The following teachers were recognized for their excellence in teaching at the 2010 Annual State Social Studies Conference in Memphis.
Secondary Teachers of the Year
William Freddy Curtis, U.S.
Government and Sociology teacher at Cannon County High School in
Woodbury,
Tennessee.
He begins each day with a "Life Lesson"
- A quote regarding education or life in general. then he presents a
"government headline" from the Nashville Tennessean or another
on-line newspaper. He
requires his government students to attend local government body meetings and
to question why those political bodies acted in a particular way and why they
exist in the first place. Students may observe an actual court case. Various
elected officials are frequent visitors to this teacher's class. He is
a member of several professional organizations and is involved in many
professional development activities.
He is also a member of his
School Improvement Team.
Cynthia
Sellers McGuire, World Geography, Psychology, and Sociology teacher
at
Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport, Tennessee.
She has served in several leadership positions
within her school and in education related organizations. She has served as Social Studies
Department Chairperson, Beta Club and Yearbook Sponsor. She belongs to the National Council for
the Social Studies as well as the Tennessee Council for the Social and
frequently attends their conferences. She says, "In ninety days, I cannot possibly
cover everything that I want students to know about the world. I can, however, create an interest that
will make them want to learn more across their lifetime." A bumper sticker on this her wall
reads, "Your ignorance is their power." Students are taught to access accurate information. They learn to evaluate
sources. Technology is a key tool
in the classroom.
Michael Robinson, teacher of World Geography, Facing
History and Ourselves, Contemporary Issues, and Advanced Placement Human
Geography at Houston High School, Germantown, Tennessee.
According to his vice principal, "In addition to his expertise in
his discipline, he possesses the ability to create a classroom environment that
consists of an exact combination of academics, structure, and creativity to
enhance student achievement. To keep his students from losing their attention, this
teacher tries to plan three or four fifteen to twenty minute instructional
activities from an interactive lecture to a short video clip to a short
reading. He has developed an extremely successful AP Human Geography
Class. He has served as Mock Trial sponsor and statistician for the school's
varsity basketball teams. Above
and beyond excellence in his own classroom, he generally shares his teaching
strategies by being department chair and a master mentor for new teachers. Most recently, this teacher received the 2009 NCI and
Nostrum Geography Award for the nation's best lesson plan. Not only did he receive that award, but
presented the lessons entitled "Starbucks Geography" at a national
conference in Puerto Rico. Last
fall, he was a presenter and participant at the "South Korean Symposium on
Geographic and Territorial Issues" in South Korea. He also received the 2009 Tennessee Geographic Alliance
Geography teacher of the year award.
Middle School Teacher of the Year
Rob Kuban, 8th grade American
History Teacher at Maryville Middle School.
He wants history to come alive for his students so he had his students create their own imaginary colony and write a
governmental compact (Mayflower Compact), create a travel brochure for the 13
colonies, make fake newspapers convincing Europeans to come to America, make
movies/multimedia presentations on the importance of basic rights in America,
make a propaganda war poster for the American Revolution, write a Civil War
journal, etc. His principal describes him as an instructional
leader and mentor who is very skillful at integrating technology into the 21st
century classroom. His effectiveness is evident in his students' high
performance on standardized tests. His students have won several awards. He serves on the School
Leadership Team and the Parent Advisory Committee and was selected East TN.
Historical Society Teacher of the Year (2009).
Elementary Teacher of the Year
Connie Lawson, Teacher at Richard Hardy
Memorial School in South Pittsburg.
Connie, fourth grade, self-contained classroom teacher believes
that education focuses on the individual child and his/her ability to succeed
in life as well as education. You might find her implementing "We the People. . .Project Citizen," a
program that focuses on state and local government roles in the American federal
system. The curriculum engages the
entire class in a series of
structured cooperative learning activities. Using the "Library of Congress Teaching with Primary
Sources", this teacher used past documents, photographs, manuscripts, and
authentic artifacts to enhance the curriculum and motivate student
learning. She has attended and presented at several Core
Knowledge National Conferences and has a "Lewis and Clark Expedition" lesson
plan published with the Library of Congress. She has been selected Teacher of the Year several
times at her school.