NAME:
Ms. Heidi Schallenberg Sweeney
SCHOOL:
Park Middle School
CLASS:
8th Grade World History & Cultures
SCHOOL PHONE:
908-322-4445
Educational Background:
Many, many years ago, I received a B.A. in the History of American Foreign
Policy from Cornell University and a J.D. from New York University School of
Law. More recently I received teacher certifications in Middle School Social
Studies and Elementary Education. As part of my teacher's certification, I
also earned 15 credits towards a Masters of Arts in Teaching from New Jersey
City University.
Work Background:
After graduating from college, I worked in the field of public policy in New
York and in Washington, DC, with an emphasis on national policy affecting
youth. I then went to law school, where I was active in the Family Law Clinic,
representing children in the juvenile justice system. Upon graduation, I spent
almost 7 years as a corporate litigator at a Wall Street law firm. I left the
legal practice to spend more time with my family. We moved to Fanwood and then
to Scotch Plains, where I enjoyed becoming involved in our schools and all
they have to offer our children.
Over time, I realized that my passion for law was not as strong as my passion
for public education and all it offers our children. That's what led to my
decision to become a teacher.
Other:
I was born and raised in Beacon, NY, located in the beautiful and historic
Mid-Hudson Valley. I have two sons: my oldest is a freshman in college; my
youngest is an SPFHS junior. I enjoy spending time with my family, reading the
New York Times, listening to NPR (National Public Radio), cooking & baking
(and eating!), doing Ken-Ken, singing in the car (much to my children's
chagrin), gardening, and anything Swiss (with the exception of the Swiss
tendency towards narrow-mindedness).
My favorite musical artists/composers (and I have lots of them!) include:
Earth It's Wonderful to See You
Coldplay
Death Cab for Cutie
The Shins
Snow Patrol
Weezer
Billy Talent
Rod Picott
Pete Seeger
Oscar Peterson
Mahler
Mozart (especially his piano concertos)
Tracy Chapman
Gloria Estefan
Carole King
For my World History students:
My hope for you this year is that you will find 8th Grade World History &
Cultures not only interesting but exciting! I hope that you will learn how
thought-provoking it is and how much it can teach us about ourselves and about
society today.
In studying the history of the world, we will sift through a valuable treasure
of human experience in both success and failure. We will explore societies
coping with challenges and crises of their times and discover how they learned
(and sometimes lost) in the process.
And we will learn in the process as well. We will become more aware of our
society's own situations and problems by focusing on current events. Increased
awareness is the first step toward becoming involved and finding solutions as
citizens.
On a more practical level, I hope that this class will improve your analytical
and study skills. We will practice taking notes, which should help you with
all of your classes in the future. We will also have opportunities to engage
in class discussions and presentations. We will work on taking positions on an
issue, using facts to support our position, and responding to the positions of
others in a responsive, respectful manner.
We will also have the opportunity to develop our research skills, including
learning how to retrieve information on the Internet more effectively; how to
recognize and evaluate the signs of accuracy, relevance, comprehensiveness,
currency, and bias of online resources; and how to correctly quote,
paraphrase, summarize, and cite information to avoid plagiarism.