Mark McCort
Thomas Worthington High School
Worthington, Ohio
Mark currently teaches Advanced Placement United States History and United States History for 10th grade at Thomas Worthington High School in Worthingon, Ohio. In recent years, he has also taught 11th and 12th grade Government and Economics, as well as Independent Studies in religion, politics, and economic theory.
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My first experience with the Bill of Rights Institute was in 2004 when I attended a professional development seminar in Springfield, Illinois. I was immediately impressed by the Institute’s dedication to the use of primary source documents. During the seminar, the Institute presented us with various critical primary source documents needed to effectively teach the principles of American History and numerous methods to engage our students with the documents.
Every time I have the fortune to attend a Bill of Rights Institute seminar or event, I leave excited about how I will be able to apply the new content in my classroom. This ultimately benefits all of my students.
What I appreciate most about the Bill of Rights Institute’s materials, from their website to their published curricula, is that everything they do is focused on providing teachers with content-rich material. They recognize that students become passionate about content and also provide teachers with various ideas and strategies to best relate that content to students.
My two favorite things about the Institute is their focus on primary source content and the strategies they provide to present these sources in a way that keeps it exciting for students.
My classes also participated in the Being An American Essay Contest and this past year, one of my students, Rachel Webb, placed third in our region. In addition to both of us winning a cash prize, we were flown to Washington D.C. for a three-day gala event to honor her accomplishment. While in D.C., the winning teachers were treated to a tour of the Capitol, a presentation by a Constitutional scholar, an incredible awards ceremony, as well as a sneak peak at some of the newest Bill of Rights Institute materials. The fact that the Bill of Rights Institute takes the time and effort to recognize the teacher as well as the student still blows me away. The entire event was fabulous and I look forward to participating again in the future!