This year, I was nominated by two students for Gilder Lehrman's National History Teacher of the Year award. My part of the application process included a few steps, the first of which was to respond in 75 words or less to each of the two questions below. In standard form, I used every one of those 75 words and came up with the following responses.
Why do you love teaching history?
I love giving my students something they have been denied for too long – history. History is ugly, raw, and exposed, and it deserves to be taught diligently. It is where we witness the development of character, society, religion, and government. I place my students in historical situations and surround them with difficult choices. I watch them wrestle with opposing views and peripheral ideas. I relish facilitating those processes and watching students struggle, fight, and grow.
Why do you think history is important for students today?
Character is borne from the events we experience and people we encounter. All life is cause and effect, action and reaction, vision and heritage. History provides the greatest opportunity for students to see mistakes made, tragedies overcome, recoveries formed, and victories achieved. Whether a result of careful historical study or an honest observation, students develop character, growing and adapting along the way. Accurate history, emphasized in our classrooms, ensures such positive growth and civil discussion.
Word is expected sometime this month to notify contestants about state-level recipients.
