Los Banos elementary school teacher named National History Teacher of the Year

Los Banos has long felt fortunate to have Sergio de Alba as a teacher in town.

Now the city — as well as de Alba and Miano Elementary School (where he teaches)— has received widespread recognition since he was recently named the 2020 National History Teacher of the Year.

The most impressive word in this award is “national.” De alba is not just the county’s, not just the state’s, but the country’s history teacher of the year. The award is given annually by The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, which has been honoring history teachers in the United States for more than a quarter-century.

Among the thousands of history teachers in the United States in elementary, middle and high schools, one of Los Banos’s own was selected the best, Sergio de Alba, who teaches sixth graders at Miano.

What may be even more impressive is that history is not the only subject he teaches but other social studies subjects and science, too. Most of the 50 teachers named 2020 state history teachers of the year, as shown on the Gilder Lehrman web site, teach only history, and most are high school teachers.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute website (www.gilderlehrman.org) has a great deal of information about de Alba, including a short video of him describing his background, school, home town and teaching style. In the video he pays homage to his immigrant parents, the Central Valley and the agriculture which makes it successful.

The website also presents in text a detailed description of its teacher of the year: “Sergio de Alba teaches at R. M. Miano Elementary School in Los Banos, California. He is a National Geographic Certified Teacher, a National Council for the Social Studies Elementary Teacher of the Year and a 2021 Grosvenor Teacher Research Fellow in Antarctica.

“He created,” the web site notes, “the award-winning Family Farm Citrus Project in which students partake in a series of agriculture-based lessons and get to know the requirements of successful agricultural businesses.

“He developed,” the website adds, “and continues to supervise an annual Family Astronomy Night; facilitated a yearlong, award-winning, inquiry-based Patriotic Jeopardy competition; and ran a program for self-contained elementary classes that motivated and inspired English language learners.

“Since 2001,” the website notes, “he has received over 115 awards, grants, and donations, adding up to over $580,000, for programs designed to enrich and enhance his students’ education.”

The Gilder Lehrman Institute reported that on October 7, 2020, it had a celebration for de Alba as well as for “teachers everywhere—the lifeblood of the educational system and true heroes during this unprecedented year.” In that celebration Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator and lead actor in the popular musical “Hamilton,” presented de Alba with the 2020 National History Teacher of the Year award.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is, as its website states, “the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to K–12 history education while also serving the general public. Its mission is to promote the knowledge and understanding of American history through educational programs and resources.”

The website also presents in text an interview by an institute representative, in which de Alba talks about his background and his view of teaching. The quotations below are from that interview.

In his teaching de Alba said he tries to “create innovative, engaging, and thought-provoking lessons. This is, in fact, the reason for a focus on hands-on opportunities.” As he describes it, his teaching style is “based on hands-on inquiry study while integrating multiple subjects with each lesson. I know that my greatest joys to teach are social studies and science. This understanding is the foundation of my style.”

Above all, de Alba loves to teach. As he puts it, he has a “personal enthusiasm” in sharing information and ideas with his students and seeing them successfully learn. “When students see that you are passionate about the lesson,” de Alba said, “they tend to achieve more and become excited to also share this love for learning.”

De Alba has great appreciation for the agriculture that is in many ways the heart of Los Banos. As he said in his interview, “Los Banos, California, is a small rural farming community. My garden program is inspired by this fact and I have created lessons revolving around the importance of agriculture to the successes of our town, state, and nation.

“I appreciate the history that revolves around this industry,” de Alba added, “because it represents our community well. Hard-working, dedicated to making a difference, and always taking the time to enjoy the simple joys of life.

“I am overwhelmed with honor,” de Alba said, “in how our community has shared so many kind words and thoughts regarding this award.

“The constant positive emails and comments from co-workers and community members,” he said, “are a perfect example of what this town is all about. I am also proud that this award shines a light on what our district has to offer.

“We have great teachers in our district that go above and beyond what is required,” he added. “This recognition is a testament to the work that is completed in the Los Banos Unified School District.”