Uhler Tapped to Present at Tampa AP Gathering
Christ School teacher preparing how-to on writing historical essays
James Uhler is about to be an Advanced Placement Reader for the third year.
What exactly does that mean?
Judging from past experiences, Uhler said there will be enough teachers – both high school and college – to fill three football fields June 3-9 in Tampa, Fla. For a week, those teachers are charged with reviewing and scoring exams from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
There is also a Best Practices Night for professional development every year. Uhler, a two-time Christ School Teacher of the Year (2004 and 2017), is one of six professionals who have been chosen to present at the AP U.S. History Reading. Uhler's session, tentatively titled "Teaching Historical Writing to the Hourglass," will last about 45 minutes.
"They asked last year for anyone who was interested (to submit a proposal), and I did," Uhler said. "It's great to interact with AP teachers from all over the country, and really all over the world. A girl across from me last year had taught in China. You build a lot of good relationships and learn more at the same time."
Uhler has been at Christ School since 2002. He believes in building a student's ability to write essays by teaching him or her to structure their work in the first semester with a thesis, argument, and evidence. And then in the second semester, the student is encouraged to find their own voice.
Uhler plans to design a visual presentation and create handouts for the AP Reading. Uhler said he'll also be willing to correspond with anyone over e-mail if they need further assistance or more materials.
All AP Readers are paid for their work. In addition, expenses such as lodging and meals are covered.
