Will Linser teaches AP U.S. Government and U.S. History in Bellevue, Washington.
Name: Will Linser
School Name: Bellevue High School
School Location: Bellevue, WA (Seattle metro area)
No. of Years Teaching: 27
Subject(s) Taught: AP U.S. Government & Politics, and U.S. History
Grade(s)Taught: 11th and 12th grades
Located just east of Seattle in the verdant Pacific Northwest, Bellevue, Washington, is home to some of the world’s largest technology companies. Amazon was founded in Bellevue by Jeff Bezos in 1994, and today the city hosts satellite offices for eBay, Meta, ByteDance, Oracle, Salesforce, Google, and Microsoft, to name a few.
Teaching and Technology
Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that Will Linser—who teaches AP U.S. Government and U.S. History at Bellevue High School—says that technology has changed how we teach significantly.
“When I first began teaching, the biggest tech headache was students using pagers,” Linser says, reflecting on his 27 years of experience as an educator. “My, how times have changed, and technology has improved. Now every student has a laptop.”
But for every strength, there is a weakness; they are two sides of the same coin. Technology brings many benefits but also challenges. As tech journalist Nick Carr first purported back in 2008, the internet (and all its distractions) affects our ability to focus. And that consequence has been absorbed by the younger generation, who grew up on technology.
“The biggest challenge is keeping students engaged,” Linser says. “Another change has been being trying to both teach and entertain my students, so that they remain on task and learn.”
Fostering Focus
Most teachers know how frustrating it can be to try to get the attention of a young person watching a TikTok video on their phone in class. This has put additional pressure on teachers. They must not only teach; they must also win their students’ attention.
Linser says his high school recently implemented a ban on student cell phones in the classroom. No doubt other schools around the country have already gone (or will soon go) that route.
“I hope that we can make what we teach more relevant to our students so that they remain engaged,” Linser says. “If our students don’t see what we’re teaching as relevant to their lives, then they just tune us out.”
One way Linser encourages student engagement is by using the SGAP Student Forum newsletter and resources in his classroom.
“I have my students answer the discussion questions for the two issues,” he says. “They are always current and relevant. Answering the questions makes my students think about the important issues facing our country.”
Looking Forward
Linser believes that artificial intelligence will influence the future of teaching. He serves on a professional learning committee that has begun to look at the impact of AI on education.
“It is my hope that we can begin to move to a more collaborative educational experience for our students,” Linser says. “They’ll need that skill in their future careers.”
As a veteran teacher with nearly 30 years of experience, Linser encourages fellow teachers to not be afraid to take risks, even if the effort falls flat. “We’ve all taught lessons that we thought would be a smashing success,” he says. “Well, sometimes things don’t work out as planned. That’s both the fun bit and frustrating part of teaching.”
In fact, Linser says, it’s good to shake things up and not get in a rut. “Try to do at least a few things differently every school year,” he adds. “It’ll be a positive experience both for you and your students.”