Reviews_files/3290%20-%20092914.docx

Mexico's Origins: Silver, Culture, and Revolution - - Program # 3290 - 092914

Participant’s comments for John Barham, Instructor


  1. •11/21/2014- JOHN'S DELIVERING WAS EXCELLENT. IT WAS ALMOST LIKE HE LIVED THE HISTORY. 


  1. •11/12/2014- I liked John Barham's lectures on Mexican history. He knows Mexican history and can present it in an interesting, authoritative manner. He has some speech habits that can become a little annoying. He should have a professional listen to his whole sequence and give him the feedback that would correct these. It's not a big problem. As a semi-professional historian myself, I would say that he is better on details than on presenting the larger picture. The details are interesting, of course, but more emphasis on the larger picture would help explain Mexico's motivation for freedom from Spain, and, later, from France.


  1. •11/3/2014- I learned so much and appreciated the educational aspect.


  1. •11/2/2014- Made it all interesting.


  1. •11/2/2014- John is an excellent lecturer and knew the subject matter and was able to relate to us in such a manner that it made Mexican history fascinating.


  1. •11/2/2014- John was an excellent teacher. I have read extensively on Mexican history and have always been confused with the political aspect of Mexican history, John's lectures put it all into a frame work where I can now begin to understand how the many events that I have read about all fit together. His knowledge and lecturing style was such that it made the stories fascinating. Quite often at lectures old people tend to doze off - I didn't see anyone do that at any of John's lectures.


  1. •10/17/2014- Excellent instructor.


  1. •10/16/2014- John Barham is a natural teacher, dynamic, sensitive to those who have don't a university history background and might not know the Monroe Doctrine, for example, and just plain fun to learn from. HIs lectures gave us a heightened sense of exploration as well as understanding. The extra lecture he did on the Virgin of Guadalupe was particularly challenging, give a few atheist/agnostics and at least one professor of religion, and stirred up lots of conversations. If he and Haydee put together a Chiapas trip, I think we would jump at it.



  1. •10/15/2014- John was a joy to listen to. His knowledge of Mexico's history is so deep that he was able to answer all questions in depth with facts, people, and dates. His style of presentation was excellent making it virtually impossible to be distracted. He kept the entire group enthralled with the history of Mexico, something I think many people would have a hard time doing. I would say his presentations were really the highlight of the trip. His enthusiasm was infectious keeping all of us somewhat on edge as to what would happen next in Mexico's history including particularly who would be killed during the next coup.


  1. •10/15/2014- John was a treasure trove of knowledge about the history of Mexico which he metered out of segments as we went along. I learned a great deal from his talks.


  1. • 10/15/2014- John was terrific. Never boring and had good visuals to accompany his talks. He was clear and interesting. His information fascinating. He spoke loudly enough so all could hear easily.


  1. •10/14/2014- John Barham gave a comprehensive, articulate, and informative 8-hour program on the History of Mexico. Additional handouts of this complicated topic would have been appreciated.


  1. •10/14/2014- John was a knowledgeable educator, fun to listen to, patient with answering some of the same questions several times, friendly, knew everyone's names by the 2nd day, mingled with the group. Very nice to meet his beautiful wife

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  3. •10/14/2014- One could tell his collection of pictures of historical interest were thoughtfully selected to emphasize his lectures. He strived to become acquainted with each one of us and felt part of the group.


  1. •10/13/2014- Well-liked by all participants.


Exploring San Miguel de Allende

Participants comments for John Barham, Instructor

Program # 17262 - 11/14/2014


  1. •12/8/2014- Our lecturer John is very knowledgeable about the history and politics of the area.


  1. •12/1/2014- John was outstanding! I wish his talents had been utilized more on the trip. His presentations and contributions were the highlight of the trip.


  1. •12/1/2014- John was exceptional and should be used more. He enhanced the program by arranging a special trip and constantly answering questions from the participants. 


  1. •11/28/2014- John was very well organized and presented the material in a straightforward, interesting manner. His slides and photos were excellent.


  1. •11/25/2014- John was outstanding, and was always available to answer questions that came up during excursions. He went out of his way to help several persons get to a church service, and introduced us around to the community. Getting the group in to see Tolar Cranston was a real coup! 


  1. •11/25/2014- The lectures on culture and history were excellent.  John Barham is a warm personable man. His desire to teach this culture and history is evident.


  1. •11/25/2014-   While John was very knowledgeable, he lacked warmth.


  1. •11/23/2014- Because of John's personal knowledge of Mexico's history, it has made me aware of the country, culture and all of the demographics of Mexican society. John was always ready to extend and supply additional details on many areas of historical importance.


  1. •11/23/2014- Perfectly satisfied with the instructor John.


  1. •11/23/2014- John has a great personal love for the Mexican people which comes out in his lectures. I enjoyed all of his information.


  1. •11/23/2014- The quality was okay his presentation style was not appropriate for a small group. When other speakers came they were not helped with the time allowed or anything. It was sad for one speaker he did not know what to do and John did not help him.


  1. •11/22/2014- I liked the lectures even though they were not what I expected. I feel that I left Mexico with a good understanding of the general history and the participation of Guanajuato in that history.


  1. •11/22/2014- Particularly liked education given by John.



  1. •11/22/2014- John was an excellent educator. His projecting voice and presentation of information along with expertise made for a winning combination to keep the subject matter interesting. I really enjoyed the "inside scoop" of social and political issues in Mexico and its relationship with the U.S. I tended to agree with what he presented. I also enjoyed his insider info about the ex-pats in SMA as well his personalizing some of it too. It made it real and more personable, something I really enjoy. He was very pleasant and approachable and I enjoyed talking to him.



  1. •11/22/2014- John is the ideal person for this role. He is a fellow American who understands what we need to learn and delivers the information in an informative, enjoyable manner. He was tireless in participating in every part of our tour, always adding value, even when he was not the designated leader. We were indeed fortunate to have someone of John's expertise to share his love of Mexico; it was infectious.

  2. •Exploring San Miguel de Allende

Participants comments for John Barham, Instructor

Program # 17262 - 3/19/2015


  1. •4/18/2015- Outstanding lecture technique and knowledge of material. Friendly and approachable. Great travel companion.


  1. •4/13/2015- He was very good in presenting the items we were all interested about Mexico and was easy to understand. He included people of interest to San Miguel in particular and to Mexico. Excellent, excellent.


  1. •4/12/2015- We enjoyed his knowledge and candor. Good experience with the area and Mexican history


  1. •4/3/2015- A very well organized program with super capable, helpful, and knowledgeable staff, all willing to take time to stop, listen, and respond. 


  1. •4/3/2015- John has a wonderful understanding of the history and culture of Mexico and was able to share that with the group via his lectures, which were very, very informative as well as lively; his presentation style certainly made my listening experience all the more pleasurable and - overall - the program itself that much more meaningful. John, also, was able to show interest in program participants as he responded to questions or concerns in or outside of lectures.


  1. •4/1/2015- My favorite was the food and the lectures.  John was great and got my interest.


  1. •3/30/2015- Just way too much detail about specific people in history--most of which we had never known about. I would prefer to hear generally about that stage of Mexican history instead of details of specific people involved. More description of his own experiences of living in Mexico as an American, since several tour members were interested in becoming expats.


  1. •3/29/2015- We enjoyed the lectures by John, knew his subject well and can communicate well.


  1. •3/29/2015- John was wonderful.


  1. •3/27/2015- Has an intimate knowledge of history, very professional and speaks clearly and slowly. This is an advantage in a group with several hard of hearing people.


  1. •3/27/2015- John needs to work on voice fluxiality.


  1. •3/27/2015- John is amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed him. Not only were his lectures fantastic but, outside of his lectures, he was always available and happy to answer any of my questions about anything (from questions about life in SMA to how to request allergy medicine at the pharmacy).


  1. •3/27/2015- John Barnham's lectures were excellent.


Mexico's Origins: Silver, Culture, and Revolution - - Program # 3290- 011915

Participant’s comments for John Barham, Instructor

  1. •3/3/2015- The integration of John Barham's lectures with the field trip of the day was invaluable in understanding the colonial past and legacy today. John Barham is a treasure. John Barham was the best instructor I have had on any intl. trip, by far. He is outstanding and you should make a big deal about these two people. Through John Barham and the experience of being in the Colonial Circle I learned so much that surprised me and I finally had an appreciation of the complicated history and culture which affects Mexican citizens today.


  1. •3/2/2015- John made his lectures interesting, memorable, and understandable. He is so knowledgeable. He was always assessable for questions at lecture and on our road trips.


  1. •2/24/2015- WELL INFORMED, PLEASANT HELPFUL. ONLY CRITICISM WOULD BE AN ECHO AT END OF MANY WORDS.


  1. •2/24/2015- WELL INFORMED, PLEASANT HELPFUL. ONLY CRITICISM WOULD BE AN ECHO AT END OF MANY WORDS.


  1. •2/12/2015- John is a popularizing historian, and a good one. He MADE our trip. He developed major themes. He sensitively responded to questions and concerns. He timed his lecture well, even while accommodating questions and observations from the group. He sought group involvement in his lectures. He quickly learned and used EVERYBODY'S name. He was always available to make clear points that were obscured/confused. He was a very helpful assistant to Haydee when it was necessary for someone to separate from the group. HE made the tour for me! Right on, John!


  1. •2/12/2015- As a history major in college, I would judge him against college professors as below that level. But his story telling style and use of computer images made the learning easy and fun. The attendance was high at all sessions. Best of all, he was with us on all the touring outings. He did not take a leading role, but he was always there to help those who had special needs. What was so great was that even though he had no one-on-one contact with us, just group contact, unlike the guide and coordinator, he was the one who knew everyone's name and called us by them. That's a real accomplishment.


  1. •2/9/2015- Learned a great deal from the lectures.  Incredible knowledge which he shared without intimation.


  1. •2/9/2015- John was very clear and managed to organize and cram a lot of material into a very short time. He certainly enhanced my understanding of the places we visited.


  1. •2/7/2015- John Barham is an excellent lecturer/instructor. John is one of the best instructors I have ever had. He was very concise and great at summarizing everything into 8 hours of lectures. He kept everyone's attention and kept it from being boring. His restaurant recommendations came in very handy.


  1. •2/5/2015- An excellent teacher and storyteller who made history come alive rather than bogging us down in details.


  1. •2/5/2015- John Barham's lectures, through onsite information. He was always very helpful, knows his cities extremely well, and was clearly well-known where we went. The extent of his knowledge and memory was amazing.


  1. •2/5/2015- John Barham is an excellent instructor and had distinctly contrasting styles of teaching us Mexican history. These contrasting styles were refreshing and invigorating - far from boring.


  1. •2/5/2015- Wonderful program, wonderful leader great lectures and tour of spots that backed up the lectures very interesting. I have a college major in History. He was the most informed and interesting of any instructor I can remember. Really had a grasp of the subject.


  1. •2/4/2015- Well done.


  1. •2/2/2015- John was just wonderful and presented the history of Mexico in a way that made everyone in the group pay close attention. The time that we spent listening to John just flew by.


  1. •2/1/2015- Extremely interesting speaker. I actually looked forward to the lecture and never fell asleep.


  1. •2/1/2015- John is one of the best study leaders I have ever had. He made each of our 8 lectures highly interesting and hungering for the next one. It would be totally impossible to fall asleep during his lectures, even if they hadn't been in the morning. We learned so much about the complex history of Mexico that it entices me to continue following everything I can read about Mexico in the news.




On Thu, Dec 26, 2019, 12:06 PM Geronimo Educational Travel Studies Llc <information@geronimotravel.com> wrote:

Dear John,


Good Afternoon. We are sending attached the participants' evaluations from the program 3290-111219 Exploring San Miguel de Allende. Congratulations on your big effort in making each program successful! Without your support and effort, it would be difficult for Geronimo to give quality service to its participants. We would appreciate it that you take your time to read each evaluation thoroughly to review the feedback from our participants.


Keeping in communication, monitoring the needs of the programs, exchanging ideas and finding the solutions as a team will help us provide an immediate solution at the conclusion of each program and apply any necessary changes to the next program. We must keep in mind that our goal is to reach a minimum of 78% in NPS. We believe that working as a team and being always in communication, we will achieve excellent results for each program. As always, Geronimo is open to any suggestions made by the faculty and staff. Please let us know if there is anything that we can do to help.


Once again, congratulations and keep up the good work!


Sincerely,


Enrique