When exploring the halls of Plant, you are going to find a couple of teachers who may not be ideal: some may be strict, some may be fun and some may not know how to teach. However, one specific teacher stands out- Samantha Bennett.
Bennett is one of the Advanced Placement (AP) World History teachers at Plant. She dedicates her time to creating lesson plans that go over what students truly need to be successful on her tests and later the AP exam. Bennett structures her class in a way that encourages student participation, making it a subject that’s typically difficult to keep students engaged in; however, Bennet’s teaching style allows students to have fun and interesting experiences.
Teaching Style
Bennet’s classes are formatted so that students get consistent assignments every time: the same type of assignment, just for different units. These assignments also intersect through both her AP World History and AP US/Comparative Government classes. Consistent assignments and scheduling mean students know what to expect each week and can plan their days so they can be as efficient as possible.
Maggie Martin, a sophomore at Plant, said, “Her teaching style is very effective and, while strict, really helps me learn what I would never have even cared about.”
AP Exam Prep
Samantha Bennett’s focus for the year is the AP Exams and their review. At the end of each year, prepping for the AP exam, Bennett’s class gets more than a typical amount of time to review for both AP World and AP Government. By shortening the time it takes to learn the content in each unit; she can increase the time she has for review. This rigorous review provides her with an AP World History pass rate of 98%, with over 34 percent of students receiving 5s.
Bennett said how she prepares her students and why, “I really focus on vocab; my lectures are more conversational than they are just straight up notes, and this is how I learn best, so that’s why I teach the way I do.”
Student Connection
Bennett connects with students through her personality and always talks to them in a way that relates to them. By discussing relevant topics and news, she is able to keep her class engaged while still being educational and strict.
Ivy Ni, 10, said: “She’s really strict and I think her homework is kind of time-consuming, but she’s a really good teacher; it’s so fun to listen to her because she has such interesting things she talks about.”
Throughout the years, Bennett’s teaching style has changed and evolved as new students have come along in the past 15 years she’s been teaching. Bennett said, “People should change and always reflect and learn new skills,” referring to the fact that there are things you may not know automatically, yet you should have the motivation to change and become better, as there is always room for improvement.
“Even my classes for AP World, which have been incredibly successful; this year I have incorporated more digital testing because that’s the platform that my kids have to be ready for,” Bennett said. “AP US Gov is in constant reflection of improvements and cleaning that up.”
Background
Bennett has been teaching for 15 years. In that time, she has taught AP Psychology, AP US/Comparative Government and AP World History, and each of those classes has been put together similarly, creating consistency throughout her teaching style, showing that it works for any curriculum.
Coming as a fifth-generation teacher whose family started the first public schools in Boston, Bennett has a generational guide on how to teach in a way that truly works for her and her students, creating the education she provides here at Plant every day.
