Get to Know the 2017 History Teachers of the Year: Kevin Dua, Massachusetts
Posted by Anna Khomina on Thursday, 07/27/2017
This year, Gilder Lehrman recognized 52 State History Teachers of the Year for their tireless and innovative efforts to make history come alive for their students. These exceptional educators were awarded $1,000 and an archive of books and resources for their school library, and were honored in state ceremonies.
But who are they, really? We asked these talented teachers to answer a few questions about themselves and to reflect on the challenges and joys of teaching. We will feature one state winner every Tuesday and Thursday between now and September, so keep checking back to learn more about these outstanding educators!
This week, meet Kevin Dua:
Kevin Dua, Somerville High School Teacher and 2017 Massachusetts State History Teacher of the Year
Do you have a favorite/funny memory from teaching?
"Were you ever a slave?" still remains the most momentous question in my nine years in teaching. A student, as genuine as possible, literally asked me this question during class, stunning the other students. The moment highlighted the responsibility of my position, as a black male teacher, both professionally and personally. (I responded calmly by explaining that the 13th Amendment made it impossible for that question to apply to me in 2012).
The instance also became a growing experience. Back then, I generally took the teacher route to safely reply to such challenging inquiries, as opposed to the educator route, critically delving into the packed layers with my students. Moving forward, I have consciously made it a goal to create, encourage, and expand on such learning opportunities, thus never sidestepping again—for my students and for me.
State one fun historical fact about the town you grew up in.
Aside from it being the location in which General Robert E. Lee commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during the American Civil War—my hometown of Alexandria, Virginia, is famously dubbed Home of the Titans, in honor of the T.C. Williams High School Titans football team. The story of this school and its desegregated football team (which won the state championship in 1971) was made into the 2000 Disney sports film, Remember the Titans, starring Denzel Washington.
What was the last great history book you read?
A friend and fellow teacher gave me Charleston Syllabus: Readings on Race, Racism, and Racial Violence (edited by Chad Williams, Kidada E. Williams, and Keisha N. Blain) as a gift. Described as "a collection of new essays and columns published in the wake of the massacre, along with selected excerpts from key existing scholarly books and general-interest articles," this is a potent read for any teacher, historian, or other reader to experience.
What is your favorite historical site or museum?
The new National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, is unquestionably the greatest historical landmark I have ever visited. The depth of world history that has been compacted in one building is overwhelmingly beautiful. The museum’s founders and contributors were thorough in ensuring that the multi-narrative of African-Americans’ agency was powerfully celebrated via various artistic media. To see during my visit many adults encouraging children to take notes and to ask questions—it showed this conscious effort by attendees to ensure full immersion in this history, for all ages.
If you could travel back in time and meet any historical figure, whom would it be and why?
I would meet all 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. And once we have all tolerated the bewilderment of time travel, I would inform them that I wanted to meet all of them to simply encourage them to continue compromising until they agreed to amend the "all men are created equal" to "all humans are created equal" (or "all men and women are created equal") . . . and to abolish slavery before declaring independence to form a new nation. And if I were to meet them after the signing, I would ask them to convene again to make the necessary changes to ensure human rights.
Who is your favorite historian?
Historian Carter G. Woodson is one that I have come to highly value in recent years. His founding of "Negro History Week" (the precursor to Black History Month in February) has been significantly misunderstood. (He wanted the celebration to specifically correspond with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.) More importantly, his work via the Journal of Negro History and advocating teaching youth diverse narratives has positively impacted today’s schools.
What is your favorite historical film or series?
It would have to be 12 Years a Slave, a film that I have incorporated into my freshmen history class for the past five years along with an in-depth guide. My students have been truly mesmerized and I have enjoyed discovering a new aspect of a film I have seen 100+ times. For example, the rowhouse located at 1315 Duke Street (in my hometown of Alexandria, Virginia) was once part of a slave trade complex that grew to be among the nation’s largest. The last trader to operate on the site, James H. Birch, was the same dealer who paid men to kidnap Solomon Northup and then sold him into slavery. But a close second would be the musical 1776. A few months ago, my wife introduced (and heavily encouraged) me to watch this film. Since then, I have become an admirer.
Do you have a favorite historical topic or era?
The discovery of Jane in colonial Jamestown, Virginia; her story is the hook that starts my history classes each academic year. Aside from the grotesque recorded descriptions of cannibalism that my classes dig through, the fascination behind the meaning of the discovery is what remains captivating for me.
For me, and this is how I present it to my students, Jane represents a moment of truth, a tone setter, for a future nation. The poor planning, struggles, deaths, and resort to cannibalism—it all humbled a community on the brink of extinction. This community knew that, if they were able to survive such obstacles, they would need to embrace a new mindset to move forward, never weakening itself again. Jane was an indication that anything less than prosperity (by any means) as a people would be a failure. Also, Jamestown is in my home state of Virginia, so by default, it is a favorite topic of mine.
Do your students have a favorite historical topic or era?
The early women’s rights movement, starting with the Lowell mill factories protests. Due to budgeting, I have yet to fund a field trip to the Lowell mill factories (conveniently in the same state I work in). However, each year, to further my students’ understanding of this feminist movement, we simulate a factory shop inside my classroom. With desks set up as an assembly line, the students enter my classroom, sign a work contract (an actual primary source from a mill factory company from the 1820s), and begin to create "shirts" (drawing and cutting shirts), under my direction, as the owner.