National History Day Thoughts and Concerns

National History Day Competition Thoughts and Concerns:

I have some thoughts about this year’s NHD competition. First, I think that our school is off to a much better start than last year. A large number of students have chosen their topic, conducted initial research, and completed an annotated bibliography. Secondly, I think that the entire school has a much better idea of what it takes to be successful at NHD. As a result, I believe that there are a few concerns that must be addressed as our school moves forward in preparing for the 2008 competition.

Major Concerns:
I am worried that students will not be able to create high quality projects for NHD if they only work on their projects during school hours.

I am worried that if our American Studies class time is dedicated to NHD preparation, students will lose out on learning the core content that is part of the Advanced Placement Exam.

I am worried that students and staff may not know how to deal with the extra stress that comes with preparing for NHD.

Suggestions:
I suggest that one class every week in American Studies is dedicated to NHD preparation.

I suggest that students and staff participate in NHD workshops during special half-day schedules modeled after the Service Learning Schedule from last year.

I suggest that Teachers have time to work with Parents to instruct them how they can help their students prepare for NHD. This will require Parents and Students to work together at home on the projects.