Mr. C's Portfolio

Mr.Culbertson's Portfolio

My Pedagogy

I am an experienced history educator. I have a deep belief in the power of education and in the project of our American democracy. I have taught all history courses, seven through twelve, in a variety of classroom settings, in communities of all socio-economic levels and cultural backgrounds. I have endeavored for students to see their place in our larger American history, to promote their civic engagement in our democracy. This diversity of teaching experience has allowed me to become adaptable. While the challenges in each community differ, students respond positively to being treated with fundamental fairness and having a voice in class.
Over the years, no matter the community, students and parents have reached out about how uplifted they felt about my teaching. One, now a teacher, wrote to appreciate the respectful way that he experienced discourse from a variety political leanings. Another student wrote to express how her interest in history was sparked in my class, now recognizing the importance of our social contract and current events. And parents wrote in gratitude of how their student was validated to continue asking questions to understand the world.
Now, in the wake of the CoVID-19 pandemic, is a new challenge. The trauma our kids have faced is real. Each week I had a student reach out for help when losing a loved one. Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have seen the care and professionalism with which schools have handled the rapid shifts in guidance, taking input from stakeholders to ultimately help students maintain a needed sense of consistency. Moving forward, ensuring social emotional wellness is key, as is promoting equity and inclusion to begin community healing, building empathy for students of all backgrounds.
As a master teacher of 27 years I plan to bring the same focus on understanding history by making it relevant to students’ lives as I do in any other school. I value the opportunity to teach in my community. As a teacher supporting students, being effective and organized, creating accessibility, and assessing student learning has helped me grow as an educator.