AP World History

Last month I spent a week at the AP World History Summer Institute, and it was pretty amazing, though exhausting! It was held at Northwestern University's downtown Chicago campus, just a few blocks from Lake Michigan to the East, and a few blocks off of Michigan Avenue in River North to the West. 

The institute ran eight hours each day, for four days, so needless to say, it was quite tiring. However, I learned so much about AP World History, and met some awesome people. We covered what the exam would look like, what is expected of the course structure, and of course, what is expected of the students to be successful on the AP exam in May.

Teaching an AP class is something I have wanted to do since I took my first AP class in high school. However, I didn't think that I would be able to teach an AP course, let alone one that I actually enjoy, until a bit later in my career. Being given the opportunity to teach high level students in a rigorous environment with high expectations is just what I would love to do as a social studies teacher! However, I am aware of the gravity of teaching a AP World History. I'm both nervous and excited about it, and I have already done a lot of preparation for the school year. Here is what I have done to attempt to prepare for the school year!

1. Read a lot. One of my biggest concerns of teaching AP World is that it requires me to have so much more knowledge of World History. To combat my fear of not knowing enough, I've been reading the textbook, Review Book, and AMSCO Book. While I don't feel like an expert just yet, I am pretty confident that I know enough to help my students succeed in Period 1. I've also read "fun" books for AP World, including A History of the World in 6 Glasses, and I just started An Edible History of the World. I highly recommend these books.

2. Joined the "AP World History Teachers" Facebook Group. I stumbled upon this Facebook group, and let me tell you, I am so glad I did. The group provides excellent support for new teachers, and I've learned so much by reading through posts, questions, and resources that people have shared. 

3. Talked to other AP teachers at my school. Another major fear I had was that if my students weren't successful on the AP exam, it would reflect poorly on me, and then I would face repercussions from administration. While I doubt that would actually happen after my first year of teaching the course, I still had that (somewhat irrational) fear. Discussing these fears with a fellow AP teacher helped a lot. She assured me that my position won't be in jeopardy if I don't have a high passage rate, as our school's overall passage rate isn't super high anyway. She advised me to teach the students to be prepared for college expectations, not for an AP test in May, and I will be very successful.