Valerie Plame Wilson visits Ms. Tilp's Classes

http://www.oncoursesystems.com/school/webpage.aspx?id=10997591FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Melanie Romero, Principal

Contact Person: Meredith Tilp, teacher, AP Government and Politics
Company Name: Capital High School
Telephone Number: 505-467-1000
Time/Place on February 17, 2011 10-12:15 at the Capital High School Bryan Fant Auditorium
Email Address: mtilp@sfps.info
Web site address: www.sfps.info

Headline

Santa Fe, New Mexico, February 17, 2011 — Valerie Plame Wilson, ex CIA agent, will come to Capital High School to discuss the role of the CIA, covert ops, her life as a mom and other issues pertaining to working for the US Government.

Melanie Romero, principal at Capital High School, states: “Santa Fe is a unique community and the state capitol, where Capital High School endeavors to connect our students to important global and local issues.”

The US Government curriculum addresses the actions of the United States Executive and Legislative Branches, checks and balances perceived by the founding fathers and interpreted today in our global society, and Congressional oversight of the Intelligence Service. Students at Capital High School will be viewing the movie “Fair Game,” developing questions about Valerie Plame Wilson, and writing an essay about loyalty and ethics from their own perspective.  

Some of the questions that students have already developed for Ms. Plame Wilson relate to her life as a public servant, training in the CIA, her clandestine operations, the lead up to the Iraq War and the current Wikileaks exposure.

Ms. Tilp, AP Government and Politics teacher says, “Advanced Placement Government’s curriculum enables our students to be part of the top one percent of students enrolling in college with a goal of achieving educational excellence and global competitiveness of our society.” 

End

Book and life story about Valerie Plame Wilson and Joe Wilson:

http://www.fairgame-movie.com/

http://books.simonandschuster.com/Fair-Game/Valerie-Plame-Wilson/9781451623871

Among the risks faced by men and women who volunteer to serve in our intelligence services are those which derive from American politics. This story shows us how strong the desire to serve can be and how treacherous the risks are in the minefields of Washington. Valerie Wilson volunteered at the height of the cold war. She expected to be betrayed by our enemies, not us." -- Bob Kerrey, Former U.S. Senator and Vice Chairman, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Winter has been somewhat mild. I may come to regret saying this, but the croci are sticking their little shoots up through the soil. Every year I look for some new growth to appear in my students. A teacher learns to always push, prod, provoke, motivate and challenge students-every single one. This year I have found some amazing students in the most hidden of places-chaos and conversation in the classroom. I made a strategic decision to allow one crowded class to be rambunctious with the Yale democracy curriculum I developed last summer. My view is that there is good energy and bad energy in a classroom. Hustle, bustle and excitement turned out to be good and not just a frenzy or imperfection. What happened was remarkable because in fostering the students’ interaction in groups and their “rising to the occasion,” a few students raised the bar very high, and the majority followed along. Sure, some kids will for one reason or another just hide out and ditch class. However, the dynamics of the class are not always easy to read. Usually, interruptions can be very distracting and frustrating. Yet on some, a teacher must seize the moment. I can remember when one remarkable boy who is listed as gifted and talented challenged my assumptions about the 1% of richest Americans who control wealth. He wanted to know what we would be without Microsoft and Bill Gates. I said that technology and innovation are great, but sometimes wealth comes at a price, the total neglect—if not denial about the impoverished. No sooner had I conveyed that message than the Stock Market took a terrific dive and we are in an economic mess. Maybe I am eternal optimist, I can’t help that. Looking at NM Senator Bingaman’s slide about job losses, does not prevent me from looking for students to go to college and eventually all find jobs.
My classroom soared to new heights and excitement around the election. We had a wall of information on topics such as: McCain/Palin; Obama/Biden, the Primaries, Polling, the Electoral College, the Bush Legacy and the Economic Bailout. Students registered to vote, some campaigned on the street and others were very excited to watch the Debates and the Inauguration. The campaign of Barack Obama inspired me to write a curriculum on Civil Rights for this summer at Yale. Student questions range from “I would like to learn about why Hispanics do not seem to have the same momentum as African-Americans,” to “learn about the Civil Rights Act of 1965 and Martin Luther King’s great speech,” and “know which states allow gay marriage and why?” Students are fascinated with the Obama Presidency and how an African-American has achieved such a distinction. We will decode his major life events, learn about his parents and grandparents; his cultural background, education and values. An analysis will be done on the “road to the White House” including restructuring economic and foreign policy, his primary victories and winning a cross-section of Americans. Recently students participated in Senator Jeff Bingaman’s Student Leadership Initiative. on health, housing, the economy and education. I felt that I was teaching the right content but not always having the impact I desire, so it is back to the drawing board for this summer. The Stimulus package seems a long way off from the election, but I sense there is movement toward new growth.