Mr. Divis' Classroom

 About Mr. Divis: 

Mr. Divis has been teaching Social Studies at BFUHS since 2004. With a B.S. in Secondary Social Studies Education from Miami University, including minors in History and Political Science, Mr. Divis has a sincere interest in learning and teaching about the world, specifically German, Russian, Chinese, and Sub-Saharan African culture and history.

At BFUHS, Mr. Divis serves as the Social Studies Department Coordinator, along with teaching World Cultures, World History II, AP European History, Senior Seminar, and other courses.  He also serves as a member of the BFUHS School Improvement Team, the BFUHS Literacy Committee, the WNESU Social Studies Curriculum Committee, and chairs the school’s NEASC Instruction Committee and co-chairs the school’s Action Plan Literacy Committee. Mr. Divis has also coached Scholars’ Bowl, Freshman Boys Basketball and Varsity Girls’ Tennis at BFUHS.

Mr. Divis also teaches courses online through the Vermont Virtual Learning Collaborative (VTVLC) and at the Community College of Vermont (CCV).

Mr. Divis also works with the Governor’s Institutes on Asian Cultures, and has presented workshops at educational conferences at the state, national, and international level, including the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) annual conference, the National Council for History Education (NCHE) annual conference, and the South African Society for History Teaching (SASHT) annual conference.

Mr. Divis was honored as the 2010 Vermont Teacher of the Year.  He has also been recognized as a Fulbright Distinguished Teacher, which sent him to study and research in South Africa during the 2011-2012 school year (check out his blog here).

Outside of school hours, Mr. Divis enjoys reading, hiking (Mt. Kilimanjaro in July 2008 and Machu Picchu in June 2010), traveling, and listening to music.

-Why I Teach-

In October 2010, the Pearson Foundation hosted a special day-long workshop for Teachers of the Year in New York City, where we were asked to conceive, perform, and edit a short statement called "Why I Teach."  Here is my video: