Q: What do you teach and why? 

A: “I like teaching Advanced Placement United States history because it’s a big challenge for me to learn all the history alongside my students, and it’s very pleasant to work with mostly highly motivated students. I enjoy looking at the primary source version of history, which is what APUSH is designed around.”

Q: Describe your own high school experience

A: “I loved high school. I had a lot of good teachers, a few great teachers; I went to a smaller school, about 800 students, I was on the swimming team, so I got the whole team bonding experience. I certainly had my troubles, but mostly I liked what we were learning, the social life, it was a much smaller town, and it was an easy place to grow up.”

Q: What inspired you to become a teacher?

A: “What inspired me to become a teacher was the usual dream of changing the world! I thought and I still think that teachers have a pretty powerful role in society, and a lot of opportunity to try to mold the next generation. We were just talking about lynching today, and how it relates to the justice system or lack thereof, and I was trying to explain to students that it matters that they know this history, since they’ll be the next lawyers, politicians, and voters that will improve or change the justice system.”

Q: What do you do in your free time?

A: “Not a lot of free time. I walk my dog, try to smother my children; I like to cook a lot, I like to watch shows and movies, specifically dramas, (I’m watching Breaking Bad) I do a lot of laundry and dishwashing in my spare time, you know, life’s most boring jobs. And then I go back to grading papers. I do not have a super gripping hobby life or anything like that.”

Q: A lot of students are scared of taking APUSH because of what they hear about it from friends, so what would recommend to incoming students to succeed in this class?

A: “I think it’s a good class for students who have a willingness to work hard when they are called upon to work hard, and a willingness to put in time. To me that seems to be the most of it, putting in the work. We have a lot to cover, not enough days, and I don’t think that it’s required that students think of themselves as smart, if they put in the time they can do well in the class. It mostly requires time, bravery, and some stick-to-itness. “

Q: Describe your favorite moment in teaching

A: “I have favorite moments all the time. Although I don’t remember all of them, my favorite moments are when students make me genuinely laugh from the belly.”

Q: What do you think of the administration?

A: “I think the administrators work very hard. Their jobs are thankless jobs. teachers and administrators don’t always see eye to eye, but I think we’re lucky to have had caring administrators for such a long time.”