Have fun stormin' the Castle!

And storm it we did on Wednesday with the 8th grade class, pencils in hand, ready to scrutinize every inch of the place. God blessed us with gorgeous weather, and it was fun to picnic together after an intense 45-minute hike. Only one student dropped his worksheet off the edge of the tower, so that wasn't too bad. They did all complain at the lack of murder holes at our small, provincial castle, but overall, I deem this day was a success.

MK Politics

In History, we've entered the Middle Ages and were wrapping up Charlemagne this morning. Because we live in the Rhineland, I attempted to make a personal connection for some of the students and brought up the whole Alsace-Lorraine problem and the fact that it has switched hands between France and Germany many, many times in the last 1,200 years. It all goes back to Charlemagne's three grandsons who inherited his land. One of those heirs ruled what is now basically France, one ruled what is mostly today's Germany, and the third was squished in the middle and hence was quickly squeezed out by the other two.

So I asked them with a sly smile: Who do you think the Alsace region should belong to?

BS: Germany!!!

SW: No, France!!!

SK: Korea!!!

SK is on the right. Rest assured: this was a demonstration only.

Spirit Day: Time Warp

Best. Spirit. Day. Ever. A History one!!!!!!!!! (I'm such a nerdy teacher.) I went as a 19th century gypsy, and I shared the office this day with a 50's poodle-skirt wearing teenager and Laura Ingalls Wilder.