Finley Teacher Brings History to Life
As a new school year approaches, Esmeralda Tello is gaining quite a reputation in her field. The J. Taylor Finley Middle School seventh grade social studies teacher was one of 20 educators selected last year to receive national recognition from the Zinn Education Project for her exemplary teaching of history. Since then she's gained an even firmer footing in the world of cutting edge classroom education.
The Zinn Education Project awarded Ms. Tello 25 copies of A People's History of the United States, a best-selling popular narrative written by historian Howard Zinn. Ms. Tello used the books this past school year to change the way her students view the world and their place in it.
"Esmeralda Tello's professionalism is representative of what the Huntington educational community strives for as best practice, particularly when it comes to teaching effective citizenship," said Joseph Leavy, Huntington's chairperson of humanities. "Her work on the Zinn Project, recognized nationally, is a perfect example of this professionalism insofar as she prioritized her instruction to guide students to think critically about their study of history, and question even a standard textbook's account of the winners and losers."
Amid national and state debates about U.S. history standards, Ms. Tello finds that the key to inspiring her students is to emphasize the stories to which they can relate - stories and perspectives that are often omitted from traditional textbooks. "The real champions of history are teachers like Ms. Tello, who think outside of the box to inspire youth interest in history and civic engagement," said Amber Massey of the Zinn Education Project.
"I started teaching A People's History in January 2010," Ms. Tello said. "I began teaching alternative history with it to supplement our class textbook because it offers varied primary sources that give voice to all sides of an argument."
Ms. Tello was one of nearly 100 history teachers to enter an essay contest sponsored by the Zinn Education Project, which is based in Washington, DC. Teachers were asked to describe how they taught 'a people's history' – a history that includes the diverse perspectives of working people, women, people of color and organized movements for social change. Ms. Tello's essay was chosen as one of the best.
The Finley teacher used the class set of 25 books, along with role-playing activities available on the Project's website, www.zinnedproject.org, to bring history to life for her students.
"It was as if a veil of fog had been lifted from their eyes," Ms. Tello said. "At the young age of twelve, my students learned that there is more to the history of any nation than what they are taught through textbooks in school. My reward was seeing my students engaged in their own learning."