I take my responsibility of teaching American history very seriously.  I earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy (the classics) and German, but my Master's degree is in U.S. History.  After my daughters entered their tweens, I started to take multiple-hour "daily history sabbaticals" to read up and study U.S. History.  Here is my "Karl's History Reading Log" which tracks my scholarly efforts.  All of these books and blogs have informed my current understanding of this nation's history.  This understanding is always changing, the more I read and the more I grow older (yes, I'm an old geezer).  One of my goals - as a history scholar, teacher, and human being - is to keep an open mind through life-long learning.