09/24/2008
enlarge
Staff photo by Andy MolloyDionne-Morang, a U.S. history and language arts teacher at Gardiner Regional Middle School, will receive $1,000 and be vying for the national history award this fall.
The middle school's library also will receive a series of history books and materials from the institute.
"She is a veteran teacher who is always looking for new ways to educate herself in order to give her students the richest, most fulfilling classroom experience possible," said Carolin Collins, director of education for the Maine Historical Society and Maine coordinator for the award.
She said Dionne-Morang's success as a middle school teacher with 38 years of classroom experience comes from a combination of love of learning and her understanding of and affection for her students.
Dionne-Morang said teenagers are a curious lot, eager to accept responsibility but quick to judge anyone who does not measure up to their expectations.
"Earning their trust is the most precious gift," Dionne-Morang said. "My responsibility is to find successful strategies which accommodate their various learning styles and support them in all academic endeavors."
Those teaching strategies have earned Dionne-Morang the respect of Charles Calhoun, scholar-in-residence for the Maine Humanities Council.
Dionne-Morang said she was "floored" when she found out that someone as notable as Calhoun had nominated her for the award.
She said he was directly involved in a grant-funded project she worked on with other teachers in the district.
"There are many good American history teachers in Maine, as I know from 15 years of professional development programming," Calhoun said. "But Diana is among the handful of the truly great."
Todd Sanders, Gardiner middle school principal, said he thought it was wonderful she received the award.
"It's an upstanding honor and great recognition for a person who has been a professional educator for 38 years," Sanders said. "It's good to see one of our own teachers recognized for positive things going on in the classroom."
Now in its fifth year, 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.
This year, only middle and high school teachers were eligible.
The selection of the state winner is based upon several criteria including: at least three years of classroom experience in teaching American history; a deep career commitment to teaching American history; and evidence of creativity and imagination in the classroom that address literacy and content beyond state standards.
Founded in 1994, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History promotes the study and love of American history.
The institute maintains two Web sites, www.gilderlehrman.org and the quarterly online journal www.historynow.org.
Mechele Cooper -- 623-3811, Ext. 408
mcooper@centralmaine.com
Reader comments
Click here to view or add reader comments