love for subject with
Marlboro students
Barbara Gallo shares
love for subject with
Marlboro students
By jeanette M. eng
Staff Writer
JEFF GRANIT Marlboro Middle School social studies teacher Barbara Gallo has been selected to attend “We the People,” a White House forum on American history, civics and service to be hosted by President George W. Bush.
MARLBORO — After five years of teaching about government, among other things, as a seventh- and eighth-grade social studies teacher, Barbara Gallo is getting the chance to really flex her history muscles … at the White House.
Gallo, a Marlboro Middle School social studies teacher, has been selected to attend "We the People," the first White House forum on American history, civics and service, hosted by President George W. Bush.
"It was very exciting to get the formal invitation in the mail with the return address just as the White House," Gallo said.
The invitation from the president rounds off Gallo’s numerous accomplishments and honors as a history teacher.
Most recently, Gallo was recognized as the New Jersey 2002 National History Day Teacher of the Year in recognition of her work in social studies. She then went on to become a finalist in the nationwide competition.
The National History Day competition is an annual event which has become a regular venture for Gallo’s students. She is the only social studies teacher in the school to do this.
"In my seminar class, I require my students to do a research project," Gallo explained. "I emulate the competition’s guidelines so that all of my students can have the opportunity to compete."
During the 2002 National History Day held in April at William Paterson Univer-sity, Wayne, 24 seventh- and eighth-grade Marlboro students were recognized in seven categories. During all five years of competition, Gallo has had students reach the national level and in 2000, one of her students placed fourth in the nation with a historical paper.
"Representatives from every state come to the national competition from the middle school and high school levels," Gallo explained. "It’s a huge undertaking."
Students submit research projects in the form of documentaries, reports, exhibits or performances, Gallo said.
"One group of students that researched the invention of radar and how it impacted World War II found that some of the research on the radar was done in the area," explained Gallo. "They found old Army training videos, articles that were written at the time and documents from Camp Evans [where the studies were done].
"They put it all together in a documentary," she said, illustrating how every year’s projects yield "amazing stories that open up their world. I learn something new every year."
Last year, inspired by the work her students were putting forth, Gallo created an evening reception and invited parents to come and view their children’s work.
"The parents get very involved with their children’s work and they enjoy coming in to see what others have done," Gallo said. "Plus, the students love to show off!"
The history lover places much emphasis on historical research and in 2000 Gallo was awarded a grant from the Marlboro Education Foundation that allowed her to do just this.
Gallo used the grant to involve her students in a program with the New Jersey Historical Society. The program sent a representative from the society to teach Gallo’s students how to ensure validity and reliability in their Internet research.
The program also covered the cost of a trip to a New Jersey Historical Society museum, where her students conducted old-fashioned historical research with actual artifacts from the time period they were studying.
"The program showed my students both ends of historical research," Gallo said, noting how beneficial the experience was.
In 2002, Gallo was chosen by the New Jersey Department of Education to participate on the Social Studies: Content Knowledge test review panel. This test is given to teachers who are applying for initial social studies certification. The findings of the panel are helping to establish new qualifying scores for the social studies test.
One might think this is a lot of work for a teacher who already teaches five classes of high-achieving seventh- and eighth-graders daily, but Gallo’s only explanation is that she loves it.
"I personally find history exciting," she said. "Every year is new. It changes your perception and the way you teach."
This year, explained Gallo, when she was teaching about a Supreme Court decision relating to the First Amendment, she related her lesson to a current front-page newspaper story about a principal who would not allow students to distribute their school newspaper. "There’s always a teachable moment," Gallo said.
Through her participation in the National History Day competition, Gallo was nominated to attend the Washington, D.C., forum on a date to be determined.
"We the People" is one of three new federal initiatives designed to support the teaching of American history and civics education. It was announced by Bush and Education Secretary Jim Horne on Sept. 17, 2002.
The purpose of the forum, according to a press release, is to encourage the teaching of American history and civics education. The program will provide grants to develop strong history courses, hold training seminars for teachers and university faculty, sponsor a lecture series in which acclaimed scholars tell the story of great figures in American history and enlist high school students in a national essay contest about the principles and ideals of America.
The second initiative, "Our Docu-ments," will use the Internet to bring 100 of America’s most important documents from the National Archives to classrooms and communities across the country.
The third initiative, "White House Forum on American History, Civics and Service," will focus on discussions of new policies to improve the teaching of history and civics in elementary and secondary schools, colleges and universities.
Gallo finds this federal involvement in American history education very encour-aging.
Referencing an article in Reader’s Digest written by David McCullough, who will be a guest speaker at the "We the People" forum, Gallo expressed why this is so important.
"He [McCullough] sees a lack of knowledge of our history, something which he believes true patriotism is based on. It’s a story that everyone should know and something that we as Americans need for ourselves," Gallo explained. "That knowledge makes us better people. It’s easier to get through bad times if you have the knowledge of people that have had bad times before."
Gallo believes this renewed emphasis on American history is needed.
"As the scope of what schools are expected to teach becomes larger, less time is spent on American history," she said. "Learning about other cultures, however, is necessary to be a citizen of the world."
Gallo is surprised and thrilled that her natural appreciation for history is being honored, she said.