Teach-and-Learn Social Studies

I teach World Geography in both a regular and Spanish-immersion program in the DC metropolitan area (USA). I also have extensive experience working and leading workshops in Latin America, Europe, and Africa. I was a researcher and writer before I became a teacher. My experience analyzing, structuring, and communicating content to a wide variety of audiences comes through in all of my TPT resources.

My teaching style is energetic, student-centric, and built around engaging the student with the material as early as possible. There may be a small bit of lecture in my classroom but it very quickly transitions into an activity that allows students to learn experientially, analytically, and from each other. At a higher level, my goal is for students to: 1) Grasp the intuition of the concept 2) Understand the mechanics of the concept 3) Be able to apply the concept. My lesson plans and resources reflect this progression.

I recently received an unsolicited note from the mother of my (apparent) class grouch. She said that her son and his friends talked repeatedly about how much they enjoyed my class, how much they loved to hate my quizzes and tests (the best thing I overheard at the end of one: "Oh, man, that was so sneaky. I totally get it now but that was really really sneaky."), and how much they appreciated being treated with intellectual respect in my classroom. I like to think that my teaching materials are part of what they enjoy and part of how I communicate respect.

BA (cum laude) in History from Wake Forest University (full year abroad at the University of Salamanca, Spain); MBA, International Marketing from UCLA Two years PhD coursework in politics and sociology, at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.

I became a teacher after some twenty years as an international researcher, analyst, writer, and editor. My experience working with people all over the world in multiple languages has given me a real sense of how to connect with others in the fastest and most genuine way. I have a knack for getting to the heart of an issue and then communicating that idea quickly and effectively to all kinds of students. I think you will find that my resources connect with, engage, and teach a wide variety of students --including yours.