) Martin McKeon (Maine State Teacher of the Year) and myself at dinner.

Raymond Voley (Alaska Teacher of the Year) and myself at a training session.

Steve Gardiner (Montana Teacher of the Year), myself and Michael Smart (Minnesota Teacher of they Year)

Training session to learn more about eInstruction products we will have in our classroom.

Missouri Teacher of the Year Program Coordinator David Welch and myslef at a training session.

We were greeted at the Dallas World Aquarium by Aztec warriors.

2007 National Teacher of the Year Andrea Peterson and myself at the closing dinner.

Podcast Interview with MSTA's "The Pulse"

Hello. I was recently interviewed by Todd and Gail on the MSTA (Missouri State Teachers Association) podcast "The Pulse". The orignial plan was for me to drive to Columbia and do the interview live in their studio but a quick winter snow storm forced me to stay at home so we did the interview via Skype.

I am a MSTA member and very proud of what the organization has done with emerging technologies to communicate with its members - podcasts, blogs, RSS feeds and Twitter are just a few examples.

You can find the interview here as a direct link or listen on the embedded player below. If you have any comments please feel free to leave a comment on the blog post or e-mail at speakingofhistory@gmail.com

Clay County Historical Society Winter Banquet - Liberty, Missouri

This evening I gave the after dinner presentation at the Clay County Historical Society Winter Banquet here in Liberty. The event was held at the Stepple Inn - a bed and breakfast that also hosts events. We had a delicious meal and then I shared how we use technology to teach history at South Valley Jr. High. I enjoyed giving this particular presentation because I am on the board of the historical society and I don't often have the opportunity to really discuss how technology impacts our history classroom.

Cable in the Classroom Video Production

My classroom is being featured in a video by Cable in the Classroom and today a video production crew came to shoot the raw footage. The video will focus on how we use CNN Student News, eLECTIONS video game and resources from the History Channel. This project was in place before being named Teacher of the Year.

They shot video the entire day and the final product will be a three and a half minute video completed this spring. It was a great experience for my students as they were able to be movie stars for the day.

David Warlick Educational Technology Workshop from UMKC

Hello. I am currently sitting in a David Warlick presentation at Union Station in Kansas City - sponsored by UMKC. I was even asked to introduce him at the start of the day - WOW! Talk about a thrill. I heard David about 10 years ago and read his book Raw Materials for the Mind and that is what started my journey through educational technology. He is my technology mentor and when I heard him speak for the first time he changed the way I have taught my students from that time on.

Missouri Governor Matt Blunt and Missouri Commissioner of Education Kent King Visit Classroom

Images from National Council of the Social Studies Conference in San Diego

Here are some images from the National Council of the Social Studies Conference that took place in San Diego.

National Council of the Social Studies Conference - San Diego, California

Hello. Today I did my individual presentation at the NCSS conference in San Diego. I was really pleased with the turn out - almost a full room and I thought the presentation went well. The presentation that I did is one that I have given several times in the past couple of months and is really a survey of the ways that I'm using a variety of tools with my students.

I did record the presentation with my i-River MP3 and had intended on posted it as a podcast but something really cool happened at rigth before the session started. Matt Montagne, of the Middle School Blog, asked if he could Ustream the presentation with his i-Book. I thought that was a great idea and so Matt did record the presentation. How cool is that! Click here to wach the entire presentation via Ustream. Five gold stars to Matt for recording the session - I owe you one.

If you have any comments on the presentation please leave a comment or e-mail me.

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Liberty Breakfast of Champions - Liberty, Missouri

This morning I attended a special breakfast that celebrates and honors the business community in Liberty. A representative from AT&T presented a check for the AT&T Grant that I helped write with the Clay County Historical Society and Downtown Liberty organization. We are created a self guided history tour of Liberty that people will be able to access with cell phones.

Christmas Tree Lighting at Zona Rosa

Teacher of the Year Banquet

Student Trip to Truman Library for Presentation by Governor Holden and Representative Skelton

South Valley Jr. High School students with Bob Holden at the Truman Library

Today is Veterans Day and today I was able to commemorate this special day with some of my students at the Truman Presidential Library in Independence, Missouri. We attended a presentation of the Holden Public Policy Forum on Issues for the 21st Century. Speakers included former Governor of Missouri Bob Holden and current United States Rep. Ike Skelton. Mr. Skelton is the current Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and he spoke primarily on the current War on Terror. Several of my 8th grade students from South Valley Jr. High asked questions about the current state of the U. S. military to Rep. Skelton and the hour long presentation was also broadcast live to a global audience on the Internet. The Holden Public Policy Forum is sponsored by Webster University.

Former Governor Bob Holden and I at the Truman Library

The students were able to tour and visit the Truman Library prior to the speech. The twenty-one students I was able to take with me to the presentation were well behaved throughout the day and I was very proud of the manner in which they conducted themselves during the presentation and while asking questions.

Check out a story about the presentation which appeared in The Examiner newspaper on November 13, 2007.

Read an online story about the presentation from the Missouri School Board Association web site.

Thanks to Mr. Holden and Joel Denney, Associate Executive Director of the Missouri School Board Association for an enjoyable day.

South Valley Jr. High 8th grade students at the Truman Presidential Library

2007 Missouri Academy Educator Appreciation Banquet

Tonight I had the pleasure of speaking at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri at the Missouri Academy Educator Appreciation Banquet. The Missouri Academy is an amazing program in which high school students take college courses on the campus of Northwest University and graduate with a high school diploma as well as an associates degree.

The Educator Appreciation Banquet is an opportunity for the students attending the Academy to say thanks and formally recognize a teacher who has made an impact on their life. After eating a delicious meal and learning more about the program from several students, I gave a presentation on the use of technology in today's classrooms using Web 2.0 tools.

It was a great evening and I enjoyed my first visit to the campus of the Northwest. Special thanks to Robert Bryant Jr. and Dee Dino of Northwest.

Liberty School District Foundation Honoring Our Own

The Liberty School District is very fortunate to have an organization that helps teachers obtain the extra resources they need to bring extra projects to life - The Liberty School District Foundation. Each year teachers can apply for grants for classroom projects funded by the foundation - Learning Enrichment Grants. The foundation also hosts the student H.O.P.E. (Honoring Outstanding Personal Effort) Awards and an evening program entitled Honoring Our Own which recognizes Liberty Public School Alumni who have been successful in their profession. For the past two years the Foundation has also recognized the Liberty School District Teacher of the Year in addition to the accomplished alumni.

This year's honorees included Brigadier General Jack Capps, Dr. Vicki Johnson, Captain Jacqueline Rychnovsky and Juarenne Hester. It was an honor to be recognized with these outstanding individuals.

I was also very surprised to learn that I am the recipient of a Major Saver classroom grant worth $1,000. I plan to use this funding to implement a family oral history project with my students in the spring of 2008.

Thanks to the Liberty School District Foundation and Major Saver for an amazing evening.

2007 Missouri Instructional Technology Conference

Even though it was arranged before being named the Missouri Teacher of the Year, I thought I would include my participation at the 2007 MOREnet Instructional Technology Conference at Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach.

On Sunday night I gave a workshop on creating podcasts. I enjoy giving preconference workshops because it was 2 hours of hands on practice. Monday morning I gave the keynote address to start the conference and spoke about using Web 2.0 in the classroom. It was great to share some ideas with a large audience and the feedback was extremely positive for the rest of the conference. Later on Monday I gave breakout sessions on podcasting and the Guerrilla Season book blog project. I would have loved to stay for the sessions on Tuesday but I needed to return to my classroom and since my wife and I are expecting the birth of our second child soon it was important to be closer to home.

2007 Missouri Humanities Council Governor Award

My mom, Pat Langhorst, and I outside of the Governor's Mansion in Jefferson City. (Photo by Brad Armstrong)

2007 Governor's Humanities Award Winners at the Governor's Mansion in Jefferson City

Today I was honored to receive the Governor's Humanities Award from the Missouri Humanities Council. I was nominated by several individuals from Liberty for my work with the local historical museum and organizations. The event was held at the Governor's Mansion in Jefferson City.

I was especially happy to have my mom, Pat Langhorst, in attendance as she drove down from Nebraska at attend. Also attending were my principals - Dr. Brad Armstrong and Dr. Julie Gawerecki. Other friends making the trip were Mr. and Mrs. John Ricker and Mr. and Mrs. Jim Berkley.

It was an enjoyable evening and a great opportunity to met and learn about some great projects taking place across the state in the field of history and the humanities. Special thanks also to Michael Bouman and Beth Felice. Learn more about the Missouri Humanities Council and check out their blog.

Accepting the Governor's Humanitarian Award

Dr. Julie Gawerecki - South Valley Jr. High Assistant Principal, Eric Langhorst, Dr. Brad Armstrong - Principal South Valley Jr. High School



Accepting the Governor's Humanitarian Award

City of Liberty Proclamation - "Eric Langhorst Day" October 9, 2007

2007/2008 Missouri Teacher of the Year Eric Langhorst and Liberty Mayor Robert T. Steinkamp at the October 8th Liberty City Council Meeting. Photo courtesy of Sara Cooke, Public Relations Coorindator for City of Liberty.

This week I was honored at the Liberty City Council meeting with an official proclamation. Liberty Mayor Robert T. Steinkamp declared October 9, 2007 to be "Eric Langhorst Day" in the city of Liberty. Talk about feeling like a celebrity!

Thanks to the Liberty City Council and all of their work on helping to create a community that strongly values the role of schools and education in planning for the future.

Blue Bell Ice Cream Day at South Valley Jr. High

South Valley Jr. High students enjoying Blue Bell ice cream on October 5th at lunch.

On Friday, October 5th - we had a special treat at school as Blue Bell Ice Cream provided all of the students and staff at South Valley Junior High with ice cream in honor of the Teacher of the Year recognition. Blue Bell representatives on hand included Lisa Chism, Glenn Silvis and Lauren Anderson.

During lunch each student was given a cup of Blue Bell ice cream and they also were gracious enough to provide me with a gallon of my favorite Blue Bell ice cream - Rocky Road. My wife and I are huge ice cream fans - we actually first met when I asked her out for come ice cream while taking a graduate class - so it was a big hit with my family.

Lauren Anderson and Glenn Silvis of Blue Bell help Eric Langhorst hand out ice cream to South Valley Jr. High students at lunch on October 5.

Thanks to Blue Bell Ice Cream for taking the time and effort to support the Missouri Teacher of the Year program. It is great appreciated and provided the school with a treat to celebrate the end of another great week here at SVJH.

Missouri Council for History Education State Conference - St. Louis

Joan Musbach, President of the Missouri Council for History Education, offered me an invitation to attend their annual conference on September 28-29, 2007 in St. Louis. I had little knowledge of the organization before attended but had a wonderful time listening to presentations and meeting history teachers from across the state. At the opening session I was introduced by Bill Gerling - Social Studies Coordinator for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Also recognized at the opening session was the 2007 Missouri Gilder Lehrman "Preserve America" History Teacher of the Year - Lana Dicus, a 4th grade teacher at Lipton Elementary School (Moniteau County). Congratulations to Lana on all the great methods she is using to incorporate primary sources in her classroom.

Bill Gerling - Social Studies Coordinator Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Eric Langhorst - 2007/2008 Missouri Teacher of the Year and Joan Musbach, President of the Missouri Council for History Education at the 2007 MoCHE State Conference on September 28, 2007.

The conference was held at the Missouri History Museum at Forest Park in St. Louis. This was my first opportunity to visit the Missouri History Museum and it is an amazing facility. The site had ample rooms for breakout sessions and it offered us the opportunity to visit the permanent exhibit on Charles Lindbergh and the stunning Jefferson Memorial statue in the grand hall.

Missouri History Museum at Forest Park, St. Louis - site of the 2007 MoCHE State Conference.

I enjoyed the conference and encourage history teachers from across the state to join the organization and make plans to attend the 2008 Missouri Council for History Education State Conference on September 26-27 in Blue Springs, Missouri. It will be a joint conference with the Kansas Council for History Education organization. A call for proposals to present at the 2008 conference is now open through March 15, 2008. For more information about the organization or the conference please contact Joan Musbach via e-mail or at (314) 821-0678.

Thomas Jefferson statue in the Missouri History Museum at Forest Park, St. Louis.

Clay County Resolution

On September 17, 2007 I was honored by the Clay County Commissioners at the old county courthouse during a monthly meeting. They passed a resolution in honor of the Teacher of the Year selection to celebrate the occasion. It was a very nice recognition and it was noted that Clay County is the home to the last two Missouri Teachers of the Year. The 2006-2007 Missouri Teacher of the Year was Darryl Johnson, a Communication Arts teacher at Smithville High School - another excellent school district in Clay County.

ABOVE : Craig Porter - Eastern Commissioner of Clay County, Ed Quick - Presiding Clay County Commissioner, Eric Langhorst - 2007/2008 Missouri Teacher of the Year and Larry Larson - Western Commissioner of Clay County at Clay County Commissioner Meeting held on September 17, 2007.