W&J
news
Education professor’s new book studies presidents and first ladies in the classroom Did you know Bill Clinton was called “motormouth” by his sixth-grade teacher, or that Woodrow Wilson suffered from severe learning and reading problems his entire life? Lady Bird Johnson was so shy, she sabotaged her own grades. Eleanor Roosevelt was kicked out of school for lying. James Longo, Ed.D., professor and chair of education at Washington & Jefferson College, wanted to learn more about how the educational experiences of U.S. presidents and first ladies impacted their paths to the White House. The result is his new book, “From Classroom to White House: The Presidents and First Ladies as Students and Teachers.” Longo spent more than 10 years researching the book, visiting many of the schools where the presidents and first ladies studied and taught. He read their report cards, spoke with former teachers and classmates, and sat in Sunday school classes taught by Jimmy Carter in Plains, Ga. “Of all the presidents and first ladies, half became teachers, but all were students,” Longo said. “I wondered what they were like. Most people think that when you get to the White House, you grew up as an angel. But in actuality, if you put them all in a classroom together, you would have a handful.”
By the Numbers: INTERSESSION From “Chemistry of Perfume,” to “Gothic Hauntings,” Intersession 2012 introduced W&J students to intriguing discussions and life-changing travels.
9
U.S. states have adopted laws against cyber-bullying, a legal issue discussed in “CyberLaw.”
One dozen n “I love connecting these men and women to their childhoods and who they became.” – JAMES LONGO, ED.D., PROFESSOR AND CHAIR OF EDUCATION
Theater productions attended d by students in Richard and Patricia Easton’s “London Theater” class.
Sixty -six
156
Jam Longo visited the former James schools of U.S. presidents and first sch ladies as research for his new book. lad
st ladies were “late bloomers,” “painfully shy” or “painfully Longo said many presidents and first extroverted.” A number struggled with reading, while others had difficulty taking tests. “I love connecting these men and women to their childhoods and who they became,” Longo said. “I see something endearing in almost all of them.” Jackie Kennedy Onassis was called a “brat,” and Barbara Bush was a “bully.” Abraham Lincoln was “lazy,” and George Washington and Harry Truman never could master spelling. George W. Bush was a straight-A student, but when his sister died in 1953, his grades began to deteriorate and he was labeled an “underachiever.” “It is no accident that he fell in love with a second-grade teacher,” Longo said of Bush. “This is a very bright man who has covered up a lot of pain.” Longo believes the book represents “hope” for the parents of underachievers and salutes those teachers who make a difference. “The book contains a lot of life lessons,” Longo said. “I love teaching, and I really believe in teachers. It was a fun book to write.” Gerald Ford was a “gentleman,” whose football coach helped get him accepted into Yale. Two people saw greatness in Ronald Reagan—his high school English teacher and his wife, Nancy. Barack Obama taught constitutional law to great reviews at the University of Chicago Law School. In addition to meeting several presidents and first ladies, Longo has taught and worked with a number of children whose ancestors once lived in the White House. A Fulbright scholar, he has received awards from the National Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities as well as the American Youth Foundation.
6
WINTER 2012 MAGAZINE
Games in the shortened NBA season after a lockout studied in “Economics and Law of Professional Sports.”
Episodes in the original series of “The Twilight Zone,” the 1960s television show examined by Andrew Rembert’s class.
50,000
Women are trafficked to the U.S. every year, an international problem investigated in “She Works Hard for His Money.”
1.1
Million acres in Marcellus Shale land owned by Range Resources, a subject company in “Topics in Financial Economics.”
1974
The year President Nixon resigned as a result of “Watergate,” a political scandal explored in depth by professor Jim Benze.