NAME:
Mrs. Clark
SCHOOL:
Padua Franciscan High School
CLASSES:
Advanced Placement United States History & United States History
EMAIL:
lclark@paduafranciscan.com
I have been teaching American History for more than 20 years, beginning at
the middle school level. I am beginning my 14th year at Padua Franciscan
and am currently the Social Studies Department Chair and teach both United
States History and Advanced Placement U.S. History. I believe that students
are the historians in the classroom. They investigate the past, analyze
sources, create hypotheses, interpret the documents and reach conclusions
about history. My class is focused on learning history through hands-on
activities involving primary sources, research, class discussions and inter-
active projects. As a result of my education philosophy and teaching
techniques, I have been recognized as a Disney Teacher in 1995 and as the
Gilder-Lehrman Ohio History Teacher of the Year in 2004.
Your study of United States History this year will give you a better
understanding of the key events, people, and issues that have been
instrumental in shaping our society. As a citizen of a country which allows
you the opportunity to be involved in political, economic and social
decision making, it is your responsibility to be adequately informed in
order to make intelligent decisions. With rights, one must be willing to
accept responsibilities in order to maintain those rights. In the words of
Columbia University Professor Kenneth T. Jackson, "Unlike many other
peoples, Americans are not bound together by a common religion or common
ethnicity. Our binding heritage is a democratic vision of liberty, equality
and justice. If Americans are to preserve that vision and bring it to daily
practice, it is imperative that all citizens understand how it was shaped in
the past, what events and forces either helped or obstructed it, and how it
has evolved down to the circumstances and political discourse of our time."
It is my goal that along with an increased knowledge of the history of our
country, students will also improve their chronological thinking, historical
comprehension, historical analysis and interpretation, historical research
capabilities and historical issues-analysis and decision-making to
ultimately make them better citizens in a democratic society. Ultimately,
what I hope my students accomplish by the end of the year is an appreciation
for and a love of history!