“I am not sure what to expect, but I am excited,” Rosa Heintz, a teacher at Howard High School, stated eagerly as she discussed her enrollment in the Chattanooga Advanced Placement (AP) Summer Institute last May.
Heintz was one of fifteen Hamilton County teachers selected to teach AP for the first time, and her preparation would begin at the Chattanooga AP Summer Institute, a series of workshops for new and experienced AP teachers to develop their skills and knowledge.
Having very little knowledge of AP, Heintz wanted to learn as much as she could. She desired effective strategies that would prepare students for success and mold them into critical thinkers and problem solvers.
During the Chattanooga AP Summer Institute, Heintz built her AP Government and Politics syllabus, reviewed the AP exam, discussed interactive classroom activities, and learned best practices. With all the resources at hand, Heintz found one resource in particular critical: the instructors. “Interacting with the instructors was extremely powerful, and I know that my students will be ready to enter the college classroom,” she stated.
Now teaching AP, Heintz believes that preparation is key to success. “Having the time to go to the AP Summer Institute early in the summer and then having the time to reflect on what you learned and actually put it into practice is going to boast what you get from your students,” she remarks.
When asked about the AP exam, Heintz stated, “I think we are ready. We’ve put in a lot of hard work and effort.”
Heintz’s class will take the AP exam early May.