Glenda Smith of Minooka, Engages A.P. and Honors Students

Glenda Smith loves what she does. When her name comes up in discussion among current and former students, the Advance Placement (AP) U.S. History and Honors Government teacher gets high marks for her enthusiasm for her subject and the way she weaves historic events into students’ discussions and analysis.

“I know a lot of history and historic facts,” the teacher said. “And, the kids need to be able to plug into things that make sense for them, and how it links to other things.”

Her recent unit on U.S. Reconstruction after the Civil War is an example of what she means. She gave her students some directed questions, then after the holiday break she worked from what the students brought into discussions to further their understanding of that period. She asked the students to draw on their readings before the holiday break. ‘What were Lincoln’s goals?’ she asked the class. The answer tied into the material that the students had discussed six weeks ago. She could see them recalling the information, as they thought about her question.

Smith had also done recent readings of the life of President Lincoln’s assassin. She was able to give background about John Wilkes Booth, and how he, a member of a prominent theatrical family, lacked talent and had a need to ‘be someone.’

“It answers the questions for students about why a person would do something like that (assassinate an important leader),” she said.

It also furthers their understanding about people’s motivations, and perhaps, for the students, will help them understand what motivates historic figures and present-day people to take action, she said.

“AP students need to learn to think and I help them draw these conclusions.”   

Smith said she is constantly reading and watching the history channel to learn more about her subject.

“I’ve always loved history; I always find it fascinating," she said. "I’m an English minor, and storytelling came naturally to me."

Smith has been teaching for 36 years and once upon a time in her classroom, she did lecture more, but now, the classes revolve around what the students bring to the discussion.

“Teaching is figuring out what the kids need to know to make sense of the entire expanse of history.”

Even other social teachers at Minooka have cited Smith’s influence on them and their careers.

“She certainly influenced my decision to go into teaching Social Studies," Minooka Social studies teacher, Jeff Petrovic said. "I had Glenda as a US History teacher my junior year in high school … Glenda’s class was always challenging but enjoyable at the same time.  Maybe most importantly Glenda cares so much about her students and she really wants to see them succeed.  She was without a doubt one of the best teachers, (I had.)”