History

"The past is never dead. It's not even past." - William Faulkner

Seats of Power, Seats of Pants: An Informal, Unfinished History of the United States

These are brief readings on 19th- and 20th- century American history that I have written for my students.

In April, 2001, 36 students and four teachers at L-S traveled through the Deep South, following the trail of the Civil Rights Movement. It was a powerful experience which brought history into the present. To experience the sights and sounds of the trip, and to read students’ reflections about it, go to the deep south trip site.

Teacher and student reflections about the trip were also later bound into a book called "Been down into the South." Here is the book's introduction.

I've worked at the school almost 30 years. L-S is a "different kind of place," an innovative, progressive public high school. To learn more about its history, check out the two history books written about the school, one of them by students. You can find the books at:
History & Culture of LSRHS

For addtional history projects, see:
http://schechsplace.tripod.com/content/projects/projects.htm

Howl! (The Suburban Edition)

Introduction to "Howl" (The Sudbury Sutra Edition/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School students re-write the poem, 2001). The book is available at the Columbia University Library (NYC), and the Lincoln and Sudbury (Massachusetts) town libraries.

Family Histories

'Together Again': A JewishGen Story of Connection
Family Secret
A Storied Past\ Introduction
Back Of The Beyond\ Introduction
Our Family and The Holocaust\ Introduction
Bessie's Letters\ Preface
Return to Kholmich\ Introduction

    See http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/kholmich/

Other Writings

Springtime On The Homefront/ The Story Of A Cornell Building
Occupation - Cornell Daily Sun, October 24, 1972
A Stonewall Footnote To The History Of A School - 1995
The Problems With Education Reform - Op Ed / Boston Globe, May 4, 1998
L-S/ Something Happened Here - November 2004
Family Secret - Boston Globe, Nov. 24, 2004
This I Believe - April 2005
Remembering DeWitt Clinton H.S. - DWC Alumni Newsletter, December 2005
Test Scores Are Only Part Of It - Op Ed / Boston Globe, October 19, 2006
A Teacher's Farewell - December 2006
For A Better Racial Climate, We Need More Time, Understanding
- Op Ed/Brookline Tab, Oct. 17, 2007
L-S & School Safety - Op Ed/ Sudbury Town Crier, June 2007
Historical Truth/ A Credo - August 2007
Teaching Thoreau - Thoreau Society Bulletin, Winter 2009
On Polluting The Reservoir Of My Dreams -Op Ed/Brookline Tab, Sept.. 17, 2009
Bicycle Ninjas Of The World, Reflect!-Op Ed/Brookline Tab, Oct. 15, 2009
Open Letter To Harvard Graduate School Of Education - January 5, 2010
On The Deaths of Salinger And Zinn - January 28, 2010
A Welcome For The Governor - March 2, 2010
Remarks To The Pioneer Institute/History Standards - March 31.2010
Social Studies MCAS Testimony To Mass. Board of Education
- November 16, 2010
A Farewell To My Thoreau 'Journal Drippings' - January 1, 2011
Obama, Duncan & Teacher Evaluation: The Personal Story
- Washington Post, April 13, 2011
Teacher Evaluation Testimony To Mass, Board of Education
- April 27, 2011
The Blogger (Unmasked )- Op Ed/ Sudbury Town Crier, May 19, 2011
Statement On Teacher Evaluation - FairTest Report, June 2011
Keep MCAS Out Of History Class - Op Ed/ Worcester Telelgram & Gazette, July 14, 2011
'Together Again': A JewishGen Story of Connection - August 2011
I Was A Teacher, Not A Number - Education Week, March 2, 2012
Two Buddies Go In Search Of Bob Dylan - Boston Globe, Nov. 25, 2012
Remembering A Teacher With An Uncommon Core- Living in Dialogue Blog/ Education Week, June 20, 2013
Charters, Brookline, & Bridgespan - Brookline Tab, June 2, 2016
The Third Way Is Not The Answer - Commonwealth Magazine, June 9, 2016

Thoreau

Thoreau Class Curriculum

This is some of the material I use for my Thoreau class at Lincoln-Sudbury.

Students On Thoreau

The book is available at the Thoreau Institute Archive (Lincoln, Mass.), and the Lincoln and Sudbury (Massachusetts) town libraries. Here is the book's introduction.

See pictures of the Thoreau Cabin at Lincoln-Sudbury, and the students who built it.

Students on Thoreau II

The book of student writings, completed in 2002, is available at the Thoreau Institute Archive (Lincoln, Mass.), and the Lincoln and Sudbury (Massachusetts) town libraries. Here is the Introduction.

Students on Thoreau III

This is the 2005 anthology of work by students in the "Meet Mr. Thoreau" class at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School. As with previous editions, copies can be found in the town libraries, the school library, and at The Thoreau Institute. Here is the Introduction

This collection also formed the basis of a summer-long exhibition at the Tsongas Gallery, across from Walden Pond. Photos are available on the project page.

Students On Thoreau IV

This is the 2006 (and final) anthology of work by students in the "Meet Mr. Thoreau" course. It too can be found at the Thoreau Institute and local libraries.

Introduction

Thoreau's Journal Drippings

Every month, I send out excerpts from Thoreau's Journal to an e-mail list. If you wish to subscribe to the monthly digest, contact Bill Schechter

Browse the Journal Drippings Archive