From Grammar to Gertrude: How Gina Kortem Gets it Done [S6 E182]

Listen to the full episode below:

Have you ever felt a little intimidated to teach an advanced course like AP Lit? Well, after hearing from today’s guest, Gina Kortuem, we think your feelings may shift to pure excitement! Gina is someone that we’ve wanted to bring on the podcast for a while now because we see a lot of similarities in our teaching styles.

Gina brings us a reality check about what teaching advanced courses like AP Lit is really like. Yes, the content is challenging both for you and the students, but we believe that kids can learn hard things. All kids should learn hard things! It's about equipping yourself with the strategies and tools that you need to make that happen.

Inside this episode, you’ll hear about Gina’s genius bell ringers, her experience going to NCTE, all how she teaches an entire Shakespeare elective, which became the most popular class at her school! 

If you aren’t already a member of Happy Hour, you’ll want to join us over there because Gina is taking over with her very own episode. Plus, Happy Hour members will receive an amazing resource from Gina too.

Meet Gina:

Gina Kortuem has been a high school English teacher for 17 years. She felt called to teach high school after an extremely positive and supportive relationship with her own high school teachers. SheI currently teach at a K-12 school in Woodbury, MN, where her own children attend in the same building!

She has been teaching AP Lit since she was a first-year teacher, with absolutely no training. She understands how it feels to be teaching such a rigorous course with no supports, and her mission is to help the teachers who feel lost in that course. As she grew her blog and TpT store towards AP Lit products, she realized that she also has a lot to offer teachers of other subjects. She tries to balance engagement with rigor, so students find meaning or purpose in their assignments but also don't mind doing them!

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • The importance of making connections with other teachers in the same role as you

  • How Gina designed her Bell Ringers based on a need she saw

  • Finding a balance between having your students learn terms, but also letting go of perfection when it affects their ability to continue writing

  • The problem with templates and lit term quizzes

  • Highlights of GTCE 2023

  • The inspiration behind the Shakespeare course that Gina teaches at her school

  • Examples of how to make Shakespeare engaging for students, and making Shakespeare more accessible for struggling readers

connect with gina:

Resources Mentioned:

check out other bnt episodes:

More about Brave New Teaching:

Join hosts Amanda Cardenas (Mud & Ink Teaching) and Marie Morris (The Caffeinated Classroom) in discussions about being brave, trying new things, and all things teaching! As seasoned classroom teachers, Amanda and Marie bring their experience, insight, energy, and oh, so many opinions and ideas... It's time for all teachers to take their classroom and teaching practice into their own hands!

Tune in on your favorite podcast apps like Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

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