Start teaching with confidence and purpose!

Hey there! I'm Natalie

(aka Mrs. Hedges)

 My AP journey began with a question...

You want me to teach AP Lit.?!

Ten years ago, my school's AP Lit. teacher approached me to let me know she was moving, and I'd be taking over her AP English classes the following school year. Of course, I was terrified. AP Lit. students are smart. And high school kids don't cut much slack. 

Initially, I survived by studying harder than my students, spending hours and hours reading, grading, and creating lessons. But despite my work, my scores weren't great--or even good. 

After a few years learning, adjusting, and growing, I discovered a system that serves me AND my students. I no longer need to spend a majority of my time outside of school preparing to show up for my students. And even better--my scores are really high; over the last three years I moved from a 96% to a 98% and finally to a 100% pass rate. That's right--ALL of my students head to college with English credit! 

And this process is not magical--well, it is, but it's also clear and methodical. It's a smarter, more efficient system. Does it take work? Yes. (After all, teaching is a job, and jobs require work.) But the work is completed primarily during class time, and it is shared among ALL members of the class rather than falling solely on the teacher's shoulders. Students work together to improve their scores rather than looking only to the teacher for motivation.

Interested in a better, more effective way? Join me as I share my tried and true strategies with YOU!