The primary subjects I have taught in High School are Math and Science. However, when your school has four teachers and four classes, you get the opportunity to teach everything.

Teaching in costume as Madison is an outcome of a skit I was asked to do a few years back. This was with Professor Laurence Lessig of Harvard--one of my heroes. It worked so well that I was inspired to study and realized I had an affinity for this gentleman. As I immersed myself into the 18th century, I realized that I could teach the best High School History class ever. Some 60 biographies later, I started teaching at Massachusetts High Schools and performing at Libraries.

As a enthusiastic member of the Massachusetts Historical Society, I have had the unbelievable opportunity to spend time with some of the greatest historians of our age. One thing about coming to academic seminars in costume is that you become interesting and get time to talk to them. Thus I am confident of my accuracy.

The Historians whom I have had the honor of spending time with include Dr. Annette Gordon-Reed (who advised me on presenting the Hemmings), Dr. Robert Allison (Suffolk University), Dr. Cathrine Allgor (Mass Historical Society--THE expert on Dolley), Dr. Henry Louis Gates (Harvard). I have read them, listened to them, talked to them, asked advice and direction from them. They have seen me perform.

Slavery will be discussed in fairly abstract terms--we'll read Federalist 54, Ephesians 6:5, Madison's various attempts to end slavery & the irony of his not freeing his own slaves. Students will be reading bits of Paul Jennings' biography, and possibly Phyllis Wheatley, Madison Hemmings, Paul Cuffe, and Olaudah Equiano.

There will be no "play acting" of slavery of any sort, no use of insulting terminology.

I have taught this class in various forms several dozen times.

We are laughing, we are yelling, we are debating, we are studying the real stuff, and nobody ever falls asleep.