When someone asks me about my junior high social studies classes I can tell them very little. I just turned 40 this year so junior high was quite some time ago. Also, most of my social studies classes consisted of lecture, reading the textbook and answering the questions at the end of the section, or worksheets. There was one lesson though that I can recall quite vividly!

My 7th Grade Social Studies Class, was a U.S. History class that spanned from precolonization up until Reconstruction. My teacher, Mrs. Lovell, was extremely knowledgeable and very nice, and her instructional methods were very traditional. She was straight laced to a T, kind, but firm.

One day she walked into class with a stack of letters on St. Cajetan stationary. She advised us that we needed to take this home to our parents tonight. Before we did though she wanted to share the…