Amber Snethen
Position: High School AP Teacher
School: Harmony School of Innovation Garland
School District: Harmony Public Schools
City, State: Garland, TX
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Amber Snethen was nominated by a colleague, Leisa Blalock.
Ms Snethen is a wonderful and dedicated teacher at Harmony School of Innovation. She teaches three AP courses; AP Human Geography, AP Psychology and AP World History as well as regular World History. Ms. Snethen engages her students with a lot of project based learning models which keeps them engaged. "Anyone who has taught one AP class knows the extra time and effort that go into the planning and teaching of that course but to teach three AP classes! That is a great teacher!" Blaclock said. "Ms Snethen is a breath of fresh air. She's a LifeChanger to her students!"
I don't know her personally, but this school hires the BEST teachers out there. And for her to teach THREE AP classes, that's amazing.
Ms. Snethen has not only been a teacher figure in my life, but she was a sister, when I needed advice, and a guide when I slacked. I enjoyed all of my AP classes with her, and I not only took one year with her, but two. i could help but want to be in a class full of genuine love, dedication, and knowledge. She is a very knowledgeable figure, and she is accepting and loving, one could say she is basically the best teacher to ever exist. Not many people leave such a prominent print on my heart, but Ms. Snethen definitely did. She is not only dedicated to the subject she teaches, but she dedicates her time and everything that comes with that in order to have her students understand, and succeed. I could write essays and essays about my true appreciation for Ms. Snethen, but not even books about her would do her kindness and dedication justice. She has not only inspired me, but she has advised me many times when she noticed that I was not feeling well, or I was not myself. She definitely makes it her absolute job to care for her students' mental health, physical health, and education. I will never forget Ms. Snethen, and the endless terrific memories made in her class. Those are truly irreplaceable, and so is she.
There are no words for how much Ms.Snethen has impacted my life, but I will try to explain anyways. She was first my AP World History teacher, then my AP US History teacher, and finally my AP Psychology teacher. After her AP World History class, I passed my AP exam and realized history wasn't so bad, despite never really being interested in the subject. So the following year I decided to take her AP US History class as well. During that second year with her as my teacher, I really fell in love with colonial history, which also happens to be the subject she is well acquainted with. In both of these classes we had fun and interactive projects, as well as easy to understand work that really drove the topics home. While Ms.Snethen's classes were never an easy A, requiring much time and effort, it was always worth it. She teaches AP courses with a passion unmatched by any other teacher I've ever had in any subject. Also, she's not afraid to be kind to her students, often making jokes with us, especially if it made the subject matter more memorable. My senior year I took AP Psychology with her and even though the other classes were amazing, this one was by far my favorite. Having a degree in psychology, she brought so much knowledge to the table about every chapter, going above and beyond what I needed for the AP test (I owe my score of 5 to her). I even give full credit to her for my decision to major in psychology. As a freshman in college now, I know that Ms.Snethen is probably my biggest role model and has taught me so much about not only the class subject matters, but also about hard work and dedication to my dreams. I use the knowledge she has given me everyday here and I hope to keep it with me past college and into the workplace. I apologize if this seems like a long and detailed account of my 3 years as Ms.Snethen's student, but I felt it necessary to describe her impact on every person she meets and to really prove that she deserves this award. She did in fact change my life for the better.
I can't even begin to describe how awesome Ms. Snethen is. I had her for three years, she was my teacher for AP World History, AP U.S. History, and AP Psychology, so from the beginning of sophomore year to graduation day she has been there, fueling my brain for the future. She is one of those people that are really passionate about educating young minds. Along with spending time in the classroom teaching us, she encourages us to come to her,if we have any questions or confusions, during breaks, and even after school. She dedicates so much time and energy in ensuring that her students are successful in all ways. I feel that Ms.Snethen has prepared me -over the years- for an actual college environment, and I am forever grateful.
In the classroom environment, Ms. Snethen always plans lectures that has the students interacting. Coming from a student, it is very difficult to find a teacher that makes learning fun. Ms. Snethen is always finding different ways to teach her students and informing them of various topics. Along with all the activities, exercises, intriguing lectures, Ms. Snethen provides all her students with online resources. From fun facts to interesting articles and multiple powerpoints to information videos, Ms. Snethen is never short of helpful resources. She goes above and beyond to make sure that all her students have the information they need to not only learn but understand a topic.
Anything that I have to say of her falls short of what she really is, a gem that eternally shines bright. I can not thank her enough for teaching me to trust myself and believing in me, even when I didn't. There truly are no words to describe how influential she is to her students. Ms. Snethen continues to be a voice of motivation and positive influence to all her students. Coming from someone who had her for three years, she truly is a Life-Changer, and I am not exaggerating when I say that Ms. Snethen is the BEST teacher (and friend) that I have ever had.
I believe that I speak for a lot of her students, but I don't think that AP classes would be the same for me if it wasn't for Ms. Snethen. She really knows what she's doing, and unlike many other teachers, she doesn't teach for money; rather, she actually cares that students succeed and actually have fun while doing it. Never have I said that projects are fun to do, but Ms. Snethen's class is a very notable exception. On top of all that, she teaches not one, but THREE AP classes and regular world history to boot. If that doesn't justify her being the ideal teacher, then I don't know what does; to teach three AP classes, I would imagine that she sacrifices a lot of the time she could be using for leisure for us. It's quite a feat. I wholeheartedly believe that this is the ultimate merit that justifies her nomination. If it wasn't for Ms. Snethen, AP would have been a tribulation of epic proportions. I decided to take AP World History this year because I knew that she would be the one who would be teaching.
My twins Fahim & Sumaita are the students of Ms. Snethen. They are AP world history students of 10th grade.
I know Ms. Snethen very well and communicate with her any problem about assignment of my kids. She is such a wonderful Awesome polite person and I am very proud of her . She is an excellent teacher and very valuable asset of HSI. I hope she is not only the life changer for her students, I wish she wil be life changer for all of our parents and whole humanity.
May God bless her and her family. She is my favorite person. I always pray she will become success in this world and here after.
Sincerely,
Zia Ahmed
As Ms. Snethen's mother, i realize I am prejudice, BUT I am the one who sees the daily trials and concerns she goes through. I see the endless grading of essays. Although essays are time consuming to grade, she insists on continually assigning essays to her AP students because they need the experience and practice of improving their writing skills. She cares so much about her students and is always willing to go the extra mile to help them understand, to let the knowledge sink in. She rejoices when the light of understanding is turned on. Ms. Snethen spends her own money to make sure she has the latest technology, books, activities, and supplies so her students have the best possible chance to succeed.
Before becoming a teacher, she spent a little over two years as a cognitive trainer, helping those with learning struggles. She helped a multitude of individuals to approach the difficulties in their life from a five year old autistic child learning to communicate at home and at school to a woman struggling with the effects of a stroke. She helped teenagers deal with stress and learn how to better relate with their classmates and be successful in their school work. She rejoiced with all of their achievements no matter how small and helped them deal with their disappointments, turning these perceived failures into steps toward success.
I constantly see her devotion in helping her students develop their own passions for learning. When an activity or lesson doesn't work, she tweaks it. She constantly works to improve her delivery and always has the students best interest in mind. She wants them to be successful in their school work and to become successful individuals in their lives by changing the world, one class, one student at a time. She prepares her students for life while in school and after graduation.
Awesome does not even begin to cover the time I spent with Ms. Snethen. For two years, her class was the one I looked forward to the most. I had Ms. Snethen for AP World History and for AP Psychology and I owe my success in the class and the test to her and her hard work. She prepares her students unlike any other teacher and really knows how to engage with us and get our minds going. The hands-on activities she incorporates into her class are always so fun and so educational. Ms. Snethen goes the 100 extra miles to make sure her students understand the material and feel comfortable in her classroom. She always puts us as her top priority and has dedicated so much to my peers and I both inside and outside the classroom. I am so grateful to have been her student, and even though I may not be taking any official classes with her right now, I am always going to think of her as my teacher. I love Ms. Snethen so much, and I wouldn't trade her for the world. We are so lucky to have her as our AP teacher.
Ms. Snethen is an amazing teacher. She always has something fun planned out for every class that can help any student excel than just staying stuck at a "met" standard. When I was in middle school and introduced to AP, I believed it would be a class with mean and very strict teachers that wouldn't even let you breathe. Ms. Snethen really changed my perspective of AP. She makes every class interesting with something new to learn every day. She is very funny and always makes my day when I walk into her class. Because of her, I am a new person.
Before Ms.Snethen I had basically given up hope on taking another AP class, let alone another AP test. My first experience with an AP test (human geography) went terribly, I was very worried about taking AP world history since you basically had to learn everything about the world. And then I had Ms.Snethen, she had a new way of teaching that I never had before, it shocked me how much I was missing. She taught me new strategies, ways to study, and how to connect events from different places. Not to mention teaching me that Christopher Columbus "found" the Americas. Ms.Snethen absolutely deserves this award because she not only puts effort into her lessons, but also makes sure everyone understands what they're learning while also putting in a historical joke to lighten the mood. She has the entire class engage in different activities to catch our attention and actually have us enjoy what we're learning. She also has us take on hands on projects which could be either individual or as a team (depending the subject) which teaches us topics in more depth. Overall, Ms.Snethen changed the way I perceived the world, taught me to manage my time wisely, and also that trading and disease are a HUGE part of history!
Very few teachers leave much of a mark on me after taking their class. That said, Ms. Snethen has made a profound impact on me as a person. The mark of an excellent teacher is not only to teach the given material, but to inspire the student to learn beyond what is required. She has piqued my interest in a number of subjects. None other than Ms. Snethen have been able to accomplish such a feat. I am very appreciative of what she has done for me and my fellow students. Nobody is more qualified than she is.
Never in my life have I met a teacher more learned and devoted to their craft more than Ms.Snethen. When I moved to an "unconventional" school in 9th grade that was different from the school the rest my peers went to I was very scared. However, Ms.Snethen was one of the teachers that managed to make my transition worthwhile. Being her student for two years I was able to understand my wonderful teacher and discover her diverse qualities. One quality about Ms.Snethen is that she not only wants you to learn the concept, but to love and embrace it. She always manages to come up with immersive activities that leave us crying tears of "I wish we would do that again, but it is time to move on to the next unit". Ms.Snethen also possess eyes of admiration, a quality which I find very scarce these days. She wants to appreciate the difference your culture brings and see the beauty in your individuality. Another great quality about Ms.Snethen is her understanding. Ms.Snethen is able to give three definitions to the word understanding. She is understanding in the sense that she will see you falter and say "hey you need to see me after class, you can do better", understanding in the sense that her comprehension of history is breathtaking, and understanding in that she is a fair and transparent judge. Ms.Snethen not only encompasses the definition of a teacher, but of a friend. She is not shy to show you her clarinet skills, or talk with you about your hobbies and what you should do with them. I remember attempting to drop her AP World History class after seeing how arduous it appeared, but Ms.Snethen discouraged me and I thank her so much for that. Had I not taken that class I would not have earned my first AP credit, I would not have learned how to think like a scholar, and most importantly I would have robbed myself of experiencing one of the greatest educators as MY teacher. Ms. Snethen, you were first my teacher, then my captain, and now you are a my friend. You have sculpted me to be a true leader and for that I can only thank you so much by giving you the title of a Life Changer. Thank you Ms.Snethen.
Chizuruoke Ukachi-Nwata
Ms. Snethen is the best teacher I've had to date. She has a kindness and understanding that is rare in most people. She geniunely loves teaching and her students. I have learned so much and come to understand much more than I ever would have about the world around me due to Ms. Snethen.
I have known Ms. Snethen for several years, first as an APUS student, later as a professional educator. She is always striving to improve her knowledge as well as her pedagogy. She is student centered with a strong sense of moral direction. I would recommend without hesitation.
Ms.Snethen was one of my favorite teachers ever. I had her for AP World History and she always did her best to keep my class engaged and excited to learn. Although the workload was large and at times hard, she made that my favorite class and always offered different ways for her students to understand the concept. She has a HUUUUUGE google drive file for AP World History that seems never ending and is full of any information a student could ever need. Definitely one of the most hardworking and dedicated teacher I have ever had. She had my class set to complete our final chapter six weeks before the AP test and spent so much time in and out of class to prepare my class for the AP test. I passed because of her hard work.
SO HAPPY - seeing Amber share her wisdom & passion for learning. A wonderfully unique soul with a heart of gold. Best of luck :-) Ms. Snethen!
Ms. Snethen is one of those teachers who make the students feel like capable scholars. She teaches with passion for the subject and the learning of the students. She always seeks to instruct with good tactics. Truly, even if History was never my strong field, Ms. Snethen made AP World History one of my favorite subjects.
Amber strives to create lessons that are hands on for her students and readily participates in our international PLC to develop lessons and clarification for students/teachers in the AP communities. She goes above and beyond in all that she does! I highly recommend her for this award!
I met Amber at an AP conference. She is very dedicated to her profession and wants the best for her students. She is also very generous as she shares teaching ideas with colleagues around the world.
