A student-led conference by Idrees Moharram who somehow survived American history from 1600 to the Civil War era
Passing ✓
Introduction
Who am I?
Idrees. 8th Grader. Historian (allegedly).
At the start of the year I expected US History to be dates, presidents, and sleeping. Turns out it was dates, presidents, sleeping, and actually caring about human rights. Plot twist.
Introduction
My Expectations vs Reality
What I Expected 😴
"Memorize some dates, draw a map, done."
VS
What Actually Happened 🤯
Trail of Tears. Manifest Destiny. Abolitionists. A PBL project on Palestine. My brain left the chat.
Growth achieved
Growth in Understanding
How My President Knowledge Evolved
1
September: "Presidents are just guys in wigs"
My entire understanding of US presidents was vibes-based.
2
Q3 Exam: Andrew Jackson enters the chat
Scored 100/100. Learned "Old Hickory" fought the National Bank, removed Native Americans, and had truly terrible takes. Complicated dude.
3
Campaign Script: I became a presidential candidate
Wrote and performed a full Early US Presidents campaign — 40/40. Realized presidents are just people who had to make impossible decisions and got roasted for all of them.
✓
Now: Presidents are messy, flawed, and fascinating
Turns out history is just drama with consequences.
Evidence: Q3 Exam
Q3 Mid-Quarter Exam
100%
Era of Good Feelings · Andrew Jackson · Manifest Destiny
Time taken: 2 minutes. Meaning I knew this cold. 🧊
20/20 questions ✓
Influential Figures
People Who Changed My Brain
01
Harriet Tubman
End of Year Exam: she helped hundreds escape through the Underground Railroad. The woman never lost a single passenger. GOAT behavior. Changed how I see bravery.
02
The Cherokee Nation
Q3 Exam: They wrote a Constitution, published a newspaper, adapted — and still got removed. Taught me that "playing by the rules" doesn't always protect you. Heavy lesson.
03
Andrew Jackson
The man was called "champion of the common man" while signing the Indian Removal Act. Taught me that history is complicated and people can be both popular and wrong.
04
William Lloyd Garrison
Published The Liberator newspaper demanding immediate abolition. One guy with a printing press changed the national conversation. Words have power. Noted.
Most Interesting Period
My Favourite Era
The Revolutionary Era
The Buildup
Colonists went from "we love Britain" to "actually we want no taxes and full democracy" in like 20 years. Relatable pace of opinion change.
The Declaration
Declaration of Independence Assignment: 20/20. "All men are created equal" — written by someone who owned enslaved people. We studied the contradiction too.
The Constitution
Constitutional Convention Assignment: 18/20. The debates were DRAMATIC. Small states vs big states. Slavery compromise. Everyone arguing. Basically a group project from hell.
Major Project
PBL Milestone · Performance Task
The Palestine Project 🌍
Connected US History's themes of displacement, resistance, and human rights to modern-day Palestine. Made activist posters, wrote essays on primary vs secondary sources.
40
/ 40 · Task 1.1
40
/ 40 · Task 1.2
39
/ 40 · Presentation
Evidence: End of Year Exam
End of Year Exam · May 2026
100%
Westward Expansion · Mexican-American War · Slavery & Abolition
Finished in 2 minutes 19 seconds. That's not studying hard, that's studying smart. 😌
"The Missouri Compromise drew a line at 36°30' latitude." I knew that. Somehow. After a whole year. That's growth baby.
Reflection
My Learning Habits · Honest Edition
💪 Strengths
✓Aced both 100/100 exams without cramming
✓Got full marks on discussions — actually participated
✓PBL projects: showed up and delivered every time
✓Campaign script turned in — 40/40 even if late
📋 Areas to Improve
!Several late submissions. The due date exists for a reason, Idrees.
!Buildup to Independence Assignment: 0/20. Submitted, but something went wrong.
!Peer Review: 0/40 — missed it entirely. Won't happen again.
Reflection
If I Could Do One Over...
Peer Review.
The Larger Performance Task 3 Peer Review. 0 out of 40. I would go back, actually read my classmates' work carefully, and give real, thoughtful feedback — not because of the grade, but because they deserved that from me.
Lesson learned
Reflection on Learning
My Work Ethic in Numbers
200
Points on both 100% exams
6
Late submissions (oops)
40+
Discussion points · Full marks
"I wasn't always on time, but when I showed up, I showed up fully." — Idrees, reflecting with a straight face
Future Goals
My Goal for 9th Grade
Submit things on time. Every time.
My plan: set reminders 3 days before every deadline. If I can score 100% on both major exams, I can definitely open Canvas before 11:58pm on due dates.
Thanks for coming to my SLC.
Idrees Moharram · G8 US History · 2025–2026 From "colonists in wigs" to "actually understanding how a democracy gets built"