THE BASICS CHALLENGES I have been on the AP Literature and Composition Test Development Committee for five years working on the exam and Q1 is always my favorite question to write, teach, and score. Students, however, do not share my sentiments and often find Q1 to be the most challenging. Here are its particular difficulties:
I only teach seniors (a blessing then a curse after spring break), and by the time they get to senior English, most roll their eyes and sigh heavily when I tell them we’re starting poetry. Some of this is just normal senior attitude, but some is a classroom experience that has left students uninspired and … Continue Reading
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, David Wroblewski (Brian) I am an early riser, an early arriver to school. I like to be in at 6:30am. When I enter my classroom, I start each morning with 20-30 minutes of silent reading. It is my morning meditation, and I am grateful for the way in which this … Continue Reading
Believing that fellow teachers are our most underutilized resource, we love using this space to feature what teachers are doing in their classrooms. Elizabeth Chapman is an English teacher and Department Chair at Bellaire High School in Houston, TX and has generously shared her Dracula unit. Her unit can be used in a couple of … Continue Reading
Teacher burnout can peak in the darkest, coldest days of winter. It rears its ugly head as we recover from the holidays and feel the physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by the prolonged stress. The overwhelming workloads, lack of support, and the emotional toll of working with students day in and day can break … Continue Reading
1 – THE COMFORT CRISIS: Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self by Michael Easter (recommended by Brian) TWO SENTENCE SUMMARY FROM AMAZON: In this gripping investigation, award-winning journalist Michael Easter seeks out off-the-grid visionaries, disruptive genius researchers, and mind-body conditioning trailblazers who are unlocking the life-enhancing secrets of a counterintuitive solution: discomfort. … Continue Reading
1 – Overload – The work of teaching will never end, so you must choose when and where to end it. There’s simply not time to do everything required of the job; make peace with the fact that some things can go undone. 2 – Assume the Best – Enter each conversation, class, and day … Continue Reading
“The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books: To read a book, it helps to have read a book in high school.” by Rose Horowitch in The Atlantic published October 1, 2024. Once again, high school English teachers are pinned as the problem of America’s “reading crisis.” This clickbait headline will affirm public opinion that … Continue Reading
Today’s post is written by Brian Hannon, a long-time friend who shares our love for teaching and poetry. (And is just fun to be around in general.) I share Brian’s LMS Curriculum website at my APSIs each summer and literally hear teachers gasp when they see the amount of quality lessons provided – for free. … Continue Reading
One of the most common questions I receive at APSIs centers on how to structure an AP class. This is not an easy question to answer since there is no one right way to approach the class. The CED even states: “This publication is not a curriculum. Teachers create their own curricula by selecting and … Continue Reading
