April 9, 2025
First Time Teaching for Fifty and Better
Submitted by Alan Perper
My name is Alan Perper and I had the privilege of teaching an American Civics 鈥渃rash course鈥 as part of CLU鈥檚 Fifty and Better program this past Summer. As a retired AP Government high school teacher, and a tutor to prospective legal residents wishing to become U.S. Citizens, it was always interesting to me how little most of us know about the actual working components and history of our U.S. government. My 鈥淎merican Civics 101鈥 classes tested this theory with a simple question: What if each of us had to take a civics test every year to remain a U.S. Citizen鈥 would we pass?
This challenge to FAB learners resulted in well attended Zoom classes. It also led to some lively chat room discussions and a real sense that much of what we think we know about how our government works needs to be revisited, particularly with politics seemingly always in today鈥檚 news.
Attending students were also subject to regular pop-up quizzes and reviews to insure material retention as well as some fun, competitive interactivity which was very well received.
Moreover, FAB members challenged me on multiple occasions to elaborate on material that made teaching this Zoom class both a joy and meaningful.
My thanks to CLU and FAB鈥檚 incredible staff for making teaching life-long learners so easy and fulfilling.