Lemhouse had previously won the award at the state level after being nominated by
the Yorkville Historical Society. That qualified him to move on to the national competition. Lemhouse is currently working on his application for District Teacher of the Year
for York School District One.
YORK, SOUTH CAROLINA A Winthrop University history graduate's living history lessons
helped earn him national recognition for his teaching.
The Daughters of Colonial Wars awarded Zach Lemhouse '12, '14, an eighth-grade social studies teacher at York Middle School, second place in its national-level Outstanding American History Teacher competition.
Lemhouse had previously won the award at the state level after being nominated by
the Yorkville Historical Society. He was recognized at a special luncheon in Columbia,
where he gave a presentation on his teaching strategies and techniques, many of which
he said he learned from his classes at Winthrop.
"I am truly blessed to be a Winthrop University alum," he said. "Without the training
and guidance I received in the Richard W. Riley College of Education, I never would have received these awards or have been named Teacher of the Year
for York Middle School."
One of the techniques that makes him truly stand out? The way he brings history to
life through "living history lessons."
"I dress as a Revolutionary War solider for my students once a year," Lemhouse explained.
"I show them the clothing and weapons of the time. I even shoot my musket for them.
I do a very similar lesson every December when I dress as a Civil War solider."
Other teaching strategies include using the Jigsaw method of teaching, which involves
students working together in groups and depending on each other; literacy strategies
to help students analyze primary and secondary source material; and think-write-pair-share,
in which students think about a topic or question and share the idea with classmates.
With his state prize money, Lemhouse purchased for his classroom a set of books entitled
"To Be A Slave," a compilation of firsthand accounts from slaves dating back to colonial
times. He hopes to use this set of books to lead his class in a book study next year.
He plans to continue bettering himself as a teacher.
"I'm always looking for professional development opportunities and new strategies
to use with my students," he said. "I was recently recognized as Teacher of the Year
for York Middle School, so I am also currently working on my application for District
Teacher of the Year for York School District One."
For more information, contact Nicole Chisari, communications coordinator, at 803/323-2236 or chisarin@winthrop.edu.
