Maximilian I of Mexico

We learned about Maximilian I of Mexico in our Cinco de Mayo lesson. This guy is really interesting to me, if for no other reason than because he wanted to do well as leader of Mexico, but wasn't really smart enough to be successful.

For example, when he took over power from the elected Mexican President Benito Juarez, he really thought the Mexican people wanted him there. It's hard for me to understand why he thought Mexicans wanted a foreign born dictator over the guy they already elected.

This is a painting of Maximilian accepting power from the people of Mexico. 

Also, Mexico was not rich, but he led a life of luxury. Check out the photos I took of his house when I was in Mexico last year.

Maximilian's ride - do you see the gold baby?!

Just your average hallway decorations.

Staircases, chairs and gold clocks

So here are the Hot Tamale questions to email me or reply as a comment in this post. 

• Would you want Max to be your leader? Why or why not?
• If you were one of Max's trusted team members, what would you tell him? 
• Are there leaders like him today in the world? Who are they and what country are they ruling?
• What would you do if you were Benito Juarez, the elected president that Max had pushed out of power?

Extending the 5 de mayo Lesson

Every year I teach about Mexican Independence Day, and all my students say "I thought Mexican Independence Day was cinco de mayo. What's cinco de mayo about?" So this year we learned about the key players in cinco de mayo, and how President Benito Juarez was like America's Abraham Lincoln.

We only touched on the tip of the cinco de mayo iceberg, so I want to offer more meat to chew on. Answer part of all of these questions for Hot Tamale points.

Cash Money

• All these people we learned about are famous enough to have their faces on money. What currency was Napoleon III on? General Zargosa is on what Mexican peso bill? How much is that bill worth in US dollars? What Mexican peso bill is Benito Juarez's face on? How much is that bill worth in US dollars? Which person's currency is worth the most money (US dollars) today? 
• For 10th grade students, who else have you studied at City High that has their face on a Mexican peso bill?

Abraham Lincoln

• Abraham Lincoln's mom died of milk disease when he was 9 years old. What is that? How can someone die from drinking milk? 

Napoleon III

• There are so many Napoleons I can't keep them straight, can you? The text mentioned his uncle Emperor Napoleon I, what was he famous for? 
• I thought Neapolitan ice cream got it's name from one of these guys, but I was wrong. Where does the ice cream's name originate from?
• Create a timeline explaining who was in power in France in the 1700-1800s. How did it go from Emperor Napoleon I to King Louis Philippe to Napoleon III?
• How do you think a president can make themselves an Emperor? Who has done that recently in Latin America?

• Describe what kind of leader you'd like to be of a country- an emperor, dictator, president, or King/Queen. Why would you prefer that kind of leadership?

Sebastian El Charro de Oro on America's Got Talent

America's Got Talent is in it's final weeks. One of the TV talent show's final contestants is a 10 year-old boy named Sebastian who sings Mariachi music with a powerful voice.

Hot Tamale Activities - leave a comment or email me bordner@cityhigh.org

1. Look into Sebastian's style. What does "el charro" mean? Describe traditional mariachi outfits and why they dress that way.
2. Describe traditional mariachi music. What are the instruments of a mariachi band? How many people are in a group? What do the songs typical talk about? 
3. Find other performances of mariachis and link them. What do you like/dislike about the music? Why?

La Sagrada Familia

I've been there. NBD.
Actually, it is a HUGE deal.

Hot Tamale Activities - reply in the comments or email your response to bordner@cityhigh.org

1. Write a basic report on La Sagrada Familia. Who made it? Why is it special? When was it built (trick question!)? Where is it? What is it's theme? Link photos, videos, and other sites you used to find this information.
2. Find more images of La Sagrada Familia, specifically from the inside. Post them on a word document, ppt, or use another site like Glogster.

What is your labor of love?

Happy Labor Day! Labor Day is a pretty awesome privilege that we often take for granted or are ignorant about. 

When we think about labor, we usually think it's the same thing as work. Sometimes we tend to narrow our focus and only think about work as a job, so we can make money, so we can buy things we want. 

But what if you thought about work like Jiro thinks about making sushi?

Jiro talks about improving his technique for 70 years. After all those years, he still sees that there is room for improvement, that he can achieve more. After 70 years, he still says "I feel ecstatic" and loves making sushi all day. 

Hot Tamale Activities - comment or email a response to bordner@cityhigh.org

• What do you think your labor of love would be? What can you see yourself doing for a long long time?
• Watch the movie Jiro Dreams of Sushi.
• What are some characteristics that Jiro has that you think makes him successful?
• Compare and contrast Japanese traditions and cultures to your own traditions and culutre. 
• Write a list of questions you would ask Jiro or other people in the film. 
• Write a review of the film. Did you like it? Would you recommend it? Why?

I want to let you know, that teaching is a labor of love for me. I used to think traveling was my passion, but I got lonely. I love sharing about new and exciting things. I love learning and helping other people learn about different cultures. I really enjoy getting to know my students.