“I can feel it in the air, I can feel it in the water:” The 7.1 Social Studies Final Exam

This week’s Inauguration of President Barack Obama provided a singularly powerful moment of convergence between American history and politics. This singular instant was “superhistorical,” something that exists in the moment and simultaneously transcends it. In discussing its relevancy in the following days, I felt that 7.1 students understood its powerful nature and grasped the idea that we, as participants in history, stand within it and possess the potential to stand outside of it. In this setting, we turn our attention to the study of the United States Constitution and the 7.1 Social Studies Final Exam.

I have always felt that there is an intellectual holy triad of what students possess when they depart 7.1 Social Studies. The first component would be the study of American Revolution and Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence. The last piece of this puzzle would be Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. The link between both would have to be the United States Constitution. It is the connective thread that brings together the hope of independence and the complexity of freedom. It bridges the chasm between, what now President Obama termed, “the promise of ideals” and “the reality of the times.” I feel it is in the study of the Constitution where we see our students mature in front of our eyes, emerging into the pantheon of scholarship as they grapple with the intent of the framers, constitutional penumbras, and a startling combination of absolutes and subjectivity. I look at teaching the Constitution as a highlight of not only the year, but an honor within my profession. In identifying the concepts that I feel define the essence of “education” and my sense of being as a “teacher,” the U.S. Constitution is within the top five. (I must admit that I felt that my students last year missed out on another moment when I did not close the year with my recitation of Whitman’s “O Captain, My Captain.”)

Our study of the Constitution is a challenging one. We move at a rather quick clip, knowing very well that what we touch can only start a journey and never end it. I have indicated to students that with this material, their lives will be forever changed. One way to reaffirm the significance of this content is with the Final Exam. Our exam is scheduled for the last week of February and will consist of about 200 multiple choice questions from chapters 5, 6, 7, and the Constitution. It will take five days to complete. It will be a challenge for the study of from where to where we have come is also a challenge. I have said that it is this final exam that will test the mettle of our students, and examine how committed to scholarship they are. I have also stated without equivocation that this exam will be the most difficult exam they will take this year, and possibly, in their Julian careers.

Naturally, the looks on student faces were priceless.

As we study the Constitution and its implications, we have our eyes fixed on both the present with a gaze that is situated towards what lies beyond. The exam is roughly a month away and steps are being taken to ensure that all students find success, and that no child is indeed left behind. The first measure that is being offered to all students is a greater opportunity to complete extra credit. All students should be working nightly on Social Studies work related to the Constitution. However, students have been reminded that within their conception of work, extra credit resides. For example, if an assignment calls for a student to compose 5 outcome sentences, this would be the minimum. A student can earn extra credit if they compose more than the minimum. This stresses the idea to students that work done can only be enhanced with it being done well and with attention paid to detail. In addition to this, signed syllabi are being weighed with premium value. For example, students who enter class and follow instructions posted with absolute focus and dedication might be told to add a certain number of points to their syllabi. Obtaining a signature and returning it signed would make that syllabus quite a lucrative venture. Students are being reminded at multiple turns to engage in extra credit opportunities that are featured on the blog, such as the wacky metaphoric analysis, establishing the speakers of quotes featured, and garnering 100 votes for the weekly poll. Finally, study sessions for the Final Exam are being offered every Tuesday morning at 8:00 and during Thursday’s 4th period lunch. Students who attend these study sessions will find it helpful to ask questions, seek clarification, and gain more insight into concepts that will be assessed in great detail on the Final Exam. For students who attend the Tuesday morning study session, an added benefit will be 10 extra credit points for each morning study session attended. I will extend this same offer to the Thursday fourth period study session for the first week, but after that, I am looking to see if students can make the necessary arrangements in showing the needed commitment to pursuing academic integrity and increasing their intellectual capacity.

Students will be pushed within the next five weeks to give more of their hearts and minds in the battle for intellectual and academic supremacy. I don’t know what it says when I have to quote President Lyndon Baines Johnson when I say that the price for victory in this war will require more cost, more sacrifice, and perhaps more loss. I am hoping that the outcome is certainly better for old LBJ, but the message still remains intact: The cost of academic victory in this setting will be measured by how much commitment students show to their learning and ensuring they are making the most of the time they have before this exam seeks to test the most they have within them.

Students who are aware of their history will know that throughout intellectual currents there has been a sense of understanding about the magnitude of certain events. It can be seen in literature, as in when standing in the presence of the ring of power; one certainly feels its aura. It can be seen in poetry, as in when one reads Langston Hughes or a Shakespearean monologue. It can also be seen in history. For example, those who stood at the Inauguration last week knew they were standing in the moment of history, while those of us watching it knew immediately that we were basking in the glow of historical development. When confronted with the reality of significance, of purpose, and of meaning, one feels it all around them. It is felt in the air, it is felt in the water, it is felt in the heart. At the same time, the sentiments of battle rear itself for in this moment, we feel compelled to ward off the feelings of doubt that downplay this moment, that tell us this moment is nothing more than a moment. When trapped in a moment of purpose, of meaning, of relevancy, one must cast off the shackles of doubt and accept it for what it is: A moment in time, perhaps never to be repeated, while completely impossible to forget. I feel that in the experiences of our 7.1 emerging scholars, this time, this instant is one such moment in time.

To not give it the proper respect it deserves could be catastrophic and would indeed rise to the level of tragic condition. My deepest hope is regardless of outcome, students pay homage to such a moment that will test them. Similar to the Inauguration, this type of moment of convergence may never come again.

All best and happy hunting.
Mr. Kannan

P.S. Updated progress reports will be sent home with students on Tuesday, 1/27. They can be signed and returned for extra credit on Friday, 1/30, the same day that Preamble Recitations will be assessed. Is this fun or what?