Jones College Prep has introduced a new class, American Experiences, as an alternative to Honors US History and English II, featuring a hybrid curriculum and a combined class structure.
With a new class, there is always uncertainty among not only students coming in for the first time, but also teachers teaching the class for their first time.
“I really didn’t know what to expect. I was hoping that the kids would be interested in the class. But you really never know,” said American Experiences English teacher Elisa Williams.
American Experiences has introduced a new style of classes, featuring two back-to-back sessions, one taught by a social studies teacher and the other by an English teacher. Then, there is a class that combines students from both classes, which meets in the auditorium for a three-hour session with both teachers.
“It felt like a college class…I thought it was nice. They gave us a break…and we managed to stay busy the whole time,” said Landon Bermudez ‘28.
At first glance, this class resembles HUSH and English II, but it is much different. The class’s curriculum focuses more on regular American people and how history impacted their lives, instead of only focusing on the event, but also on the consequences of the event on regular people.
“I thought the class was going to be about the actual person. So like, of an American person, like the class American Experiences,” said Bermudez.
With the new curriculum, teachers also plan to adjust from regular English classes to classes in spaces that are non-traditional teaching spaces.
“It is more challenging because it requires a more unique spin… I have a bigger space to use. I don’t have traditional desks. I have a lot less time to fill in a lot more content because I’m sharing that time with history,” said Williams.
Co-teaching allows them to take on 50-60 kids in one auditorium and allows for joint classes. In the classes, the students do many activities and have lots of time to complete assignments and receive help in class, which make the long three hours more enjoyable and engaging for students.
“We managed to stay busy the whole time… we did some fun things, but we also worked hard,” said Bermudez.
But the class is also new for the teachers, so they help each other with curricula, and managing students in the auditorium is something new for everyone in the class.
“I think that in theory, it would be challenging. The biggest challenge is getting kids to stop talking. But that’s in any classroom,” said Williams. “So I don’t really see too much of a challenge with the space or the amount of kids, because there’s two teachers, and we can both approach, like, instruct the kids.”
The auditorium setting and co-teaching format give the course a college lecture feel. Both classes really tie into each other and touch on the same topics under different lenses. It allows students to dive deep into the American experience and learn through history and through books.
“I think it’d be really interesting to see kids be able to look at the span of American history from the perspective of a family,” said Ms. Williams.
This new class is a great and creative alternative to your regular classes that gives a different look at history than many students are used to. American Experiences is something new and fresh compared to HUSH and English, which provides a different lens from the regular classes without the stress of APs.
“I think that the American Experiences class is great. I think it’s fun and it’s engaging,” said Bermudez.
