5 Things Mission #2: “well I just hope you’re learning how BEEP up your country is.”

Student #2

So I interviewed my friends mom who was in the army. 

She’s pretty narcissistic so it was hard getting her to actually cooperate.

 I asked her what was the five things she hoped I was learning in History class and her response was, “well I just hope you’re learning how BEEP up your country is.”

 She lost a baby after they wouldn’t give her a leave from work after being told by the doctor that she needed to be on bed rest and she just hasn’t be right about it since. She just went on into why she hated the military and why people shouldn’t go. 

She said she hoped that I learn that this place is all about control. 

She told me she had hoped that I was getting factual information and not just reading a textbook. 

I don’t know how well that question went, but I can say it was very interesting hearing her story.

5 Things Mission #1: What my mother wants for me to learn in U.S. College History class.

What my mother wants for me to learn in U.S. College History class.

1.     How the U.S. was developed on the backs of slaves and immigrants.

2.     Civil Rights Movement

3.     The pivotal role presidents played in slavery

4.     Great Depression of the 1920s

5.     Prohibition and the mafia

-        These were her exact words, and she also told me to tell you keep up the good job on educating me. 

5 Things Mission: Assignment Overview

I asked my students to interview either a Veteran or a current/former elected official and ask them what 5 things they hoped/expected students were learning in their college American History classes.

The papers posted here earn their authors $20 class money.

Here we go......

Iron Curtain Mission - 15: Maybe Stalin had something to do with it.

As I was asking people what the iron curtain is I was certainly thankful that I have a history class where I'm actually learning things. It amazed me how out of the loop you can be and the things people can think of from just words alone. Some of the answers I got were super funny but, some were accurate or close.

    First, I asked my friend Akilah and my best friend Mar'Rhea what they thought the iron curtain was without looking it up. Akilah answered well (although she was in class with me the day it was being taught) but her answer was "An imaginary line that separated NATO from the Soviet Union or the communist and non communist countries after WW2". Then my best friend Mar'Rhea answered "I can't remember, but I believe it has something to do with russian territory so that no one could get close to them. Maybe Stalin had something to do with it." Which wasn't a very bad answer.

      Next, I asked two more friends and my cousin the same exact question. Their answers were actually quite interesting, my cousin Brittany's answer went something like "It sounds like a shower curtain or rod made out of iron." I'm positive she took that one in a literal sense. It definitely made me chuckle. Then my friend Nay said "I've never heard of it, but it sounds like it had to do something with hiding." Last, my friend Kyndal's answer was "I think it has somthing to do with a shower of bullets, you'd need an Iron curtain to protect yourself from that." which was also pretty funny because she was dead serious.

       In conclusion, My findings while asking this question was quite fun. In fact it was very interesting, but I did make sure that I told them exactly what the iron curtain was in any event they're ever asked again. Some of the countries involved in the iron curtain are East Germany, West Germany, Hungary and Austria.

Iron Curtain Mission - 14: Germany and Britain. The Usual Suspects

Asking people about the Iron Curtain was very interesting and I got a good laugh.

 I asked a couple of people what they thought the Iron Curtain was and here are the responses I got:

Jackie  said the Iron Curtain is Winston Churchill’s proposal during World War II to separate from the fighting.  Countries are Germany and Britain

Laren  said the Iron Curtain was The NATO troops trying to rush in and take over Poland and Lithuania. 

Some countries: Germany and Britain

Stuart C said the Iron Curtain is supposed impenetrable defense set up by the allied forces for the Nazi’s. 

Countries: Germany and ...?

Morgan described the Iron Curtain as one of those heavy room dividers, kind of like a partition wall. Countries: Spain and China

Kim Basford said the Iron Curtain is the wall they put up to defend the other countries. 

Countries: Spain and Germany

As you can clearly see, some people knew what the Iron Curtain is and the countries and some people didn’t. The Iron Curtain was the unspoken barrier dividing the Soviet Region and the West to the end of communism that followed the political events in Eastern Europe in 1989.

Iron Curtain Mission #13: Throwing a Former Student Under the Bus

Student #13

When I asked my friends about the iron curtain, nobody knew exactly what it was.

 Brandon, my closest friend said “ I’ve heard of it before, but I cant remember anything about it.”

 Other friends such as C=== told me it was a “giant wall they build in Europe”, which is hilarious because you stated some people actually believe that. C=== also had you as a teacher before, and since he couldn’t remember he started laughing because he knew you would be disappointed he didn’t recall. 

Joe my next door neighbor said “ dude….. I can’t remember I’m so high.” (He is prescribed medical marijuana.) 

Max told me it’s the huge curtains they use at big plays or events and its called that because its so big and long its almost like a wall. I

 asked some random girl walking to the gym just to start a conversation and she said “ I don’t know” and I proceeded to continue walking.