British Elections; The Run-up to the 2016 US Presidential Race.
Lesson Outline
We discussed the Conservatives' surprising lopsided win in the UK. We also explored possible ramifications--the EU and the Scottish question. On this side of the Atlantic, we discussed the plethora of Republican candidates, how the various rival candidates will deal with ISIS and immigration.
We compared the upheaval resulting from the Katmandu earthquake and that occurring in the aftermath of the death of Freddie Gray at the hands of Baltimore Police.
Assignment
None.
Session Minutes
60
Minutes Student Attended
60
Lesson Comments
Cal's knowledge of these headliners is not deep, but he was interested and asked penetrating questions. E.g., "Was there looting in Katmandu?"
We started out with the jailing of four Blackwater contractors.
Assignment
None.
Session Minutes
60
Minutes Student Attended
20
Lesson Comments
I feel l'm at loose ends. Cal said he needed to type up a paper. By the time he'd finished the paper, about 30 minutes had gone by. I had introduced the Blackwater story when he had to leave. We didn't accomplish very much at all.
We talked about the Western Powers - Iranian nuclear discussions and the complicating factors - Western sanctions on Iran, Iran's determination to succeed with nuclear technology, Netanyahu's address to both houses of Congress and the open letter to Iran signed by 47 U.S. Senators.
Assignment
None.
Session Minutes
60
Minutes Student Attended
50
Lesson Comments
Discussions were lively, stimulating and fun. I think Cal started with a clean slate and learned quite a bit.
Michael was very tired this morning. He came in and immediately put his head down on his desk and fell asleep. Several students and teachers commented on how he looked like a zombie. I spoke to him about his weekend activities and other than a late night on Saturday he said he got enough sleep. I warned him that if he was sleeping during class I would send him home. By the time we had class he was more awake and alert but not by much.
