Vol. 41, No. 60
September 28, 2007
CONTACT: JIM MORRIS
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Tipton Fourth-Grade Teacher Honored as
Missouri’s History Teacher of the Year
Lana Dicus, a fourth-grade teacher at Tipton Elementary School (Moniteau County), recently received the Gilder Lehrman American History Teacher of the Year award. The award is sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and Preserve America.
During a ceremony at her school, Ms. Dicus received a $1,000 honorarium and an archive of books and materials donated to the school library by the Gilder Lehrman Institute. Ms. Dicus is now a candidate for the National History Teacher of the Year Award.
She will be honored September 28-29, in St. Louis, at the Missouri Council for History Education State Conference. Previous winners of the History Teacher of the Year Award and Eric Langhorst, the new Missouri Teacher of the Year, also will be honored.
Ms. Dicus has implemented primary source materials in creative ways in the teaching of American history. Her goal is to have “students relate to historical characters and understand they were people just like we are today.” She has integrated the teaching of communication arts with social studies, and she stresses the importance of research skills for young students.
Dr. Shelly Croteau, assistant state archivist with the Missouri Secretary of State’s office, presented the award. Dr. Croteau has taught history at the college level and has been a regional coordinator of Missouri History Day activities for 10 years.
Inaugurated in 2004, the History Teacher of the Year Award is designed to promote and celebrate the teaching of American history in classrooms across the United States. It honors one exceptional K-12 teacher of American history from each state and U.S. territory. Only K-6 teachers were eligible for nomination this year. Nominees for the History Teacher of the Year Award must meet several criteria:
- Have at least three years of classroom experience in teaching American history.
- Have a strong commitment to teaching American history, including local and state history.
- Show creativity in addressing literacy and content beyond state standards.
- Give close attention to primary documents, artifacts, historic sites and other primary materials of history, including oral history.
- Show evidence of thoughtful assessment of student achievement.
Preserve America is a White House initiative that encourages greater shared knowledge about the nation’s past and increased local participation in preserving the country’s cultural and natural heritage.
For more information, contact Bill Gerling, social studies consultant for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.