Get to Know the State History Teachers of the Year, Part II
Posted by Anna Khomina on Monday, 10/17/2016
This year we recognized 50 teachers as State History Teachers of the Year. These exceptional educators were awarded $1,000 and an archive of books and resources for their school library, and were honored in state ceremonies. But who are they, really? We asked several state winners to answer a few questions about themselves. This week, meet
Shari Conditt, 2016 Washington State History Teacher of the Year
Q: What's the best history book—American or otherwise—you’ve ever read?
A: That’s a challenging question. My favorite seems to change over time. I thoroughly enjoyed Candace Millard’s Destiny of the Republic. I am currently reading Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton and loving it!
Q: Out of the historical sites and museums you’ve visited, which one has left the greatest impression on you?
A: The Lincoln Memorial is a place I continually return to each and every time I visit Washington DC. Reflecting on Lincoln helps me better embrace today’s challenges. I am reminded of how unsettling our present may feel but yet how instrumental leadership can be towards unifying the nation.
Q: What—or who—inspired you to become a history teacher?
A: As the child of an active-duty soldier stationed in Germany during the Cold War, I grew up at a time when the past seemed to easily mesh with the present. When the Berlin Wall fell and reunification began, I witnessed firsthand just how much history could directly impact life. Witnessing the fall of the Berlin Wall and the flood of people flocking towards a democratically elected government left an impression on me. It encouraged me to actively engage in the study of history and government.
Q: What part of teaching always puts a smile on your face?
A: The students!
Q: If you could listen to any historian—dead or alive—speak, who would it be?
A: Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Q: Name one fact that people might not know about Washington State.
A: It doesn’t rain nearly as much as people think it does. Miami gets more rain than Seattle!
Q: What historical films or shows would you binge watch on a rainy afternoon?
A: Anything from the American Experience.
Mary Lagleder, 2016 Texas State History Teacher of the Year
Q: What do you enjoy doing when you aren’t teaching history?
A: I enjoy doing pretty much anything outside—hiking, camping, kayaking, etc. In the summer of 2015, I walked over 300 miles through northern England and Scotland on the Pennine Way and the West Highland Way.
Q: What’s the best history book—American or otherwise—you’ve ever read?
A: The Great Cat Massacre by Robert Darnton. It’s not necessarily the content that I loved, but I loved the way that Darnton explained historical investigation and historical understanding in his introduction. He said that understanding history is basically the same as "getting the joke"—you have to have contemporary context, you have to understand the language and the culture—the frameworks through which people in that time period understood their own lives—in order to truly understand historical meaning.
Q: Out of the historical sites and museums you’ve visited, which one has left the greatest impression on you?
A: The National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis is phenomenal. I remember that they had very realistic models of slaves tightly packed and chained on the deck of a slave ship that really brought home the horrific conditions that slaves endured (before they even reached the Americas where they endured further hardships).
Q: What part of teaching always puts a smile on your face?
A: My favorite part of teaching is when students ask questions. When students want more information than they need—that shows they’re really enjoying the learning process. I especially love it when students bring in current events and ask something along the lines of, "I saw this in the news (or on Facebook or Twitter)—is this kind of like what we’re talking about?"
Q: What historical films or shows would you binge watch on a rainy afternoon?
A: Band of Brothers! So good!
Do you know an outstanding K–12 American history teacher? Nominate them for National History Teacher of the Year!