Hello friends,

I hope this post finds you well and enjoying your summer, wherever you may be and whatever you may be doing! My family and I just got back from an extended family vacation in Florida, during which time we went to three Disney parks (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios), visited Clearwater beach on the Gulf side, and relaxed in our AirBnB house on our off days. It was a crazy, hot vacation but one in which we spent time with family and friends, and generally took a break from our normal routines. Now that we’re back home, I’m ready to enjoy the rest of my summer before the new school year starts in August. There are a few things I wanted to talk about in this post, so let’s get to it…

Master’s Degree Progress

In my Spring 2023 post, I revealed that I began a second master’s degree with the hopes of eventually securing employment in higher education working as an instructional designer. I started on March 1 and had completed five courses by the time we went on vacation. I have five courses left, which I hope to finish by early November (more on the why later). Part of my capstone project for this degree is that I will implement an e-learning unit that I create into a class I already teach, so I’ll be utilizing my pre-existing student population to complete this task and finish out my degree. I’m excited for the possibilities that await once I officially finish the program; ideally, I’ll be able to continue working from home in a remote position, but I will certainly be grateful for anything I can find that allows me to better provide for Sarah and the kids.

The Ivory Obelisk Progress

As mentioned in my last post, the release of this work-in-progress won’t be until later into 2024, but I have been chipping away here and there at details and aspects of the story that need attention per my editor’s suggestions, as well as my own desire for changes. While these revisions will result in eliminating chunks of text from my manuscript, what I’m changing and adding will hopefully improve the story and make it more impactful; after all, deleting chunks of text is all part of the revision process. The current manuscript is around 66,000 words, which is right around where I originally aimed to finish; however, the finished product might eclipse the 70,000 word mark — which wouldn’t upset me, to be honest. While I didn’t set out to write a huge book, the story is developing in a way that is seeing elements of the story enhanced and expanded…and it’s kind of a cool process to be a part of.

‘History of the Holocaust’ Curriculum Development

If you’ve been following along for the past few years, you probably know that I have done a lot of work in curriculum development for both the high school and college courses I have taught. As part of starting my second master’s degree program in March, I was quickly inspired by the competency learning model and felt compelled to apply those principles to my ‘History of the Holocaust’ class that I teach with my high school students. The curriculum currently in place is okay, but in my opinion doesn’t challenge the students as best as perhaps they could be challenged, nor does it offer an authentic opportunity for student-led learning and inquiry (not to mention assessment). After getting the green light from my administration, I began implementing curricular changes I had already been plotting and planning. At my current pace of development, this new curriculum should be finished the week before I go back for teacher pre-service on August 14.

The basic gist of this competency-based format is that our live class sessions will be very student-centered and interactive, gamified by various tech tools, and all built to help students brainstorm, develop, and produce final versions of a piece of competency evidence — essentially the demonstrated proof of students’ understanding of each course competency. There are 10 competency statements in the course, and students can complete up to 4 competency evidence assignments each, resulting in a total of 40 assignments across a semester. The more evidence a student submits, the higher their grade; and they must demonstrate competency on all 10 statements at least once in order to pass the class. There is a summative assessment over larger concepts and topics in the course at semester’s end, which contributes to 20% of their overall grade (with the competency evidence portfolio constituting the remaining 80%). I’m excited to implement this new system and see how it positively benefits my students.

There’s a lot going on this summer and into the coming school year, but I’m excited for how I’ll learn and grow from everything I do and from those with whom I work — whether learning, writing, or teaching. I wish you well over the coming few months and hope you enjoy your summer!

Until next time,

Mike/”Eli”