This is my eighth year teaching high school students in Social Studies and English. My primary focus is AP World History, U.S. History, and AP Government, where I’ve helped all of my students earn a 4 or higher on the AP exam as well as As in their classes. I believe one of the biggest factors in that success is that I make history and government more engaging. My own love for these subjects stemmed from teachers who truly loved what they taught, which helped me excel in school and later...
This is my eighth year teaching high school students in Social Studies and English. My primary focus is AP World History, U.S. History, and AP Government, where I’ve helped all of my students earn a 4 or higher on the AP exam as well as As in their classes. I believe one of the biggest factors in that success is that I make history and government more engaging. My own love for these subjects stemmed from teachers who truly loved what they taught, which helped me excel in school and later pursue a bachelor’s in Political Science with a minor in East Asian Studies. Now that I’m teaching, I try to provide that same experience for my students.
The biggest challenges I see—whether on MCQs, DBQs, or LEQs—rise from trying to memorize facts without seeing the bigger picture. Because the AP curriculum is so broad, I emphasize patterns and connections that help students place terms and events within larger themes. I often review material from a “macro” perspective before narrowing in on details, then move on to address the student’s individual needs, such as working through stimulus-based questions, learning how to read sources in context, and writing essays with logical, well-supported arguments instead of rigid formulas. This approach has consistently improved my students’ performance on both the AP exam and in class.
