
[Mr.] Hoggatt, a teacher at Cecil Floyd Elementary School in Joplin, has been named the 2021 Missouri History Teacher of the Year, an award presented annually by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the nation's leading organization dedicated to K-12 American history education.
In 2021, parents, students, teachers, and administrators nationwide nominated a record 8,510 teachers for the History Teacher of the Year Award. Amidst a very competitive field, [Mr.] Hoggatt rose to the top in Missouri.
Inaugurated in 2004, the History Teacher of the Year Award highlights the crucial importance of history education by honoring exceptional American history teachers from elementary school through high school. The award honors one K-12 teacher from each state, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense schools and US Territories. In fall 2021, the National History Teacher of the Year will be selected from the pool of state winners.
[Mr.] Hoggatt received two bachelor’s degrees at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma and his master’s degree in teaching from Pittsburg State University. Now in his 32nd year as an educator, Hoggatt’s passion for history, combined with his unique style of connecting with children, and his students have reaped the benefits. He creates a classroom atmosphere in which history is directly correlated to students’ lives through hands-on projects, connections with standards in other subjects, and lively, relevant conversations over primary sources. When students leave his classroom they have not only learned valuable information, they have a shared passion for early American history.
In addition to a $1,000 honorarium, Cecil Floyd Elementary will receive a core archive of American history books and Gilder Lehrman educational materials and recognition at a ceremony in Missouri.