By REBECCA WALSH
Gregor Fountain admits he is easily excited so he laughs when he hears that one of his students has described him as "so energetic it's crazy."
"When I was at teachers' college one of my tutors said, 'Gregor, don't be upset if the students aren't as enthusiastic as you'."
Mr Fountain is one of 20 teachers who have just received regional National Excellence in Teaching Awards.
The history teacher's passion for his subject has clearly rubbed off on more than a few of the students at St Paul's Collegiate in Hamilton.
"Every lesson is a treat," one student said. "He makes the history he teaches come alive and he makes it so fun. The amount of extra work he does is immense."
Parents and students together nominated Mr Fountain - already at only 27 the head of St Paul's history department - and commented on his inspirational teaching and dedication to the job.
Whether it be building a replica Berlin Wall or organising a visit to the central North Island battle sites of Te Kooti, Mr Fountain believes interactive teaching and allowing students to "experience history where it happens" are the best approaches.
A strong believer that learning about New Zealand history gives students a sense of place and identity, he points to efforts by Prime Minister Helen Clark to develop a national identity by sponsoring trips to Gallipoli and abolishing knighthoods.
"But really, in a strange way what's happening in our history classrooms around the country is fighting her all the way ... Over 60 per cent [of students] still do Tudor and Stuart England rather than New Zealand history."
Mr Fountain says the recent fatal police shooting of Steve Wallace at Waitara focused people's attention on the issue of racism but not on the history of the area.
"You would think New Zealanders would be able to make the links back to what happened in the 1860s in Waitara - the [land] confiscation and the disputes that blew up at that time - but we can't really because we don't know enough about it."
Mr Fountain says one of the most satisfying parts of the job is "seeing the penny drop" on students' faces, or "little moments where parents tell you they have been talking about the treaty or the Tainui settlement on the way home ... as they drive back to their farm that's on confiscated land ... They are priceless moments."
A self-confessed extrovert, Mr Fountain says he was flattered by the award, presented in Wellington on Friday, but emphasises that teaching is a team game. "I have the up-front, loud, obvious abilities that are recognised ... A lot of other people in this sector have fantastic skills that are quieter, more in the background."
The National Excellence in Teaching Awards were launched in 1996 to recognise and honour teachers and encourage excellence in the profession.
Other teachers in the Herald's circulation area to receive regional awards were Pat Evans, an English teacher at Massey High School in West Auckland; Samuel Pickett of Hillary College, Otara; Andrea Devane, who teaches part-time at Goodwood School in Cambridge; Nancy MacFarlane, a year 3 and 4 teacher at Galatea School in Murupara; and Michael Drake, who has taught for 33 years at Taupo-Nui-a-Tia College in Taupo.
History comes alive with eager teacher
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