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In this episode, I share a powerful classroom project in which my middle school students created a museum-style exhibit exploring slavery in the President’s House in Philadelphia, the home of George Washington during the early years of the United States. Through research, art, writing, and hands-on building, students investigated the lives of the people enslaved there.

Rather than writing traditional reports, students designed exhibits: research panels, artifacts, models, and visual displays that explored the contradictions between the ideals of liberty in the founding era and the reality of slavery within the president’s household.

In this episode, I explain why projects like this matter, how students approached the work of interpreting history, and how teachers can create opportunities for students to think like historians and share their work with an authentic audience. When students are trusted to wrestle with complicated history, they often rise to the challenge in extraordinary ways.

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Support the production of the Teaching History Her Way Podcast by purchasing some really great history tees. Click here to shop now or go to www.teachinghistoryherway.com and click on "Merch."

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What happens when students stop memorizing information and start connecting ideas? In this episode, I talk with Derek Schutte and T.J. Warsnak about how hexagonal thinking helps students build those connections, and why it leads to some of the most meaningful classroom discussions.

If you’ve ever wanted students to move beyond memorizing information and instead start making meaningful connections, this strategy does exactly that. Hexagonal thinking asks students to place ideas next to each other, explain why they belong together, and defend their reasoning. The result is a classroom full of discussion, debate, and deeper thinking.

During our conversation, Derek and T.J. share how this approach helps students slow down, think more carefully about relationships between ideas, and collaborate in ways that make learning visible. We also talk about what it looks like in real classrooms and why giving students space to justify their thinking can lead to some of the best learning moments.

If you’re looking for a way to spark richer conversations and help students see the bigger picture in what they’re learning, this episode might give you a new strategy to try.

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Quick note: This isn’t a sponsored episode. I invited Derek and T.J. on because I think hexagonal thinking is a really interesting strategy for helping students make connections.

Let's be friends and continue the conversation!
Instagram: @teachinghistoryherway
X: http://www.twitter.com/historyherway
On the Web/Blog: http://www.teachinghistoryherway.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/teachinghistoryherway
BlueSky: @historyherway.bsky.social

Support the production of the Teaching History Her Way Podcast by purchasing some really great history tees. Click here to shop now or go to www.teachinghistoryherway.com and click on "Merch."

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Why do we teach?

It’s a question educators are asked all the time, often with a mix of curiosity, disbelief, and admiration. In this solo reflection and community episode, I explore the answer that often hides just beneath the surface: hope.

Teaching is one of the greatest acts of hope we can offer the world. Every day, we welcome students from all walks of life and help them learn not just academic content, but how to think, how to question, how to care for themselves and one another, and how to live in a shared society. Much of this work is quiet. Much of it is unseen. And most of the time, we are playing the long game.

As we move into 2026, I invited teachers from across the United States to share their own messages of hope for the year ahead. Their voices- honest, generous, and deeply human- remind us why this work matters and why we keep coming back. In this episode, we reflect on the deeper purpose of teaching across disciplines, from reading and math to science and social studies, and how each subject helps students develop the tools they need to think critically, recognize injustice, resolve conflict, and imagine a more just world.

To every educator listening: thank you for showing up day after day, year after year. You are doing the work of democracy. My hope for you is a happy, healthy New Year, and that you hold onto hope, even when it speaks in a whisper.

Let's be friends and continue the conversation!
Instagram: @teachinghistoryherway
X: http://www.twitter.com/historyherway
On the Web/Blog: http://www.teachinghistoryherway.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/teachinghistoryherway
BlueSky: @historyherway.bsky.social

Support the production of the Teaching History Her Way Podcast by purchasing some really great history tees. Click here to shop now or go to www.teachinghistoryherway.com and click on "Merch."