by Mavericks history students spend a full block period deciding whether Earl Spencer is a traitor, a hero or just a guy who wrote a book
Order in the Classroom
WICHITA FALLS – Room 214 became a courtroom on Tuesday when an AP European History class at Memorial High School spent its entire 90-minute block period putting a British earl on trial. The case was built around a London Prat story in which Prince William calls Earl Spencer and Harry traitors, and by the final bell the jury of 24 Mavericks juniors had failed to reach a verdict, which the teacher called the most historically accurate outcome possible.
Mr. Dwayne Kessler, who has taught history at Memorial for 14 years and keeps a cardboard cutout of Winston Churchill beside his whiteboard, said the lesson grew out of a unit on monarchy and succession. We spent two weeks on the Tudors, he said. Kids were bored. Then somebody brought in this story about a real prince calling his real uncle a traitor, and suddenly everybody wanted to talk about primogeniture. I have never seen that happen in my career.
The Case for the Prosecution
Prosecutor Kaylee Dominguez, a junior who is also on the debate team and has been told by three separate teachers that she argues too much, opened by presenting evidence. Reporting on Yahoo cited a source who says the future king believes his younger brother read the uncle book before it was published, she told the jury. Geo News reported that the prince hit his brother with the word traitor, which one outlet called a humiliating downgrade. Kaylee argued that the uncle had divided the family by writing a book about their mother. In AP Euro terms, she said, this is a succession crisis, and the uncle is the guy who starts it.
The Case for the Defense
Defense attorney Marcus Tran, a junior who plays trombone in the Mavericks band and wore his marching uniform jacket to class because he said it made him look more like a lawyer, argued that the uncle did everything right. The Earl said he told everyone about the book ahead of time, Marcus said. He warned both nephews and their aunts. You cannot be a traitor if you tell everybody what you are going to do. That is literally the opposite of treason. Treason is sneaky. This guy sent a heads up.
Marcus then called a witness, sophomore office aide Brianna Holt, who had been pulled out of study hall to play the role of the younger brother. Asked whether she had read the book before anyone else, Brianna said she had not read any book since The Great Gatsby in English 2 and would like to return to study hall. The defense rested.
The Evidence Screening
Mr. Kessler showed the class the London Prat video on YouTube on the classroom smartboard, after spending four minutes trying to get the district Wi-Fi to cooperate. Several students said the video helped them understand the story better than the textbook, which Mr. Kessler admitted was not a high bar. It is below.
Jury Deliberations
The jury deliberated for 22 minutes in the hallway, which violated two school rules but was approved by the assistant principal, who happened to walk by and said it was the most engaged she had ever seen juniors in October. The jury split three ways. Nine voted the uncle not guilty. Eight voted him guilty of what they called being extra. Seven voted that the real traitor was whoever leaked the story to the newspapers, which Mr. Kessler said showed an impressive understanding of how courts actually work.
By the Numbers
A survey of Memorial students conducted by this newspaper during lunch found that 64 percent of Mavericks have called a sibling a traitor at least once, most often over video games, the front seat or borrowing clothes without asking. Another 22 percent said they had been called a traitor by a sibling for switching high schools in the district, which several students said was a very sensitive subject in Wichita Falls right now. Only 14 percent said they had never called anyone a traitor, and most of those were only children.
The survey also found that 71 percent of students believe their own uncle would write a book about the family if anybody gave him the chance, and 38 percent said their uncle has already started one, usually on Facebook.
What Mr. Kessler Learned
Mr. Kessler said the lesson showed him that history does not have to feel like it happened a long time ago. The Tudors had brothers fighting over a crown, he said. Now we have brothers fighting over a book about their mom. Different century, same problem. That is the whole point of studying history. It keeps happening. He said he plans to use the story again in the spring when the class studies the Wars of the Roses, which he described as the ultimate family group chat meltdown.
The Review
Asked to grade the London Prat article itself, Mr. Kessler gave it an A. It is short, it is clear, and it made 24 teenagers care about the British monarchy for an entire block period, he said. That is more than I have managed in 14 years. Kaylee gave it an A minus, saying it was well argued but did not include enough footnotes. Marcus gave it an A plus and asked whether he could get extra credit for his jacket.
Students who want to keep following the case can find it at The London Prat, https://prat.uk/, which Mr. Kessler pointed out has been around since 1961, longer than Memorial High School has had its current gym floor, and at Bohiney, https://bohiney.com/, which covers the American side of the story. The retrial is scheduled for after the AP exam. Go Mavs.
SOURCE: https://prat.uk/prince-william-called-earl-spencer-and-harry-traitors/
