A history teacher from Monticello High School is nominated for a national teaching award because of the extra effort she puts into helping her students compete at National History Day.
“Monticello being a rural school to have such an experienced history teacher with so much knowledge is so essential to our kids’ success,” said Josh Keyes, an English and history teacher at Monticello High School.
He and Lynda Boyle, a history teacher, help Monticello students compete at National History Day each year. This research competition allows students to research a historical topic of their choice and compete at a local level. The finalists compete nationally.
Boyle is nominated for the Harris History Teacher of the Year Award. This national award is given to teachers who participate in National History Day.
“Lynda’s passion for history sets her apart from the other teachers that I’ve worked with,” Keyes said. “It doesn’t matter what the topic is, Lynda aggressively attacks each area of her content.”
“I don’t know that I have this big bag of tricks, some teachers are better at that sort of thing than I am,” Boyle said. “But I think what I do have is passion. I really feel passionate about history.”
Boyle has been teaching for eight years. She said in addition to her passion for history, she has a passion for working with kids.
“They can be frustrating,” Boyle said. “It can try you, try your patience. But in the end, they’re just kids. And if I can be a source of helping them discover more about themselves, that’s a great feeling.”
National History Day requires a significant amount of extra work from Boyle. But she said the experience it gives her students is worth it.
“There’s a lot of things they’re not going to remember from the classroom,” Boyle said. “But I promise they will remember, I know they will remember, their history day project because they spend so much time with that project.”
