ABOUT ME

I’m an educator with more than 30 years of experience. I’ve taught many courses and levels in Social Studies and English Language Arts, and I was a school counselor for two years. In 2019 I began writing standards-based classroom materials, the NCGE Bell Ringers, for the National Council for Geographic Education. I have been an AP Reader scoring AP Exams since 2017 and have held leadership positions at the Reading since 2021. I have also led professional development for teachers at the district level as its lead teacher in AP Human Geography and for the College Board in AP Human Geography and AP Psychology.

I’m especially interested in helping teachers make better use of the time they have with students by putting thinking, curiosity, and meaningful learning ahead of simply delivering information. Teaching and learning should be fun! Can students learn content by listening to the teacher and copying notes? Sure! But how can teachers structure class time in a way that helps students both learn content and say, “Wait? It’s time to go already?”

A red wooden door with peeling paint and a silver doorknob. There is a colorful circular sticker with designs including two birds and the word 'Virkum' attached to the door.

Daniel Rivera via Flickr