[quote]By Drew Danko
Photo by Alexis Rizzi[/quote]

What is the award you were given?

It was the Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction Award, and it was from the National Society of High School Scholars. Sally Hakim, who is currently a junior that I had for two years in AP Human Geography and AP European History, nominated me for the award.

What is your favorite part of being a teacher?

Interactions with students and making the content fun and interesting. I try to make history alive and have the kids enjoy the class everyday.

What does it mean to you having won this award?

It means a lot. I don’t teach to get recognized, that’s not why I became a teacher or even thought about being a teacher. But, when someone nominates me for something, they clearly thought I did something for them, and it’s nice to get recognized once in awhile. It’s great to be recognized, but that’s not why I do it.

Why do you think it’s important for teachers to be recognized for successes?

It gives validity to all the hard work that they do. Again, I don’t even want to say that this was something I should even earn. I have a great social studies department, and I have great teachers I work with. Whether it’s Sue Fuhrer, Aaron Lewis, Don Pankuch, Matt Main, and Ruben Rodriguez, who all help me be a great teacher in AP Human or AP Euro, they should receive as much credit as I did. When a teacher gets recognized, I think the whole department should get recognized because of all the supports they provide for that teacher.

What is one quality you try to instill in students in the classroom?

I strive to get kids to critically think, to get them to find a correlation with the content and their everyday life. I strive for kids to have fun, be engaged, and find meaning with the content.