Sarah Cooper

Welcome!

Thanks for visiting! This is a place to find my writing, both education pieces and personal essays. I teach history and do academic administration at an independent school just north of Los Angeles. I’ve also written two books about history teaching, Creating Citizens (Routledge, 2018) and Making History Mine (Stenhouse, 2009), and write a regular column for MiddleWeb’s Future of History blog. In my free time, I like to run, cook, play piano, listen to Broadway musicals, search for good bakeries and spend time with my husband and two sons. I’ve also taught English and love young adult fiction. @sarahjcooper01

“Staying Close to Home,” CivXNow

October 21, 2019October 25, 2019 Sarah Cooper

Immediate interest. Personal relevance. Uncontroversial subject matter. These aren’t always the first phrases teachers and students might think of when discussing current events in class. But if we head local… Continue reading

“‘The Hate U Give’: Learning How to Teach Controversial Topics,” MiddleWeb

October 7, 2019October 20, 2019 Sarah Cooper

It has taken me a year to write this post, and I still feel inadequate. I’m writing about this experience because I want to take something from it – to understand better how I can prepare to teach, and then lean into, difficult topics… Continue reading

“Musical Madness for Four, or Fifty,” Well-Schooled

September 8, 2019September 12, 2019 Sarah Cooper

“Step, kick, kick, leap, kick, touch… Again!” As I banged out the opening octaves from the first song of A Chorus Line, the baby grand’s sound filling our black box theater, I realized I should have practiced more. And I definitely should have prepared more for… Continue reading

“How Not to Go Crazy Reading Rough Drafts,” MiddleWeb

August 26, 2019August 28, 2019 Sarah Cooper

Here’s a bit of a confessional. For many years, with major writing assignments, I avoided reading my students’ rough drafts. I thought I didn’t have time – and that if I commented on the rough drafts Continue reading

“Keeping Ourselves, and Our Students, Honest About Sources,” Modern Civics Project

August 22, 2019September 8, 2019 Sarah Cooper

The most effective civic education in my eighth-grade classroom is often the simplest. On Fridays, each student brings in an annotated newspaper article on any topic except sports or entertainment, and then three or four students present and field questions on their pieces. During the rest of the week… Continue reading

“The Unexpected Jewish Ritual That Helps Me Relax,” Kveller

August 6, 2019 Sarah Cooper

On a recent summer evening the house was quiet, except for our neighbor’s construction workers sweeping gravel off the driveway. I had just dropped off my younger son at tennis lessons and my older son at cross-country practice… Continue reading

“Where to Find Kids’ LGBTQAI+ Books,” MiddleWeb

June 27, 2019June 28, 2019 Sarah Cooper

For librarians Christina Dorr and Liz Deskins, getting the right book into the hands of the right kid at the right time is paramount – even more so when the topic is something not everyone wants to talk about… Continue reading