The National History Day Foundation (NHD) announced that 48 teachers were selected nationwide to participate in NHD’s Fall 2023 Professional Development Program. Among those chosen was Christopher Drexel, a 7th and 8th-grade social studies teacher at Elmer A. Henderson: A Johns Hopkins Partnership School. Christopher holds a judge position this year, scoring contestants by using online Library of Congress resources to develop and support historical arguments.
We had the opportunity to chat with Christopher to learn more about his journey in City Schools, his contributions to the NHD program, and his unique perspective on his role.
1. How were you chosen for the National History Day Professional Development Program, and how do you feel about being selected to participate?
There was an open application through the National History Day website. I explained why I wished to participate in the program and described how it would benefit my students. Based on my written responses, I was granted the scholarship to attend the program. I was pretty excited when I was selected to participate because I knew how valuable it would be for my students.
2. Can you share some of the specific goals or expectations you have for your role in the program? How do you think your participation in the program will benefit your students and your teaching approach?
I recently transferred to Henderson Hopkins, which was looking to build an NHD program from the ground up. I already had some experience with NHD from my previous school, KIPP Harmony Academy. I was excited about the opportunity to lead the charge at Hopkins. When I saw this development opportunity with the program, I jumped at it. I saw it as an opportunity to hone my historical argumentation skills and transfer them to my new students. My students have a drive and determination for higher levels of academics, and this program will help me give them more tools to use in writing for history.
3. What aspects of history education are you most excited to explore or enhance through this program? Are there particular areas of history or historical teaching methods that you're hoping to focus on during the program?
Many students struggle with moving their writing from report style to arguments. It is important that students find their voice and passion when writing about history. When they learn to make arguments about history, they can better see their part in history. I am excited to work closer with the resources the Library of Congress has so I can share my findings with my students.
4. What are you looking forward to the most in terms of collaborating with other educators and experts in the field during the program?
I am in the middle of the program now. It has been beneficial to see how educators across the country approach historical argumentation and the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches in different contexts. These interactions have better prepared me to anticipate common misconceptions my students will have about writing for history and have given me opportunities to provide and improve the feedback I give to my peers.
5. How do you plan to integrate the knowledge and insights gained from the program into your classroom at Elmer A. Henderson: A Johns Hopkins Partnership School?
Most of my curriculum focuses on writing skills within history. I have always enjoyed the storytelling and argument writing aspects the most when working with history. The program is tailored to crafting narratives and making arguments. It has helped me create frameworks, using graphic organizers that help better guide how my students interpret and use sources and develop their opinions on history.
6. What do you think will be the most significant challenges or opportunities you'll encounter as part of the program?
I aim to have NHD running in full swing at Henderson Hopkins by next school year. Most other teachers in this program actively participate in NHD, but I will only participate as a volunteer judge for the contest. While other teachers are applying what they have learned directly to helping students with NHD, I will integrate what I have learned directly into my everyday curriculum, which is challenging to adapt sometimes. Next school year will be the real test of what I have learned throughout the program when we successfully bring NHD to Henderson Hopkins.
7. What advice would you give to other educators who aspire to participate in similar professional development opportunities in the future?
Look for and become involved in as many networking opportunities as possible. Being part of a community of educators is the best way to get information and to grow. Sometimes, I feel like I stumble into professional development opportunities when having a network of friends and colleagues who share these types of opportunities with me is easier. The more of us connected through multiple platforms, the more we can all share these types of opportunities. Also, never count yourself out. You have everything to gain by taking a shot and applying for these opportunities.