Iolani School - John Bickel

AP European History

Born and raised in North Dakota of a German immigrant family, I was not a particularly good student in elementary school. In high school, I got serious and graduated Valedictorian. I attended the College of William and Mary in Virginia and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1984. (Jon Stewart of the Daily Show is my classmate.) I went to graduate school in Political Science at the University of California at Berkeley and received my M.A. in 1985. I worked for a law firm in San Francisco and then came to work for Representative Tom Okamura in the Hawaii State Legislature in 1986.

I taught at Campbell High School and Roosevelt High School. After twelve years in public schools, I came to 'Iolani in 2001 where I teach ninth grade Modern World History and Advanced Placement Modern European History. I have also taught History and Political Science classes for Chaminade University and Hawaii Pacific University. I have traveled to Europe on five occasions and have been to about twenty-five countries of Europe. I have graded the Advanced Placement European History exams in 2005 and 2006. I hope to bring my experiences in travel, learning, and teaching to the online class.