Adda Santos, a longtime teacher at Somerville High School and a member of the Somerville Educators Union, recently was named Massachusetts History Teacher of the Year by the nonprofit Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
Santos has taught U.S. history since 1998. She teaches classes including AP U.S. History and African American History Through Film, which she adapted from a college course.
The teaching of history throughout her career has evolved to include more materials that students can access — and more inclusivity, she said.
"History is not about famous people — it’s about all of us," she said. "When they start to see that there is more talk about people like them — people from all walks of life who have done little things that became great and made a lot of change — it becomes very empowering to them."
Santos emigrated from Brazil at 19 and learned English as a second language while she was attending Northeastern University. She fell in love with teaching after working as a volunteer in college to teach a U.S. citizenship class.
"I did it and realized I could do it," she said. "That’s how it all started."
The Gilder Lehrman Institute’s awards are meant to recognize outstanding K-12 history teachers in each state. American history can be taught as a standalone class or as part of other subjects, including social studies and language arts, according to the institute’s website.
More than 6,000 educators were nominated. Educators were evaluated based on criteria such as a demonstrated commitment to teaching American history, including state and local history; evidence of creativity and imagination in the classroom; and effective use of documents, artifacts, historical sites, oral histories and other primary sources that engage students.
In September, the institute selected Hawaii teacher Misha Matsumoto Yee as 2022 National History Teacher of the Year.
