Brief Biography

I grew up about 40 miles west of Chicago in Bartlett (near Elgin). I graduated from the University of Illinois in 2002. That summer I married my wonderful wife Emily (also a teacher). We spent one year teaching in the Baltimore City Public School System before returning to Illinois. We have one son, and one daughter. I have been teaching at Franklin M.S. since fall 2004. “Franklin is Family”, and there is no where else I would rather be working.  I really enjoy working with the teachers, students, staff, and administration.

General Course Overview

This course will cover the geography and ancient history of selected areas of the world and then move to the modern times to discover the impact of the history and geography on contemporary societies.  This unit will begin with an in-depth examination of social science, focusing on the five key themes of: geography, government, economics, prehistory/history, and culture/society/civilization.  These five key themes will be the guiding focus for the topics and ideas studied throughout the remainder of the year.  During the 1st Quarter, students will be introduced to archaeology and early humans, and will examine the world’s earliest culture, < xml="true" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" prefix="st1" namespace="">Mesopotamia.  In the 2nd Quarter, students will focus on the cultures of ancient East Asia, with a primary emphasis on India and China.  From there, students will travel to Africa to examine the rich history of the ancient Egyptians.  Next, 3rd Quarter will be devoted to the study of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, and how these cultures developed ideas, concepts, and inventions that still impact us today.  Students will then focus on the Middle Ages, with a primary emphasis on both Medieval Europe and Feudal Japan.  Finally, in 4th quarter, we will examine the interactions of the three monotheistic religions Judaism, Christianity, and Islam with a focus on the Crusades.  Our attention will then focus on the various cultures and civilizations of Sub-Saharan Africa.  .