March 28, 2024

Rick Taylor of Rehoboth Named 2018 Rhode Island History Teacher of the Year

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Providence RI—Rehoboth resident Rick Taylor, a teacher at Nathan Bishop Middle School in Providence, has been named the 2018 Rhode Island History Teacher of the Year, an award presented annually by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to K-12 American history education.

Inaugurated in 2004, the History Teacher of the Year Award highlights the crucial importance of history education by honoring exceptional American history teachers from elementary school through high school. The award honors one K-12 teacher from each state, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense schools and US Territories. In fall 2018, the National History Teacher of the Year will be selected from the pool of state winners.

In 1988, Rick Taylor received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Rhode island College. After serving as a Commissioned Offer in the Army, he completed a master’s degree in History, in 1994 from Rhode Island College. Taylor’s passion for history and civics have been a hallmark of his classroom, and his students have reaped the benefits. He creates a multi-dimensional classroom that is both rigorous and differentiated. He emphasizes a non-partisan approach to civics education and a firm belief that an understanding of the original documents and an innate understanding of our Constitution are critical for the next generation of citizens, if we are to recapture the essence of cooperation and civil discourse in our fractured society.

Taylor said, “When my students leave my classroom, I want them to be the next leaders, not the next followers. Having a firm understanding of our nation’s governance and past, level the playing field and insure equity for the students of Providence, as contributing citizens to the fabric of our nation.”

In addition to a $1,000 honorarium and an award ceremony in Rhode Island, Rick Taylor’s school library will receive a core archive of American history books and Gilder Lehrman educational materials. Rick Taylor will also receive an invitation to a 2019 Gilder Lehrman Teacher Seminar, a weeklong program that offers teachers daily discussions with eminent historians, visits to historic sites and hands-on work with primary sources.

The National History Teacher of the Year award will be presented by Professor Edward Ayers at a ceremony in New York City on October 10, 2018. Past presenters at the ceremony include the Honorable Sandra Day O’Connor, Good Morning America's Robin Roberts, First Lady Laura Bush, former US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Nominations for the 2019 History Teacher of the Year awards are now open. Students, parents, colleagues, and supervisors may nominate K-12 teachers for the award by visiting gilderlehrman.org/nhtoy. The deadline for 2019 nominations is March 30, 2019.

About the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Founded in 1994 by philanthropists Richard Gilder and Lewis E. Lehrman, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is the nation’s leading organization dedicated to K-12 American history education. The Institute’s mission is to promote the knowledge and understanding of American history through educational programs and resources. Drawing on the 65,000 documents in the Gilder Lehrman Collection and an extensive network of eminent historians, the Institute provides teachers, students, and the general public with direct access to unique primary source materials. The Institute’s programs have been recognized by awards from the White House, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Organization of American Historians.

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