The History Habitat

I have been teaching for over a decade & a half at my current district of Elizabethtown Area School District in Elizabethtown, PA where I teach 10th Grade World History and 11th Grade Government and Economics at both the Honors & traditional levels. I have also taught classes in Middle School / High School World Cultures, 20th Century American History and Honors 20th Century American History, and 18th and 19th Century US History.i have also developed, wrote, and taught a course on Pennsylvania, Lancaster County, and Elizabethtown history here at the High School.

Many of my co-workers have called me an "old soul in a young teachers body". I put a heavy emphasis in my classroom on original thought, responsibility, discipline, and communication. While I don't currently teach an AP class, I do put a big emphasis in my classroom on primary documents and drawing original conclusions from them through writing. I'm a project and hands-on oriented teacher; I like to find new and creative ways to engage my students in the student and enjoyment of history. I also like incorporating Internet and web-based activities into my lessons.

I have had lessons and my website featured on the Fantasy Geopolitics homepage (FANSchools.org) as inspiration for other educators to look to and follow. I have also had historical writings and research published as a guest writer on numerous historical-interest and educational blogs as well as in the Journal of Lancaster County History and the Journal of Pennsylvania History. In 2020, I was recognized by Constituting America for a teacher lesson plan celebrating Constitution Day and honors as one of their nationally recognized teachers.

I'm a graduate of Shippensburg University with a bachelors degree in Education and a minor in Political Science. I am also a graduate of Millersville University with a Masters degree in History as well as a Masters degree holder in Education from Wilkes University. A tech enthusiast, I am also an online certified teacher (K-12) and hold membership in NAMLE (The National Association of Media Literacy Education)

I live with my wonderful wife (also a teacher), my daughter Olivia, my son Owen, and my small heard of dogs and cats. If you have an issue with a product or a comment / questions feel free to email at gerald_huesken@etownschools.org or follow me on Twitter under the handle @MrHuesken (https://twitter.com/MrHuesken) or on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerald-huesken-jr-56953593)