Nancy Schick
New Mexico Teacher of the Year
Los Alamos High School, Los Alamos, NM
Grade Ten through Twelve, AP US History, AP European History

My teaching philosophy
I want my students to leave my class each day feeling that my class is very difficult yet lots of fun. I feel that history teaching requires attention to content but that the content only makes sense in the context of the "big questions" historians ask. I also believe that teachers must work far beyond our contractual obligations and need to learn about our students' lives beyond the classroom.

My philosophy in action
I do not regularly lecture but expect that students must be put on the spot and required to articulate and respond to the ideas, the questions, the dilemmas that humankind has faced throughout its history. My students are required to write often and to interpret primary sources regularly. I inject my own energy into my teaching and expect my students to respond enthusiastically. Silence is not golden in my classroom.

My greatest teaching accomplishment
I have been recognized 4 times as a Presidential Scholar Distinguished Teacher for being the most significant educator in the lives of four of my students who have been named Presidential Scholars. I have been recognized over 25 times as the most important teacher to my students who have been named Rotary Student of the Month.

The most critical issues facing educators today
We have to teach more material in a more meaningful way with fewer resources.

Ways to resolve this issue
We must train and recruit great teachers. The public must be willing to pay more for education. We need leaders in Washington who truly support and understand public education.

One thought to inspire teachers to succeed
Need to be refreshed? Spend your summers participating in career-changing programs like those offered by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Fulbright-Hays programs.

One lesson every student should learn
Learning to write thoughtfully and coherently is very difficult work but the most important skill you can develop in high school.

Back to the 2005 Teacher Profiles home page