Mr. Coller, a relatively new teacher at EBHS for three years now, is very passionate about helping the students get engaged in US History II. As a former EBHS student in 2012, he compares the methods of teaching for this specific class in comparison to when he was the one learning:

“In History now it’s a lot more of an interactive, discussion-based approach. When I went to school here, there were definitely a lot more lectures.”

In order to make the 80 minute periods seem shorter, Mr. Coller has been breaking things up into more depth. He has his students do different activities in one period such as slides, videos, class discussions, or group projects so they aren’t taking notes the entire class period. Mr. Coller is currently teaching his students about the culture, lifestyle, and conformity of the 1950s. His favorite part is looking at pop culture back then and comparing it to the present.

When asked why he is so passionate about teaching US History II, he says “because it’s a very short period of time from WWII to the present. It’s only 75 years of history, compared to AP world which covers thousands of years. I can get more specific and in detail with my students.”

It is important to understand the past and how culture– and even teaching– has developed in such a small period of time.