Yesterday, notification arrived that I have been awarded this honor. Two students nominated me for the National History Teacher of the Year award earlier in the school year. Not knowing if I would be worthy of the award, I participated in the application process, answering questions, completing a resumé, securing a recommendation letter from the principal, and submitting a 15-page series of lessons and activities to show how we do things in our classroom. Here is what the press release looks like right now:
[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.
That all being said, when I see the devotion and the energy of previous winners - all the major projects they have instigated and worked through - I am humbled. Watch last year's presentation, with the award being presented by Lynn Manuel-Miranda. While I am not a member of prestigious history organizations, and while I have not racked up awards and fellowships from around the world, I am still a teacher. For 32 years now, my focus has been on honing my teaching skills and connecting with elementary students. A lot of energy has been burned on making the setting of my classroom safe for everybody who enters - especially safe in a way that allows vulnerable and open discussion among people who might disagree. Our class is a family, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
