AP Euro

My interest in traveling to and participating in a study tour of Germany stems most currently from my fervent study and passionate teaching of Advanced Placement (AP) European History; yet the genesis of this interest began decades earlier. In the 1950s my mother grew up in Munich as an Army brat while my grandfather was a full Colonel of the United States Army stationed at U.S. Army Garrison Munich after World War II. The images of my mother ice skating on frozen ponds and my grandfather's collection of beer steins and paintings of German pastoral scenes made me curious about this place half way around the globe. As a teen I traveled to Frankfurt with my father and toured the city on our way to Greece, the land of my ancestors. In Frankfurt am Main I witnessed the striking architecture and impressive industry of the city. In my childhood I sang in choirs and played on the piano the works of the great German composers Beethoven, Brahms and Mozart. Today my cousin who is a U.S. Army Lt. Colonel and his wife are currently stationed in Stuttgart soon to move to Vilseck in the Bavarian region of Germany.

This is my second year teaching AP European History and World Geography & Culture. Prior to teaching, I worked for Environmental Defense Fund, an environmental non-profit headquartered in New York City, where we addressed clean water and climate change issues. Germany's track record as a nation concerned with environmental sustainability - specifically climate protection and climate policy as noted in the TOP Green Education curriculum - makes it an especially fascinating case study.

In teaching European History I am compelled by my students' thirst for context and depth of knowledge. I must provide them with the best and deepest education possible. Europe's, and therefore Germany's, history directly impacted the formation of the United States, and understanding our country's origins creates a more active, competent citizen for the 21st century.