Longtime Sycamore teacher, Linda Mihm, who teaches history to middle school students, has been nominated for the Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year award! Each of the 58 National History Day affiliates may nominate one middle school teacher for this award, and Ms. Mihm is the junior division nominee from Indiana. Every nominee for the $10,000 national award is a teacher who demonstrates a commitment to engaging students in historical learning through innovative use of primary sources, implementation of active learning strategies to foster historical thinking skills, and participation in the National History Day Contest. All nominees will receive $500, each, as a result of their nominations.
“Teachers are among the greatest resources children have to develop the skills necessary to become critical thinkers,” said National History Day Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. “The nominees have shown a dedication to teaching that goes beyond the classroom. I congratulate Ms. Mihm on her well-deserved nomination.”
This award is in recognition of the pivotal role teachers play in the lives of students. The national winner will be selected by a committee of experienced teachers and historians, and scheduled to be announced on June 18, 2020, at the National History Day National Contest Awards Ceremony held at the University of Maryland, College Park.
About National History Day (NHD):
NHD is a non-profit organization based in College Park, Maryland, which seeks to improve the teaching and learning of history. The National History Day Contest was established in 1974 and currently engages more than half a million students every year in conducting original research on historical topics of interest. Students present their research as a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website. Projects compete first at the local and affiliate levels, where the top entries are invited to the National Contest at the University of Maryland at College Park. NHD is sponsored in part by, HISTORY®, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Park Service, Southwest Airlines, the Crown Family Foundation, The Better Angels Society, and the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation. For more information, visit nhd.org.
About the Indiana Historical Society (IHS):
The Indiana Historical Society collects and preserves Indiana’s unique stories; brings Hoosiers together in remembering and sharing the past; and inspires a future grounded in our state’s uniting values and principles. IHS is a Smithsonian Affiliate and a member of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience.