I’m Karen, and this blog

is a result of 30+ years teaching in public and private school classrooms, both face-to-face and online. I hold a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Teaching, and Masters and Bachelors degrees in History, concentrating on American History, with additional certification in English. I have been certified by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards and have held licenses to teach history, English, psychology, sociology, and other social sciences to students from age 12 into adulthood. I developed and for many years taught a course in leadership development for high school (see my leadership blog, drcnotes.home.blog). I have also worked with professional development programs in many contexts.

In my classroom career, one of my most satisfying professional accomplishments was developing an Advanced Placement course that combined AP American History and AP English Language. Critical reading was a core element of that course and I found great satisfaction in helping students analyze text in a cross-curricular setting.

It is from that passion and my own personal love of reading that this blog was born.