While history has always been a staple subject in American classrooms, it’s not always easy for teachers to get students excited about studying the past. But North Providence High School educator Tina O’Brien has developed an approach to teaching history that she says encourages her students to become lifelong learners. Her efforts were recognized last month by the Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History, which named O’Brien the 2025 Rhode Island History Teacher of the Year.
She talked with Morning Host Luis Hernandez about her teaching philosophy, her love for history, and the importance of relating the past to the present.
Interview highlights
On how to make history interesting to students
Tina O’Brien: So listen, this might be non-traditional, but dates are not necessarily my forte, even though I’ve been teaching for 17 years. I’d like to know the important ones; definitely know 1776. That’s a great year to know.
I like to make the lecture a conversation. So today, we were talking about the French and Indian War, and we were talking about how the same reasons that the French and the British were fighting each other are the exact same reasons why you have wars going on today. It’s always over land and resources. That was pretty cool.
Another way, too, is when talking about trading, I was like, “Guys, you trade all the time.” Whether it’s in the cafeteria where you’re trading snack for snack or today, we just trade money for the good that we want. We love trading because that’s why we have two day shipping or same day delivery. Those are the kinds of things that I like to thread to my students.
On her belief in place-based learning
O’Brien: So place-based learning is my absolute favorite thing. I say to the kids all the time, “If I could escape these four walls twice a week and bring you to the places that we’re learning about, that is everything.” So obviously, that’s impossible with parameters, with safety issues, with money, things like that. So I can’t necessarily take you on vacation to Fort Ticonderoga, but I’ve been there. I have pictures of me at Fort Ticonderoga. I have lessons that I got from Fort Ticonderoga, and so I’m bringing New York to the students.
From my Rhode Island history class, we’re allotted three field trips a year. I take them to places that we’ve either learned about or themes of Rhode Island. So being on site, being in those places, hearing from the experts, these are people that are going to give you a deeper dive into it.
On whether history is relevant to everyday life
O’Brien: That’s a great question I hear all the time, especially from kids. “When am I ever going to use this?” Sometimes I’m honest with them and I say, “You might not.” That’s okay. School is supposed to expose you to all the things that you wouldn’t expose yourself to. And yes, we have access to the internet, but the reality is, most people are using it for memes and for sending pictures. It’s not used thoroughly as an educational tool. So I’m going to expose you to these different cultures, these different people, the story and backdrop of America, the story and backdrop of our state, and cross my fingers and hope one of the thousands of things I talked to you about this year sticks and makes you a little bit more interested in the subject.
I tell my kids all the time, when I go on vacation, if I didn’t learn something, it was a waste of a vacation. So anytime you book somewhere, it doesn’t matter where you go. Find a local restaurant, find something about the local culture, go to a local historical site, even if it’s for an hour of your vacation; then you feel more connected to the world around you.
