CNN is now ready to project that T.S. Eliot was wrong and February, that’s right, February, will win as “the cruelest month.”

As political candidates rage against the darkness intrinsic to the political nomination process, 7-1 students themselves are "fighting against the dying of the light." February greets these tired warriors with their most formidable of foes. As we continue our study of the Constitution, we will engage into the battlefield of personal freedom, judicial activism and restraint, the many rulings that have formed the backbone of the Constitution, as well as the memorization of the many concepts that must accompany the unit of such a magnitude. It has always been challenging to be in 7-1 Social Studies, yet right now, it is downright tough.
Perhaps, a more educational friendly opening would have been more appropriate. In our study of the Constitution, we have outlined the principles and goals of great importance to the framers. We will now move into the study of Supreme Court Rulings, as well as issues that seem to be inherent in the Constitution. The objective here will be to move students from a fact based interpretation of the Constitution to a level of greater synthesis, where higher ordered thinking skills will be required to problem solve targeted areas in Constitutional Theory. The methods of assessing student understanding will be through traditional quizzes, memorization tasks, as well as writing prompts and outcome sentences. Students will be encouraged to match independent work with successful valences of in class and out of class peer collaboration.
Finally, I use the words of a current 7-1 student: “Dang, this stuff is tough!”

I think all three approaches would describe where we are. We are just past the half way point of our study of the Constitution. Notice the progression: From goals and ideas, we have progressed to principles, execution, as well as specific hermeneutics of the institutions developed as part of the Constitution. We now place focus on individual amendments, the role the Supreme Court has played within the enhancement of Constitutional Theory, as well as the dilemmas that are inherent within such notions. It is taxing and difficult. Students will have composed over 100 outcome sentences on the topics presented in the Constitution, submitted multiple writings on the nature of the Constitution, and collected a vast number of handouts and items pertaining to increasing their understanding of the Constitution. Yet, this builds up to the unit assessment. The first will be a second trimester final exam, starting from the Path to Revolution to the Constitution. This standardized exam will take four to five days to complete, as it should amount to about 120- 150 questions. It is going to be intense. There will be study sessions held, study guides distributed, as well as high expectations placed on students in order to demonstrate their best. Such an assessment will be an excellent precursor into our domain of school wide standardized testing. The second assessment will be more interpretive, and will allow students to access multiple learning styles. This will take about two weeks to complete. Upon the conclusion of both assessments, students will have engaged in a rather intense course of study on the Constitution of the United States.
At this point, students must reaffirm to their commitment to doing well in Social Studies. I suppose that since we are at a point where we are closer to the end than we were to the beginning, it would be imperative for students to find ways to strengthen their standing in the class. It is understood that both assessments will be challenging. This would mean that in order for success to be present, students will have to face these assessments without worry and excessive fear. I have always believed that students fare better on assessments knowing that they have taken all needed steps through their successful preparation, and have secured every possible point prior to them, so in the event that something should “go wrong,” there is support and backup to ensure that the results are not of too disastrous a nature. For example, if a student knows that an upcoming exam is a challenge, I believe that it would be wise for them to keep up with nightly assignments, take advantage of any and all extra credit opportunities, and ensure that their focus is present in classroom instruction. When students learn how to embrace the Sun Tzu idea that “every battle is won before it is ever fought,” I believe that they not only have a greater chance of finding success, but they adopt a mentality that allows them to not acquiesce to defeat. True scholarship is when success is an embedded part of one’s state of mind. It happens at the moment where a student is able to say that they have prepared in a strong manner, done everything within their power, and are focused on the outcome, as opposed to the result. At this point, one can sense the empowerment that happens within the psyche of a student and this transformation happens on both academic and emotional levels.
At this point, students can take an active role to allow them to reach this plateau of transformation. This role can take on so many forms, that when students determine that their state of being reflects this habit of success, they will find what it is they sorely desire. It can be evident when students are proactive on assignment completion, attentiveness in class, and organization with the many handouts and items having been distributed. It can be evident when students focus on getting parent signatures on syllabi and extra credit progress reports. It can be evident when students seek to revise work that could be better. It can be evident when a student makes a commitment to arrive into class, follow instructions, and pay attention with silent focus, and steadfast determination, showing the signs of focus and readiness. It can be evident when students show this model amongst a setting of others who cannot, and receive extra credit on a syllabus that can be redeemed at the end of the week for points (Ask the student who organized her desk/ work area and showed focus while her colleagues were entering class conversing about non- Social Studies items. She obtained 15 points on a syllabus to counter the envious eyes of others.) It can be evident when students examine this blog for extra credit opportunities, as well as downloading advance copies of syllabi, in class handouts, as well as lecture notes posted. It can be evident when students read their daily schedules posted in the hallway and copy down the quotation framing the order of classes and find out who was the speaker for extra credit. It can be evident when students attend “Meet Social Studies” sessions and ask questions about the content and applications of it. It can be evident when students do what is needed to understand the material and ask questions when they open a new neurological pathway in their brains. It can be evident when a student sees me in the hallway in the morning or if by happenstance during an off team moment and issues a challenge: “If you have a minute, could you ask me a question about the Constitution?” Successful answering could allow them to receive a coupon for extra credit points. The ideas presented help to prove that when students assume the persona of an active agent of change in their academic worlds, success is a given. When students become the independent arbiters of their intellectual journey, instruction has reached its zenith. When students embody what it means to pursue “the good, the true, and the beautiful,” the songs of the garden enter their full cadence of sonorous melody.

February might be the cruelest month, but like the ending to Eliot’s work might be an opportunity to find some level of “shanti” in their learning experiences of not only the Constitution, but within this class, in general.

Happy Hunting.
Mr. Kannan