User:Hartnetc/Sandbox

My best teacher

My 11th grade Social Studies teacher taught me more about writing than anyone I've ever met. We wrote weekly essays on various issues in American history, and in most cases had them returned to us to rewrite. For most students in this top track class, it was the first time any teacher had ever asked them to improve their work by correcting errors, rephrasing language, or rethinking ideas. It gave students the opportunity to refine their work and to think more deeply about the issue at hand.

A challenging assignment

One memorable writing assignment was coupled with our reading of Machiavelli's THE PRINCE. After completing the book, we were asked to compare President Nixon to The Prince. The year was 1975 and the Watergate affair had just unfolded over the past year or two. The assignment forced us to read Machiavelli closely and identify specific points, even quotes, and apply them to actual historical actions of President Nixon.

President Nixon resigns

Richard Nixon delivering the "V" sign outside Army One upon his final departure from the White House. Photograph by Robert L. Knudsen, August 9, 1974, National Archives (http://www.nara.gov)