Where are we going together?
Former Students Speak about the "Bingham" Experience
When the going is tough, sometimes is helpful to be reminded that you are in good hands!
Scroll down for two former student's perspectives.
You might find this quote from Ira Glass comforting.
“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone had told me,
All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap.
It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”
Scroll down for two former student's perspectives.
You might find this quote from Ira Glass comforting.
“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone had told me,
All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap.
It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”
16 November 2012
To Whom It May Concern:
I had the unique experience of having Mr Bingham for three of the four years of my high school career. He was my teacher for humanities (integrated history and english) my sophomore year, advanced placement European History my junior year, and advanced placement psychology my senior year; he was also an advisor to our school's chapter of National Honor Society, with which I was heavily involved, first as treasurer and then as president.
I can understand how Mr Bingham's teaching style may be different from what your child is used to. I think that is intentional. In my experience, despite being well-intentioned, many teachers focus on factual retention for its own sake; that is, students are meant to memorize information and, with varying degrees, internalize it. I think Mr Bingham's particular mode of teaching uniquely emphasized connections between and among otherwise disparate ideas and packets of information. As a college student, this is invaluable. Drawing connections and synthesizing information is what makes for original thinking. Even in high school, this skill makes the rest of the learning one does that much more meaningful. That said, connecting those otherwise disparate ideas takes ground-work. Where other teachers may be content with the proverbial "cliff-notes" version of history, that often glosses over the context that is crucial to understanding relationships between ideas.
There are other ways, too, in which Mr Bingham works to integrate more into the curriculum. Part of the goal of academia is to produce thoughtful and ethical people who can use lessons from history to inform their decisions. For this to be successful, however, it requires lots of in-depth thinking to be successful. This might be more than what a student has been expected to do in the past; certainly it takes time to get acclimated to.
Mr Bingham is also dedicated to social responsibility in a way that many other teachers are not. By that, I mean that Mr Bingham makes an effort to bring social engagement into the classroom. Certainly, other teachers are civic minded. I don't mean to say that Mr Bingham has cornered that market, but he does make an effort to incorporate real-world civic engagement in his lessons. During my high school career, that was not something I saw very often.
Finally, as a college sophomore, I can say that many of the skills I apply everyday at Princeton I acquired during my time with Mr Bingham. I would not have taken the time out of my day to write this if I did not genuinely believe what I am saying. Yes, sometimes the work is difficult; it should be. Work that is challenging is what makes us grow. It causes one to reconsider his or her way of thinking or approach an issue through a different lens. This is valuable and something we ought to appreciate. I will be the first to admit that there were days in high school in which the academic rigor was not pleasant and sometimes I lost sleep. I found coffee was an effective way of dealing with it. Other people may develop different solutions. Nonetheless, I can honestly say I am better for it. I have unique perspectives that I would not have gotten otherwise. I have something special to contribute to the conversation. I see connections where my classmates sometimes do not. A large part of that, I think, is thanks to Mr Bingham.
Regards,
Jonathan Scott Hastings
Princeton University '15
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
Treasurer, Princeton Model Congress
Associate VP of Education, Princeton Corporate Finance Club
IC Staff, Business Today
Brianna Castle
Northwestern University Class of 2014
School of Education and Social Policy
Atascocita High School Valedictorian Class of 2010
There are certain teachers who I will never forget – my fifth grade reading and social studies teacher who taught me to stand up for myself, my middle school science teacher who showed me the impact our world has on our choices, and my ninth and tenth grade social studies teacher who believed in me, who pushed me, and who set an example for what it means to bring your education to life.
The latter teacher in that list is Mr. Bingham. As a junior at Northwestern University in the School of Education and Social Policy, I think about things like school experiences, curricula, student development, and educator supports a whole lot. Time and again, the research and student testimonies show that what matters most is not the precise content students learn but rather the skills they are taught and the values they formulate. In high school, I was grade-driven, always striving to see that “100” next to my name. Ironically, I cannot even remember the grades I ended up with just three years later. Actually, when I talk about my high school experience now, the experience that comes up most often would have to be Mr. Bingham’s World Humanities class my sophomore year.
It was a brand new course for my school, but our teacher did not let that stop him. He knew how to challenge us to think, to work, and to ultimately grow through our learning. I remember the days of wondering why in the world we had to read three textbook chapters in just a couple days or why we were reading scholarly articles that we could barely understand. Then, one day it clicked. My purpose in taking the class was not to walk away with a grade alone but rather to learn how to learn. The amount of work never changed, but my attitude did. I began to ask deeper questions as we delved into the Holocaust, take bigger risks when writing essays, and, most importantly, challenge the ways in which I see the world. It was, then, that the grades followed. It was because of my willingness to take educational and intellectual risks that I have become the student and person I am today.
What made the experience so meaningful, however, was the person walking me through this journey. Mr. Bingham has an uncanny ability to connect with students and push them to connect the moral and ethical implications of history with their own present situations. Sure, there were times I thought he was crazy for demanding as much as he did of us as students. It was overwhelming, frustrating, and exhausting. But in the end, that’s not what matters now. What he asked of us was designed to set us up for success in college and beyond. He brings more than just a teaching certification to the classroom. The fact that I am writing this about him 5 years after taking his course says a little something about the impression he left on me.
Right now, spread out in front of me are five college syllabi, spelling out every page of reading, every paper requirement for the term, and exams mixed in throughout. A typical week might include 300 pages of reading, a couple short papers to complete, and at least one exam or quiz – quite a bit more than anyone ever expected of me in high school. Yet, for me, it doesn’t seem too intimidating – a little overwhelming, sure, but not unnecessary. However, for many of my peers it seems ridiculous to demand this much. The difference for me is I had teachers who were willing to prepare me for the rigor of college – even for that of a top 20 university. I know how to read a scholarly article and how to construct historical arguments. The grade, no longer holding the same value it used to for me, follows from a commitment to learn and explore and be challenged. I hope that you can see that this is exactly what Mr. Bingham strives to do for his students. Honestly, I wouldn’t be at the university I’m at, as successful as I am if I hadn’t been in his class 5 years ago. What he does, no matter how different or challenging it may seem, works.