Reframing Extra Credit

“Can I do extra credit to raise my grade?” I hated this question so much as a teacher. It required me to do more work and sometimes felt like it wasn’t a good practice. For a few years, I offered no extra credit because I didn’t have the capacity to grade anymore than I already […]

Reflecting After the Test or At The End of the Year

I never wanted to be that teacher who got stale. After I did my National Board Certification, I constantly was in a state of reflection. I tried to make the class enjoyable, rigorous and not increase my workload or make life harder for anyone. The day after the AP test, I had students reflect while […]

{Guest Post} How to Be an Expert in the Classroom with Brit Bingold

I was given an awesome opportunity to be on Liz Evans’ podcast, Teaching History, Politics, and Stuff, which was a joy and a “taste of my own medicine” as she was on Learning Unlocked in Season 1, Episode 11: “How to Avoid Teacher Burnout and the Comparison Trap.” When she came onto the podcast last […]

Learning Civics and Government as an Adult

Learning about civics and government is overwhelming as an adult. Civic education has evolved over time and as adults, some may feel cheated. The good news is it’s never too late to learn! Podcasts Straight up, just start with the National Constitution Center for podcasts, readings, and their Interactive Constitution. It’s charted by Congress and […]

Engaging Final Exams

As a student, I was not too fond of multiple-choice final exams. It seemed that what I studied was never on the test, and the fact that it could change my grade up to 20% felt impossible. As a teacher, I hated the district-mandated final exams. I hated meeting to create them, fighting over what […]

Learning More About What You Teach and Who You are Teaching

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 […]