I received an email this morning that I needed to choose my daughter’s mode of instruction for the 2020-2021 school year by July 10th. (Arizona starts early and the district is on a modified year-round schedule). I froze. Like me, most people are going into this next school year wondering what in the hell they […]
As a National Board Certified teacher, I am constantly reflecting on the Five Core Propositions, especially the second: Teachers Know the Subjects They Teach and How To Teach Those Subjects. As we moved through the last 3 months, this has been a focal point for me. If you are not aware, I do not have […]
Originally posted on Stories from Schools AZ This is dedicated to the Basha High School Class of 2020. My sweet, smart, empathetic, hilarious, amazing senior class. You will forever have a place in my heart. You made me love teaching at a time where it was almost impossible. And to those not at my […]
I woke up this morning and didn’t really know what to do with myself. That’s been the six years of the morning after the AP test feeling. In our district, movies are not the preferred use of class time over 20 minutes. Here are a few ideas for how to spend the time after the […]
Below is a guest post from my friend and colleague, Mallory Heath. Although not AP Government related, we are in a time where any great resource should be shared far and wide. Hello teachers! In this unprecedented time, I wanted to offer some ways for you to connect your students to the global pandemic, and […]
I’ve been writing this in my head for three weeks. In my 17 years of teaching, I never knew something like this could be possible. As a National Board Certified Teacher, I am constantly reflecting and changing things. I am currently 3 weeks into remote teaching and 5 weeks out of school (because of spring […]
We are in unprecedented times. It’s uncertain. And many are wondering what we are going to do for the AP test. As someone who has a chronic illness, I think about MY extended absences a lot, and have safeguards built-in for days I need to be gone. We have one more week of our scheduled […]
I teach AP Government in a semester, which is fine first semester. I relish in 92 days to teach the curriculum. I wish I had a year, but I have fine-tuned the semester and feel good about it. That was until I looked at my second semester. Between three holidays, a two-week break, FIVE late […]
Ever have those days where half your class is gone? Here is a lesson to keep them engaged, but not get too ahead on content.
When I was in high school {20 years ago}, my classes were lecture, worksheets, and tests. So, naturally, as a new teacher I did the same. And I hated it because I hated being a student like that. Now, worksheets have a purpose in classes as long as they are interactive as opposed to rote […]
