Fun Test Prep

Chris Mikulskis and Mary Kate Mikulskis have been teaching high school English for a combined 22 years in both urban and suburban environments, including private and public high schools. Classes taught include: AP Literature & Composition, AP Language & Composition, English I, English III, and Reading. We also have experience teaching Bridge programs for incoming 8th-9th grade students. In addition, we have taught numerous ACT prep classes over the past 10 years and have also brought our own ACT prep class to local schools and libraries in the Chicagoland area.

We believe that high-interest material sparks student learning. We created the "Fun Test Prep" series to make the test prep relevant to the students who generally quake in fear of this high-stakes test. This is not your typical boring test prep! Teachers love "Fun Test Prep" because it engages students and starts some great conversations, and students love it because they can read these original, high-interest passages AND prepare for the standardized tests. It's the spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down!

As featured in: Teachers Pay Teachers Newsletter, Vol. 141, March 2013; CBS 2Chicago, April 6, 2012; Maltese Cross: The Magazine of Phi Kappa Sigma International Fraternity,Vol. 151 No.1, Spring 2012; WBBM Newsradio 780, April 6, 2012; Evergreen Park Patch, April 1, 2012; Chicago Sun-Times, March 1, 2012; Southtown Star, January 26th, 2012.

We are both proud graduates of the University of Illinios at Urbana-Champaign. Go Illini! Chris Mikulskis holds a master's degree from Governor's State University and has studied English literature at Eastern Illinois University and young adult literature at Governor's State University. Mary Kate Mikulskis holds a master's degree from Concordia University Chicago and is currently pursuing her second master's degree. She was an Education Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Teaching Resident for the Chicago Public Schools Summer Teaching Residency Program.

Dreading teaching yet another long, boring test prep seminar, high school English teachers Chris Mikulskis and Mary Kate Durkin created their own high-interest, skills-based ACT-like passages to engage our students and shake up typical test prep lessons. The response was overwhelming: students were entertained, engaged, and most importantly, learning. Thus, "Fun ACT Prep" was born. Now, we strive to make skills-based learning both meaningful and entertaining for students and teachers alike. Our expanding range of resources, including the recently-launched "Fun ACT Prep Presents..." series, continues to reflect our philosophy of combining high-interest content with skills-based instruction.