Get to Know the 2017 History Teachers of the Year: Kevin Martell and Diane Walker

In 2017, the Gilder Lehrman Institute recognized 52 State History Teachers of the Year for their tireless and innovative efforts to make history come alive for their students.

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 a state winner every Tuesday and Thursday, so keep checking back to learn more about these outstanding educators!

This week, meet Kevin Martell and Diane Walker:

Kevin Martell, Brattleboro Union High School
2017 Vermont History Teacher of the Year

Do you have a favorite/funny memory from teaching?
My favorite memory from teaching was to be invited to attend a university awards night by a former student of mine who was graduated from the University of Vermont College of Engineering. When I first met this student in his 9th grade year, he had just transferred to my high school following a series of tragic events in his life. He failed the first semester of my class and was not really communicating to anyone. By the end of the year he was a champion student and went on to be successful in high school. Four years later at a college ceremony he gave me a plaque commemorating the change I made in his life. I hold this memory in reserve and use it each day when teaching gets tough or I meet another youngster who is struggling. It reminds me that my efforts, no matter how small, matter.

State one fun historical fact about the town you live in or grew up in.
St. Albans, the small city in Vermont I grew up in, had the northernmost land action during the American Civil War. On October 19, 1864, a band of Confederate raiders came from across the Canadian border and robbed the local bank, shot one civilian, and almost made a clean getaway. . . .

What is the last great history book you read?
I just finished Revolutionary Characters: What Made the Founders Different by Gordon S. Wood. I loved it!

What is your favorite historical site or museum?
My favorite historical site or museum has three candidates and all rest on equal footing for me. The Gettysburg National Military Park is an immediate and obvious choice as a favorite, but close behind are Fort Ticonderoga in New York and the Shelburne Museum in Vermont.

What advice would you give to young people, in high school or college, who may be considering a career in education but are unsure?
The best reason to become a teacher is the daily, and I do mean daily, rewards that come with working with our youth. They will amaze you, make you laugh, make you cry, frustrate you, care about you, and enrich your soul and spirit. Teaching is the giving profession that pays dividends in human kindness and compassion on both sides of the coin.

If you could travel back in time and meet any historical figure, who would it be and why?
If I could travel back in time to meet any historical figure it would have to be Abe Lincoln. His brilliance and dedication to principles of US democracy guided our nation in its greatest moment of struggle. I would have so many questions to ask.

Who is your favorite historian?
I have been blessed with the ability to meet so many amazing historians and have read so many amazing books about history, but with all of that said, I am most enamored with Allen Guelzo from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania. I have read most of his books and have been fortunate enough to attend a weeklong Gilder Lehrman seminar with him at Gettysburg. He is a fantastic lecturer and has a wealth of knowledge with a willingness to share it with all who are interested.

What is your favorite historical film or series?
Ken Burns’s The Civil War.

Do you have a favorite historical topic or era?
I am currently incredibly interested in the early formation of the United States government and the birth of the US Constitution.

Do your students have a favorite historical topic or era?
My students tend to gravitate towards any period as long as it connects to the modern world, which all of history does if you think about it.

Diane Walker, Muskogee High School
2017 Oklahoma History Teacher of the Year

State one fun historical fact about the town you live in or grew up in.
I have lived in Muskogee, Oklahoma, for the past 17 years, so I now consider myself an &ldquot;Okie from Muskogee.&rdquot; One famous fact about my town is that it is the namesake of a famous song written by Merle Haggard. We also have a strong local history, as Alice Robertson, the second woman to serve in Congress after Jeanette Rankin, was from Muskogee. Muskogee was also in the top five towns be to in the running to be the Oklahoma state capital. The first governor of the state of Oklahoma lived in Muskogee and came here before statehood. We are also home to Xernona Clayton, who was Dr. Martin Luther King’s social secretary.

What is your favorite historical site or museum?
I don’t know that I can narrow down to one: The Three Rivers Museum is a museum I enjoy locally, but I also try to visit as many sites as I can during the summer. This summer I was blessed enough to see the Cahokia Mounds in Illinois as well as Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty in New York. Probably all of the Smithsonians and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC would also rate high on the list. As a lover of all history, I don’t know if I can pick a favorite.

Who is your favorite historian?
Arthur Schlesinger Jr. would be my favorite historian at the moment as I look on the time period of the ’50&endash;’60s as a time of hopeful change in our country, and I hope that we will learn from our past so mistakes won’t be repeated. (I know this is a cliche, but it is true for me.)

What advice would you give to young people, in high school or college, who may be considering a career in education but are unsure?
If I met someone who was looking at being a teacher and was unsure, the only question I have is, Do you have a calling to make a difference in the world? I believe that as a teacher I touch the future, one student at a time. What more could anyone ask for than to make a difference on the planet, and I believe that teachers do that. Throughout time great leaders have been teachers, from Buddha, Jesus, or Aristotle, even ones we don't think about, like Anne Sullivan or Laura Ingalls Wilder. We are the stone in the pond that causes the ripple effect--our legacy outlives us and not many people can say that about their careers.

If you could travel back in time and meet any historical figure, who would it be and why?
The historical figure I would like to meet would probably be someone like Susan B Anthony, Jane Austen, or even Quannah Parker, as they persisted and died before they became ‘famous’ or got to see the fruition of their works. I think tenacity is something that should be celebrated as sometimes as teachers we plant the seeds, but don’t get to see the flower bloom.