Samohi Teacher Makes History Stick

By Constance Tillotson
Special to The Lookout

May 9 -- The theme music from the film "The Untouchables" builds to a powerful crescendo, as Michael Felix prepares to uncover the next culprit in the Watergate affair.

On the front board, Felix -- who is prepping his Santa Monica High School history class for the state mandatory California Standards Test (CST) -- has covered the names and faces of the leading players in the Watergate scandal with index cards.

Dramatically, he pulls off each card, revealing clues that help uncover the facts behind the historic mystery he titles “Tricky Dick,” named after former president Richard M. Nixon.

“Emotion is the glue that makes history stick,” said Felix, who is known around campus for his theatrical style of teaching. “I do rehearse the night before my lectures to get the music just right with the lesson.

“It makes the students want to learn more,” he said, “and I only have an hour to teach them.”

Felix attests that his multi-sensory approach makes students enthusiastic about a topic, helping them retain important information that will be valuable when they take the state test. In this hour, Felix, a former actor, has gone from 1913 to 1976.

However, Felix acknowledges the depth and scope he brings to a subject has led to conflict with faculty and department heads, because some believe the students would be better served if he focused on the 20th century, which is 90 percent of the information needed for the CST.

“I have fought many battles with the California State Standards,” said Felix. “I don’t avoid the standards. I go beyond them. I have peer pressure to speed up, because I am seen as doing the other teachers a disservice.

“If a student of mine needs to transfer to another class that is on a certain time frame, my student, at that point, might be 30 years behind, because I go into a deeper knowledge of the subject,” Felix said. “As far as the standard are concerned, going at a slower pace is a no-no.”

In the past, the Stranford-9 exam was used as the primary testing device in California. The State has since replaced it with the California Standards Test, because the Education Department contends it is a more accurate assessment. Recent scores on the CST indicate that most of the state’s students do not possess proficient knowledge in basic subject areas.

Amy Bisson -- who has been teaching history at Samohi for eight years -- has seen a shift in her own teaching style since CST was implemented. Her approach to her curriculum is in stark contrast to Felix’s, as she tries to align her lectures with the CST.

“We differ on style and on content,” said Bisson. “Almost the entire focus of the standards is on the 20th century.

“There is not even one question about the Indians, and slavery is barely mentioned on the standards. I give a six-week review to catch them up then focus entirely on what they will be tested on.”

Bisson views herself as more of a “contemporary historian.” She appreciates the importance of centuries gone by, but encounters many students who do not have an understanding of the Cuban missile crisis or the historical significance of figures such as Martin Luther King, and Caesar Chavez.

“You cannot do justice to the 20th Century in just one year,” said Bisson.

Samohi is combining learning styles in the hopes that more students will effectively assimilate the information, which will result in higher test scores. And with State funding to schools directly linked to CST results, there is greater pressure on teachers to stick to the material being tested.

So far, the success of California teachers is spotty.

A study conducted by PRI Research Institute’s Education Studies Department -- which was founded to help provide information for parents to make more informed decisions in making the best educational choices for their children -- reported that only about one-third of California students reach the proficient level or above in history.

Felix is helping to address the poor performance by generating enthusiasm not only among the students in his class, but among those who sit in on their free period just to hear the lecture.

“We just come in to listen to the history,” said Esther Broman, 17, who took Felix’s class last year. “If you study this class, it will help you on the CST. But, overall, I did not do well on the test. I just did not take the time to study. It was my personal choice.”

While colleges review SAT scores when they consider a new student, some may look at how a school performed overall on the CST to make a general assessment of the student body, but not the individual student.

“Students are realizing the test has less value for them,” said Bisson. “So they are starting to take it less seriously. We encourage them to do well on it because if your school does well, it does impact each student.”

The high school is currently changing the textbooks it uses, replacing the old ones for books that are more aligned with the questions students will be asked on the
CST.

Ilene Straus, Santa Monica High School’s principal, says her task is creating an educational institute where students leave with a well-rounded knowledge of history.

“We have the challenges of combining great teaching with meeting the core of all the standards,” said Straus. “Bringing to life moments of our past helps the students to remember historic situations.

“We are blessed to have teachers as committed to his students as Felix,” Straus said. “It is about the joy of teaching.

“That is what we look for in all of our teachers. They all have their own way to go about it. It is about keeping that passion, as well as meeting the goals of the CST.”