Sometimes, social media does more than spew venom, it does bring people together.  Susan and Brian were participating in Twitter chats for AP Literature teachers. A friendship was formed. Quickly thereafter they built www.aplithelp.com from the ground up (the site is currently inaccessible for reasons that are confusing to them). They have done lots of things together like book clubs, Facebook groups, AP workshops, and a few videos for College Board. At the end of the day, they seem to be kindred spirits that like sharing good ideas and connecting with teachers across the country.  Here’s a bit more about each of them.

Brian Sztabnik considers himself lucky. He has been teaching English for nearly 15 years at suburban public schools, parochial schools, and in the inner city and has been blessed with truly wonderful students. His classroom is an eclectic collection of  student work, giant author stencils, and lots and lots of books. In that space he has been a quest to be a dynamic and innovative English teacher and that has turned into a life-defining passion to promote literacy, writing, analytical development, and critical thinking among all students. Brian’s teaching also extends to the basketball court, where he is a basketball coach at Miller Place. He has won numerous awards for his teaching and coaching, including being named a 2018 finalist for the New York State Teacher of the Year.  

Susan Barber teaches AP English Literature at Midtown High School in Atlanta, Georgia and serves as the College Board Advisor for AP Literature and on the NCTE Secondary Steering Committee. She was the editor and frequent contributor on APLitHelp.com and has been an AP Reader for the past six years. Susan, along with Carlos Escobar, instructed thousands of students (and teachers) after schools went remote during the spring of 2020 through College Board’s AP Live videos and was also an instructor for AP Daily in the fall of 2020. She has offered training at NCTE, GCTE, and the Folger Shakespeare Library and frequently leads ELA workshops across the country. She has been featured in the New York Times, The Washington Post, Edutopia, and is currently co-authoring an AP Literature instructional guide for Norton. Susan, however, is most proud of the work she does on a daily basis in E216 and never tires of the beauty and chaos of the classroom.