Photo by Erin Nelson.
Amber Broadhead, a fourth grade teacher at Edgewood Elementary, reads the book “More Than Anything Else” by Marie Badby. Broadhead was named Alabama’s History Teacher of the Year.
History isn’t always pretty, but knowing history and how it relates to you is an important part of life, Edgewood Elementary teacher Amber Broadhead said.
Broadhead, who is in her third year at Edgewood and 14th year of teaching overall, recently was named the Alabama History Teacher of the Year.
As Alabama’s winner, she’ll now compete against 52 other teachers for the National History Teacher of the Year award, given each year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
The organization each year honors one K-12 teacher from each state, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense schools and U.S. territories. Ten semifinalists for the national award usually are named in September, and the winner is to be recognized in a ceremony in New York City in October.
Emily Blackstock, a gifted specialist who teaches enrichment classes for Homewood elementary schools and who nominated Broadhead for the state award, said Broadhead has a special way of making history come alive for students.
“She has this passion for Alabama history like no one else I’ve ever met, and she really loves to bring it into the classroom for kids,” Blackstock said.
Each year, Broadhead leads two to three “Alabama Days,” bringing a variety of speakers to Edgewood Elementary to talk to all the fourth graders about various aspects of Alabama history, including its archaeology, wildlife and forests. The students get to see and learn things about their home state they might not otherwise encounter, Blackstock said.
With so much emphasis placed on reading and math in elementary schools these days, social studies sometimes don’t get as much attention, but “she doesn’t let it slide,” Blackstock said. “She really emphasizes the importance of learning about people and geography and appreciating our state.”
And Broadhead doesn’t always emphasize the same thing each year. As she comes across additional resources, she brings new things for students to see each year, Blackstock said.
As a fourth grade teacher, Broadhead teaches multiple subjects, from reading, writing and language to math, science and history, but she developed a special passion for history while teaching at Thompson Intermediate School in Alabaster, she said.
She spent her first two years as a teacher at Montevallo Elementary School, then nine years at Thompson Intermediate School in Alabaster before coming to Edgewood.
For the past seven years, she has served as a master teacher for the Alabama History Institutes, a summer professional development workshop put on by the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Each June, she demonstrates to other teachers how they can make history come alive. This past summer, she focused on Alabama’s agricultural history. Other years, she focused on things such as civil rights, coal mining, the Civilian Conservation Corps or Alabama’s Native Americans.
Broadhead said she has developed a strong appreciation for her home state and its history. “Alabama really has it all,” she said.
Geology shows that part of the state was underwater during prehistoric times, and Alabama is one of the most diverse places in the United States in terms of its geology and animals that live here, she said. “We have a lot to offer people when they come to visit.”
While history can sometimes be tough, Broadhead said she emphasizes to children that it’s a story and that they are part of that story. She likes to help children dig deeper into their family’s past to understand their personal stories, encouraging them to interview family members.
Today’s students often find it interesting to realize their parents lived through the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States and their grandparents experienced the Vietnam War era, she said.
Broadhead said she also strives to build relationships with her students, understanding that she may spend more time with her students during the week than their parents do.
“Relationships are my No. 1 goal before any instruction takes place,” she said. “They want to know that they are loved and taken care of.”
Broadhead is married to Homewood’s deputy fire chief, Brandon Broadhead. They have three daughters, ages 15, 7 and 4. They currently live in Calera, but Broadhead said they hope to move to Homewood soon. Two children currently attend Homewood schools, and next year, all three will, she said.
