When my husband and I brought our first daughter home from the hospital, we just stared at each other and thought, “Well, what do we do now?” Does she need to eat? Should we take a nap? (The answer to that is always yes.) What …
“Will you give us a study guide?” If I had a dollar for every time a student asked me this question, I wouldn’t be writing this blog right now. I would be relaxing in my lounge chair on a tropical island somewhere. Seriously, I was …
Teens don’t read for class. I came to this conclusion within my first year of teaching and I have never been proven wrong. Many students, even seniors in AP US Government, simply refuse to read textbooks. Drives.me.crazy. No AP teacher, no matter how fast he …
Imagine that it’s crunch time. Kids are in the thick of AP and IB exams with finals just around the corner. The stress level in the school and at home is rising. Out goes free time and in comes study sessions and flashcards. Yep, kids …
The end of the school year is almost upon us; summer is so close you can feel the sun on your skin and taste the ice cream on your tongue. Except, you have 2 projects, 3 chapters in your English book to read, and 4 …
Dan had to pass the state US History exam to graduate in a few weeks. During the test, he swayed in his seat, mumbled to himself, sweated, and sighed. A lot. I honestly did not know if he would get through the exam. I had …
It was down to the wire. The multiple-choice section of the AP US History exam was almost over and I had a few questions left. I was stumped. Did these events even happen in US History? Were these questions a joke?? Was the College Board …
“All right. Ready to drive?” That was not a question I was expecting 20 minutes into my first driving lesson. I had never actually driven before. Somehow, “Sure,” came out of my mouth. I had no idea what I was doing. So, I faked it as best …
Paul* slinked into my classroom. “Hey, Ms. P – can we talk about the last test? I did really bad on it. What can I do better next time?” “Let’s talk about how you prepared for this test. Did you study?” “Yep.” “What did you …
Ahh, the flowers are in bloom and the pollen is in the air. Can you smell the stress? That’s right. It’s testing season. Every spring, thousands of high school students take standardized exams – Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, SAT, and ACT exams. And let’s not …