Many AP US History students will walk past room C211 and expect to see Todd Swartzloff teaching a class in a room with very few decorations outside of some primary historical sources. But, the room is different now.
On the walls there are posters from each time period in class, and behind the teacher’s desk is a pink flag that says ‘Taylor Swift 2024.’ The desks are now organized in groups so that students can work together. These have been the changes made since Jenna Gaudio took over teaching AP US History this year.
Gaudio has been teaching at HHS for eight years and has taught Global Studies, US History, Modern World Conflicts, Anthropology, Psychology, and now AP US History. When the position opened up last year, Gaudio was one of the candidates for the role and was ready to take on the new challenge of teaching AP.
“Gaudio jumped in and is running with it, and the kids seem to be liking it,” social studies department chair Rich Kurek said.
Gaudio builds relationships with her students to ensure that they get the best education they can in her classes. She tries to make sure that her students have the support that they need to have success in their AP exam at the end of the year.
“When we do lessons, she actually goes over the information,” junior Josie Glover said. “So far, she’s been good since it is her first year.”
During the week, Gaudio leads discussions for notes and gives out content quizzes to her students so they are learning each piece of the unit that they need to. They make flashcards per concept so they can use them as study tools, especially before their test in May.
However, she did not do all of this on her own. She has gotten help from Swartzloff and other AP teachers in the building.
“I am using some of the things he shared, some old DBQs, resources, and skill assessments,” Gaudio said. “It’s helpful to look and see what somebody else did but then to make it authentically yours.”
Gaudio has made fun activities for her classes to learn the content they need to like a rap battle between loyalists and patriots in the Revolutionary War. Gaudio created this to mimic the musical “Hamilton,” but she got her students to think about the different sides and opinions in a fun way.
Gaudio did work during the summer to get ready for her classes by attending the AP Summer Institute in Plainfield, Illinois to get resources for assessments and activities. Also, she has worked with Kurek and other teachers on the timing of her concepts and tests. She also learned how to move everything online as the AP US History test will be taken digitally this year.
“Right now, we’re doing stimulus based multiple choice on paper because I want students to be able to annotate and practice the skills of answer elimination,” Gaudio said. “We will transition that to digital later on.”
Gaudio has a strong plan for the future of her AP classes this year and will be able to grow from any challenges she has. Though students may miss Swartzloff teaching AP US History, Huntley has turned over a new leaf to a great teacher who is ready to work to help her students obtain success.
