Recently, I received the opportunity to interview Ms. Weber, one of our AP U.S History teachers new to the ACP family.
Ms. Weber chose to pursue education as a career because, as she explained, “My junior high social studies teacher inspired me to become a history teacher. She made history super hands-on and engaging, which is what made it so exciting. We would make war trench models, cook historical dishes, and participate in all sorts of simulations.”
Although she is a new teacher, Ms. Weber has been a part of CUSD for much longer. When I inquired about how she felt returning to the district, she responded with, “I love this district and am incredibly grateful to be back, but it definitely feels a little strange. One of the weirdest parts, but also one of the best parts is that teachers I had while going through school are now my coworkers.” One thing she is most looking forward to this year at ACP is the AP testing season. “The build-up and test preparation is a little stressful, but knowing the students feel prepared and the sigh of relief that comes when it is over is one of the greatest moments. It’s that togetherness moment as though we are all in this together going up against the test,” she adds. Next I asked about her teaching style. “I am really big on student accountability as this is an AP class and a college prep school. I vary my method of instruction from day-to-day to keep students engaged. However, teaching AP means that I am the facilitator of learning but am not the only method they have to learn the content. I try to format my class as though this is one large study session in preparation for the AP test in May. This means having review days and teaching the big ideas and concepts while students focus on reading outside of class. I try to provide as many resources as possible for students who feel they need more support such as reading guides, alternative readings, review videos, etc. I also understand that students have busy lives and are likely taking other AP classes, so I try to keep homework to a minimum and give students ample time to complete the reading.”
In her spare time, Ms. Weber loves to cook and try out new recipes. She also likes to go to ACP sporting events to support her students and Basha football games to support her brother. She enjoys being outside when the weather is cool where she can read a book outside, take a walk, or kayak. As a history teacher, she stated that of her favorite topics to teach about in class would be “female spies during the Civil War. Harriet Tubman, as well as many other women worked as spies for both sides of the war gaining intel and passing messages. Some women would bake secret messages into loaves of bread, hide them in hollowed-out eggs, or sew them into the hems of the clothing.” When asked about if she would rather travel to the future or the past, she responded with “I would prefer to do neither and stay where I am. I would worry that if I went to the past that I would mess something up, and if I went to the future, I would know what was going to happen and have to live in anticipation of that happening.” If given the opportunity to travel anywhere in the world, Ms. Weber would love to travel to Switzerland. “The country seems beautiful and has a lot of old and historic buildings I would love to explore. The food also seems wonderful. Plus, it is also in the middle of many other European countries, which would allow me to access those places while overseas.” We are so happy Ms. Weber is a member of the Knights community and are sure she will inspire her students to become the best they can be. Remember to strive for the impossible, and be extraordinary! Go Knights!
