STORIES & IDEAS
Classroom-tested ideas on history, writing, student journalism, and helping young people think for themselves.
A PLACE TO BEGIN
History & CivicsEdutopia
Five lessons for making AP Government engaging, with room for curiosity and learning beyond the exam.
Read the storyEdutopia 02
Choosing depth over coverage: what should students remember, understand, and be able to do long after class ends?
KQED’s 2017 reading picks
Edutopia 03
A classroom teacher’s case for fewer screens and more attention to the learning happening in front of us.
Discussed by educators on LinkedIn
THE COLLECTION
Edutopia
Choosing depth over coverage: what should students remember, understand, and be able to do long after class ends?
PBS NewsHour
Why increasingly capable generative AI led David to rethink its place in student learning.
Independent School / NAIS
A return to Brimmer and May, and a teaching career rooted in history, journalism, and school community.
Edutopia
Bring historians into the classroom through virtual conversations that help students connect with the past.
Medium
What historians’ experience in journalism reveals about reporting, evidence, and learning to write history.
Edutopia
Respond to academic dishonesty in ways that build integrity, responsibility, and a clearer understanding of learning.
Edutopia
Help students build learning that lasts and connects to life beyond an assignment or exam.
Edutopia
Help students distinguish verifiable evidence from opinion—and understand why facts still matter.
Edutopia
Reporting gives history students a real audience and a reason to gather evidence, write clearly, and think critically.
The Atlantic
How superhero comics can open a window onto World War II and make history more engaging.
Edutopia
Five lessons for making AP Government engaging, with room for curiosity and learning beyond the exam.
Medium
Why David is protecting students’ independent thinking through in-class writing and conversations about their work.
THE CLASSROOM IS WHERE IT STARTS.ABOUT DAVID
David Cutler teaches American History, Latin American History, Journalism, and AP United States Government and Politics at Brimmer and May School in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. He also serves as Assistant Cross Country Coach.
He advises The Gator, the school’s award-winning student news site, and serves as founder and executive director of the Private School Journalism Association. He is also a board member of the New England Scholastic Press Association.
His writing explores education, history, and the work of helping young people think for themselves. His perspective is rooted in the daily experiences of an active classroom teacher and in the voices of the students he teaches.
Brimmer and May SchoolRECOGNITION
Columbia Scholastic Press Association
National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year Program · CSPA
Brimmer and May School
National Association of Independent Schools
Adviser: David CutlerVisit the award-winning student publication I advise, where young reporters cover their community and develop their voices.
LET’S CONNECT
Have a question, a classroom challenge, or an invitation to speak or present? David welcomes the conversation. He believes schools too often look to outside “experts” for guidance on pedagogy and best practices while overlooking the experts already in the building: active classroom teachers.
Presentations, materials, and advice are always free. David believes sharing best practices should benefit students and teachers without putting a price on that exchange.
His ideas come from the daily work of an active classroom teacher: the lessons he teaches, the students he works with, and the challenges they work through together.
“Everyone deserves a seat at the table, but active classroom teachers’ voices should carry the greatest weight in decisions about teaching and learning.”
Hear David in conversation on Teachers on Fire and explore his CSPA sessions and other interviews.
