Not the Average History Classroom: An Inside Lookinto Mrs. Kutilek’s Classroom

THE AWARD!

“I feel incredibly honored to receive this award, as I know how prestigious this

program is”- Word from Gina Kutilek

It’s official! Gina Kutilek, a Social studies & American Sign Language Teacher at

Xavier High School has been named as Iowa’s History Teacher of the Year by

Gilder Lehrman institute of American History. She was named on Sunday, August

16th and directly received a $1,000 advance for this award. Kutilek currently

teaches at Xavier High School located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa specializing in

American History and American Sign Language I & II studies. As Iowa’s winner,

she will be considered for the National History Teacher of the Year Award, with the

winner collecting an honor of $10,000.

“I used to think history wasn’t really fun, but Mrs. Kutilek has

made it fun!”- Word from Aubri Valenta (XHS 28)

As Mrs. Kutilek has been recognized as Iowa’s History Teacher of the Year, Junior

Aubri Valenta (XHS 28) has shared her piece on how she has been directly

impacted by the excellent instruction and opportunities Kutilek is able to offer to

her history students.

“I used to think that history wasn’t really fun, but Mrs. Kutilek has made it fun! There was

one time that we were learning about George Washington, and she put a wig on her head,

basically dressing up like him!”

These superb teaching strategies are what makes Mrs. Kutilek’s history classes

stand out against others. Valenta also shares how she felt as a student being

impacted positively by this award.

“It felt really good, knowing that I have an amazing history teacher, especially because I

struggle with history!”

This award for Kutilek means more than just recognition; it shows how just one

teacher can change students' whole outlook on a subject.

In Our Award Winning Teacher’s Words - Word from Mrs. Kutilek

As Valenta has shared how she was impacted by her history teacher winning this

award, Kutilek also shares her piece on how this has impacted her and her career.

“First off, I found out about it the week before I finished my Master's degree, so it was a great motivator to finish strong! I feel incredibly honored to receive this award, as I know how prestigious this program is. It is humbling to join a list of such incredible

educators-some of which I have worked with through my Master's program and

Fellowship. It was amazing to receive this award because sometimes as a teacher you feel like the to-do list never ends, but this award was a confirmation that I am good at what I do. It is always nice to be recognized for that.”

As Kutilek finishes her eleventh year teaching at Xavier High School, she also

reflects on how she got started in teaching and when she first fell in love with

history.

“I have always enjoyed history, but I went to college with a plan of becoming a school

counselor. During the summer before my freshman year of college, I watched a lot of the History Channel with shows like Pawn Stars and American Pickers. I distinctly recall an episode of Pawn Stars where I learned that a Civil War dagger was made by Tiffany and Co. and I thought that was really interesting. I fell in love with learning more about the past, and my friends told me that I explained content for their classes in a way that made sense. I served as a social studies tutor and supplemental instructor for an Introduction to American Government class for three years in college, and learned that I not only love history and political science, but that helping students understand it made me happy and was something that I was really good at. From there, it made sense to continue teaching it!”

Continuing On

As Kutilek continues her career in teaching, students at Xavier High School will

continue to be impacted positively in her classroom. Mrs. Kutilek is able to offer

excellent instruction and opportunities to her history students. Because of her

ability to be recognized for this award, she is able to elevate students' knowledge in

her classroom due to her excellence and expertise.