My Teaching Experience

I have retired from a teaching career lasting 37 years. I have taught everything from 6th grade to junior college. The most rewarding teaching I did was in continuation (aka alternative) high schools with angry, disenchanted students who had given up on school and themselves. When I started teaching in this environment, I was frustrated by the fact that my students were still struggling with the same boring textbooks that had confounded them earlier. I began writing text units in my own, informal style. My students loved them. I regularly got comments like, "this is the first time I've understood this stuff," and "It's like you're talking just to me."

My Teaching Style

I believe respect is a two-way street. Teachers who demand respect without giving it are frauds. I respected my students, and used a system of rewards for extra effort. As a result, I rarely had discipline problems in my classes. I lectured once a week, tested once a week, had seat work once a week, had an audio-visual presentation once a week, and had a hands-on activity once a week. Using this method, I covered all learning styles. Once a week, usually on a Monday, I went to every student personally, and told him/her exactly where he/she stood in the course. I found that students who saw progress being made, stayed with it.

Honors/Awards/Shining Teaching Moment

I was named teacher of the year at my school in 2002. I was nominated for teacher of the year in the Redlands (California) Unified School District (I think it was in 1991). In 1992 I led a group of Continuation High School students in completing the LA Marathon. In two successive years, my Continuation High School students won awards at a Model United Nations held at Cal. State San Bernardino (beating out the local comprehensive high school, by the way). Ours was the only Continuation High School competing in the Model U.N. I received an award from Redlands Unified School District in 1994 for curriculum development.

MY FEATURED PRODUCTS

• World History: ...
• An Absence of E...
• PSCI: Albert Ei...
• AMGT: Philadelp...