Eich Middle School history class recognizes President's Day

Monday is President's Day and teacher Chris Tagert's eighth-grade honors history classes at Eich Middle School in Roseville are recognizing President's Day by participating in a series of debates Tagert calls "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." Tagert has been teaching history for 26 years and recently won the California State Teacher of the Year through the Daughters of American Revolution Organization. Tagert created these debates in his classroom 15 years ago. "I (have) used this (the debates) as one of my teaching examples because students get a more in-depth perspective of how our country was established and the hurdles that we needed to overcome to establish our country," Tagert said. The debates are designed to replace previous tests and projects in honor of President's Day. "The hope is that the students will gain and retain knowledge through this open debate," Tagert said. The debates explore the first seven presidents of the United States: George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, James Madison, James Monroe and Andrew Jackson. The students are divided into groups of three or four students and they're assigned one of the first seven presidents. One student from each group is designated as the president and delivers a speech, advocating for that president. The other group members support their president. Over a four-week period, the students hold a series of debates in class to determine which president the class would "re-elect" if given the chance. Each debate covers a different aspect of each president. The students are expected to research their assigned president, as well as the other six presidents. The first two debates have already taken place, covering each president's characteristics and claim to fame. Students demonstrated how their president made an impact on the country. Out of his three honors history classes, Tagert said that his second-period class "dominated" these first debates with their "inquisitive perspectives." In the next debates, the students will be expected to know their president's strengths, weaknesses and any illegal activity that they did. "Kids seem to really enjoy the debates and allow a much more deeper understanding of the men who started our country and the protocols set in place," Tagert said.