About The Instructor
Mike is
husband to Lynn
father to Ethan and Caroline
headmaster and social studies teacher for
St. Albans Academy (Ethan's and Caroline's home school)
member of
HSLDA ( Home School Legal Defense Association)
SCHEA (South Carolina Home Educators Association)
HERALD 5 (local home school support group)
SAFE in HERALD 5 (accountability group)
Adjunct faculty at Limestone College and Midlands Technical College
He has been a Christian since his freshman year in college (fall 1981).
Credentials:
State of South Carolina teaching credential (# 167518), issued July 24, 1992
Master of Arts in Teaching, History, University of South Carolina, Columbia, 1992
Bachelor of Arts, History, University of South Carolina, Columbia, 1986
Registered Worksite Instructor, financial topics
Experience:
Current work-
Private tutoring via our website
Online tutoring in School Success 101
World History
U.S. History
College teaching(adjunct faculty)
Limestone College Extended Campus, Gaffney, SC
Department of History
Web courses and evening courses taught (fall 2001 to present):
World Civilizations I and II
US History I and II
Midlands Technical College, Columbia, SC
Developmental Studies Department
Courses taught (fall 2002 to present):
College Skills
Personal and Career Assessment
Past work-
Columbia College, Columbia, SC
Department of Education
Course taught (fall 2002):
Social Studies Methods - a course for candidates
in the teacher training program
Public school teaching
Fairfield Middle School, Winnsboro, SC
Course taught (1993-1995):
World Geography
Swansea High School, Swansea, SC (student teaching)
Courses taught (spring 1992):
World Geography
Law Related Education
Business
Various firms, including Northwestern Mutual, Mutual of New York, and Waddell & Reed
1995-2002:
Financial planning seminars
Personal planning and sales of investments and insurance
Field work in history and archaeology:
Emergency excavation and documentation of a below-ground colonial plantation, Broom Hall, Monck's
Corner, SC, spring and summer of 1988. Volunteer work with Chicora Foundation and Fritz Hamer of
the S.C. State Museum, using judgment rolls from 1799-1801 reposited in the S.C. Department of
Archives and History.
Graduate work in applied history, Kiplin Hall, North Yorkshire, England, summer, 1990. Documentary
research on the development of the estate of Lord Baltimore, founder of Maryland. Studies in
archaeology, historic preservation, and architecture of England and Scotland.
Exploration of ancient Mayan village, Yucatan, Mexico, summer of 1983.
Studies of primary written sources and archaeology from ancient and Biblical history. An on-going
interest of mine since the winter of 1981, it became especially important to me to establish the reliability
of the Old and New Testament after my conversion to Christianity in the fall of that same year.
Educational objectives for my courses:
I believe that learning should be fun, practical, and natural. I attempt to pursue limited, reasonable,
objectives within our time limit, knowing that information that is "crammed" is seldom remembered. I
also want to make my courses extremely practical, so that the course knowledge and skills can be applied
in the lives and careers of my students. Finally, I attempt to "build a bridge" between my students and
the topics I teach by creating learning experiences that cater to various interests, thinking styles, and
learning styles. I bill my basic (Track II) history courses as "history for non-historians."
My worldview
There are 2 elements to my course: 1.) the survey of history, and 2.) the “real lessons” I have to teach
regarding the application and relevancy of history. When it comes to the 2nd element, the “lessons of
history,” my bias or worldview comes into play a lot, although I try to teach students (and my own kids)
to think critically and not accept any opinion just at face value. With my own kids I try to teach them to
build their worldview on Scripture. With my students in the secular colleges I try to challenge them to
consider that all data need to be interpreted and that our presuppositions control how we do that, and
that even atheistic scholars and scientists must make certain assumptions that are unproven and taken on
“faith.”
As for the specifics of my own worldview: I am a creationist. I believe the Bible to be the inerrant,
inspired Word of God. I believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah promised to the Jews and predicted
by the Old Testament. I believe that Christ came in the flesh and that He literally arose from the dead
after three days. As one trained in history I believe there is ample evidence to support the
trustworthiness of the Scriptures, and the report of Christ’s resurrection. I use the New Testament as an
example when I discuss how we prove the reliability of an ancient text via archaeological, textual and
manuscript evidence.
I cut my spiritual and intellectual teeth in a secular university setting in the early 1980s, when so many in
my generation were extremely cynical and relativistic. Shortly after accepting Christ, in the fall of 1981, I
began studying the Christian apologetics of Josh McDowell, of Campus Crusade for Christ. From there I
read a lot of other material from Christian writers such as C.S. Lewis, Ravi Zacharias, Lee Strobel (The
Case for Christ, etc.), and others. I also studied opposing views from atheists and other religions, in
order to understand them and be prepared to counter their teachings. I initially tried to “argue people
into the Kingdom of God.” Not only did I find it impossible to argue someone into seeing my point of
view, but I was humbled by the challenges of life and dissuaded from giving simplistic-sounding answers
to life’s tough questions. I now explain why I (still) trust the Bible and how I think it is helping me in the
pursuit of True Life, only if someone is willing to listen. I give any of my college students who disagree
with me lots of room to disagree. I challenge them to think critically, encourage them when they do
(even if they disagree with me), help them in their intellectual and personal development, offer to pray
for them if they are struggling, answer questions, and back off if need be. Most seem to appreciate my
approach. As I tell them, “I will give an ‘A’ to any student who disagrees with me, as long as they do
their work well, and an ‘F’ to any student who agrees with me if they don’t do their work.” (Any
student can do well in my class even if—and in spite of whether—they disagree with me.)
Mike is
husband to Lynn
father to Ethan and Caroline
headmaster and social studies teacher for
St. Albans Academy (Ethan's and Caroline's home school)
member of
HSLDA ( Home School Legal Defense Association)
SCHEA (South Carolina Home Educators Association)
HERALD 5 (local home school support group)
SAFE in HERALD 5 (accountability group)
Adjunct faculty at Limestone College and Midlands Technical College
He has been a Christian since his freshman year in college (fall 1981).
Credentials:
State of South Carolina teaching credential (# 167518), issued July 24, 1992
Master of Arts in Teaching, History, University of South Carolina, Columbia, 1992
Bachelor of Arts, History, University of South Carolina, Columbia, 1986
Registered Worksite Instructor, financial topics
Experience:
Current work-
Private tutoring via our website
Online tutoring in School Success 101
World History
U.S. History
College teaching(adjunct faculty)
Limestone College Extended Campus, Gaffney, SC
Department of History
Web courses and evening courses taught (fall 2001 to present):
World Civilizations I and II
US History I and II
Midlands Technical College, Columbia, SC
Developmental Studies Department
Courses taught (fall 2002 to present):
College Skills
Personal and Career Assessment
Past work-
Columbia College, Columbia, SC
Department of Education
Course taught (fall 2002):
Social Studies Methods - a course for candidates
in the teacher training program
Public school teaching
Fairfield Middle School, Winnsboro, SC
Course taught (1993-1995):
World Geography
Swansea High School, Swansea, SC (student teaching)
Courses taught (spring 1992):
World Geography
Law Related Education
Business
Various firms, including Northwestern Mutual, Mutual of New York, and Waddell & Reed
1995-2002:
Financial planning seminars
Personal planning and sales of investments and insurance
Field work in history and archaeology:
Emergency excavation and documentation of a below-ground colonial plantation, Broom Hall, Monck's
Corner, SC, spring and summer of 1988. Volunteer work with Chicora Foundation and Fritz Hamer of
the S.C. State Museum, using judgment rolls from 1799-1801 reposited in the S.C. Department of
Archives and History.
Graduate work in applied history, Kiplin Hall, North Yorkshire, England, summer, 1990. Documentary
research on the development of the estate of Lord Baltimore, founder of Maryland. Studies in
archaeology, historic preservation, and architecture of England and Scotland.
Exploration of ancient Mayan village, Yucatan, Mexico, summer of 1983.
Studies of primary written sources and archaeology from ancient and Biblical history. An on-going
interest of mine since the winter of 1981, it became especially important to me to establish the reliability
of the Old and New Testament after my conversion to Christianity in the fall of that same year.
Educational objectives for my courses:
I believe that learning should be fun, practical, and natural. I attempt to pursue limited, reasonable,
objectives within our time limit, knowing that information that is "crammed" is seldom remembered. I
also want to make my courses extremely practical, so that the course knowledge and skills can be applied
in the lives and careers of my students. Finally, I attempt to "build a bridge" between my students and
the topics I teach by creating learning experiences that cater to various interests, thinking styles, and
learning styles. I bill my basic (Track II) history courses as "history for non-historians."
My worldview
There are 2 elements to my course: 1.) the survey of history, and 2.) the “real lessons” I have to teach
regarding the application and relevancy of history. When it comes to the 2nd element, the “lessons of
history,” my bias or worldview comes into play a lot, although I try to teach students (and my own kids)
to think critically and not accept any opinion just at face value. With my own kids I try to teach them to
build their worldview on Scripture. With my students in the secular colleges I try to challenge them to
consider that all data need to be interpreted and that our presuppositions control how we do that, and
that even atheistic scholars and scientists must make certain assumptions that are unproven and taken on
“faith.”
As for the specifics of my own worldview: I am a creationist. I believe the Bible to be the inerrant,
inspired Word of God. I believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah promised to the Jews and predicted
by the Old Testament. I believe that Christ came in the flesh and that He literally arose from the dead
after three days. As one trained in history I believe there is ample evidence to support the
trustworthiness of the Scriptures, and the report of Christ’s resurrection. I use the New Testament as an
example when I discuss how we prove the reliability of an ancient text via archaeological, textual and
manuscript evidence.
I cut my spiritual and intellectual teeth in a secular university setting in the early 1980s, when so many in
my generation were extremely cynical and relativistic. Shortly after accepting Christ, in the fall of 1981, I
began studying the Christian apologetics of Josh McDowell, of Campus Crusade for Christ. From there I
read a lot of other material from Christian writers such as C.S. Lewis, Ravi Zacharias, Lee Strobel (The
Case for Christ, etc.), and others. I also studied opposing views from atheists and other religions, in
order to understand them and be prepared to counter their teachings. I initially tried to “argue people
into the Kingdom of God.” Not only did I find it impossible to argue someone into seeing my point of
view, but I was humbled by the challenges of life and dissuaded from giving simplistic-sounding answers
to life’s tough questions. I now explain why I (still) trust the Bible and how I think it is helping me in the
pursuit of True Life, only if someone is willing to listen. I give any of my college students who disagree
with me lots of room to disagree. I challenge them to think critically, encourage them when they do
(even if they disagree with me), help them in their intellectual and personal development, offer to pray
for them if they are struggling, answer questions, and back off if need be. Most seem to appreciate my
approach. As I tell them, “I will give an ‘A’ to any student who disagrees with me, as long as they do
their work well, and an ‘F’ to any student who agrees with me if they don’t do their work.” (Any
student can do well in my class even if—and in spite of whether—they disagree with me.)
Convenient online tutoring for
School Success
at school-success.net
School Success
at school-success.net
| Contact Information: Michael T. Swords, MAT, RWI 32 St. Albans Road Irmo, SC 29063 Office: (803) 732-9226 mswords@school-success.net |
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