News Release

September 22, 2021

LINCOLN LUTHERAN TEACHER NAMED 2021 NEBRASKA HISTORY TEACHER OF THE YEAR

Photos are also available using the following link. 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16WFDzHPR4g-VCx6kj5GFaN7IvSoXCn_t?usp=sharing

Nathan Bassett, a teacher at Lincoln Lutheran Middle and High School was recently named the 2021 State History Teacher of the Year, an award sponsored by The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

In 2021, parents, students, teachers, and administrators nationwide nominated a record 8,510 teachers for the History Teacher of the Year Award. In that very competitive field, Nathan Bassett rose to the top in Nebraska.

The History Teacher of the Year Award highlights the crucial importance of history education by honoring exceptional American history teachers from elementary through high school. The award honors one exceptional K-12 teacher from each state, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense schools, and U.S. territories.

As a classroom educator, Bassett is driven by a desire to instill in his students historical thinking skills like inquiry, research, multiple perspectives, and synthesis to create and tell the stories they have found. Bassett requires each of his students to dive deeper into the nation’s past to find understanding and knowledge through accurate and reliable sources from differing perspectives, to corroborate and evaluate a source. Mr. Bassett believes that knowing and understanding one’s own history is critical.

Bassett will receive a $1,000 award and Lincoln Lutheran will become a Gilder Lehrman Affiliate School, receiving history books and educational materials from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Bassett will also be a finalist for the $10,000 National History Teacher of the Year Award.

 

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David Jespersen
Public Information Officer, Nebraska Department of Education
402-471-4537
david.jespersen@nebraska.gov
@NDE_News