8
Southern Studies Alum Chuck Yarborough Receives History Teacher Award
Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science history teacher Chuck Yarborough (SST MA ’95) has been selected as Mississippi’s winner of the Gilder Lehrman “Preserve American History Teacher of the Year” award. The award recognizes outstanding history teachers nationwide and emphasizes the crucial importance of American history education. The Gilder Lerhman Instititute, founded in 1994, annually selects a winner from each state. These winners become finalists for the National History Teacher of the Year Award to be awarded later this year.
“I don’t think anybody who teaches is in it to get recognition,” said Yarborough, who has taught at MSMS since 1995. “But, it sure is nice when somebody recognizes what we do, not only in the classroom, but outside of it as well. It’s quite an honor.”
MSMS and Millsaps College graduate Thomas Richardson credits his former teacher with motivating his students toward academic confidence. “He required an unapologetically high level of scholarly independence from his students,” said Richardson. “Mr. Yarborough kept the bar high, treated us as first-rate scholars and expected our work to reflect that. Through his methods, he’s helped produce some of the most strong-willed, independent, disciplined scholars this state can offer.”
Yarborough credits scholarly experiences at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi as inspiring many of his teaching methods. Since receiving his master’s in Southern Studies, Yarborough has been recognized as the Mississippi DAR Outstanding Teacher of American History and also placed second in the National DAR Outstanding Teacher of American History competition. This past spring, he received an “Unsung Heroes” award from the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors. The Lowndes County NAACP honored him in 2007 with the “Oasis of Freedom and Justice” award.
Chuck and his wife, Leigh, live in Columbus, Mississippi, with their three children, India, 11, Laurel, 9, and Sam, 7.
