AP European History is one of the most in-depth and challenging history courses available in high schools across the US. Only 13% of students who took the AP exam in 2024 received a top score of 5 on the exam. In comparison, AP World History had 12% of students achieving a 5, while AP United States History had 13%. Besides those courses, no other AP history course has proven to be as difficult and rigorous as AP Euro.
The year-long course covers the history of Europe from 1450 to the present day, including the Black Plague to the post-Cold War era, while addressing reformations, enlightenments, and widespread political, cultural, and economic changes throughout the years. Until this year, the course at Haverford High was taught by Jackie Hallam, who had provided insightful instruction as a native of England. Unfortunately, the 2023-2024 school year marked Hallam’s last year at Haverford High School; her retirement created an opportunity for a new teacher to take over this challenging course.
When Host learned that Hallam would be leaving, he offered to teach the course in the future. “While working closely with Hallam as she left, I mentioned I would be more than willing to continue her legacy as well as the legacy of those who had preceded her. I hesitated, but you must push yourself out of your comfort zone to continually improve,” he explained. He got to work right away, studying the course all summer and even traveling to Manhattan to learn from AP Euro experts at a workshop for teachers new to the course. “It was a whole summer of preparation, not only on my own but also by collaborating with many who have taught the course. Manhattan was an excellent experience, and I plan on attending another workshop this summer to meet new AP Euro teachers and learn their strategies,” Host said.
On the first day of school, Host was nervous, but he left class feeling a sense of relief. “The feeling of complete unexpectedness on the first day of class is like anything new – a bit of nervousness and anticipation to meet all of the students. I felt a sense of relief with a smaller class,” he said.
Host has taught US History, World History, and Government, but he has never taught an AP class before, making this an entirely new experience for him. “I enjoy the class, its size, and the high-level contributions [the students] bring daily. It is a purely collegiate setting, unlike other courses I have taught,” he explained. He continued to describe the dynamics and environment specific to a smaller class. “It’s like a small group session; every day; it is incredible. I expected to have to facilitate much discussion; however, [the students] do the heavy lifting!” he said.
As one of the seven students in Host’s fourth block AP Euro class, I can say from experience that he has been a phenomenal teacher. I speak for all of the students when I say that he has put in a tremendous amount of time and effort preparing for us. He has even mentioned that he thinks about our class all day! While he knows the content of his other classes well and doesn’t sweat it, the content of our class is new for him, so he puts extra effort into his preparation. He has done a great job so far, and I can’t wait to see what else we will do this year.
To any sophomores or juniors registering for classes soon, I would highly recommend signing up for this class; it offers a laid-back, collaborative environment that not many other courses provide. “It is a challenging course with many events and topics,” Host says. “Still, I genuinely believe it enhances your understanding of the world by allowing you to see the influences of one particular continent on the entire world.”
