NCCE has an unbelievable team of individuals from WA, MT, OR, ID and beyond, working and supporting our members. Next up is John Zingale.
Full name
John Zingale
Professional Title
Middle School History Teacher & National History Day Coach
School District or Organization
Vancouver Public Schools
What state are you from?
Washington
Highlight a memorable event or person from a past NCCE event that reminded you of what NCCE represents.
What I love about NCCE is that there are so many people that I meet that are willing to ask the question, “Why not?” The idea that we need to try and push ourselves to learn new technology and techniques so that we can push our students forward, that is what NCCE is about for me. This attitude and mindset is what I will always take with me about NCCE.
Please describe the reason you joined the NCCE board of directors.
NCCE changed my life and my teaching in 2015 when I walked in on a session about making documentaries. While I had done something similar in my class that year, I learned about the National History Day program and how one teacher was having his students create films for that program/contest. The next year, I had some of my students enter the regional competition with their documentary about Mount St. Helens. We made it to state, and the kids did well. Most importantly we had fun and I learned more about the program. Now nine years later, NHD is a sport at our school with over 70 students participating and we are the hosts of the Southwest Washington Regional competition. Our students, and school, are competitive in history every year not just at the local and state level, but also at Nationals, with students earning their way four of the last five years and becoming some of the top historians in the country. Most importantly, it is teaching my students the research, writing, History, design, communication, and technology skills they will use for the rest of their lives.
I will forever be grateful for walking into that session in 2015, and want to make sure that I can give back to the organization that has impacted my teaching and life so tremendously.
How many years have you been an involved member of NCCE?
Nine years since I attended in 2015.
What are you looking forward to in Seattle at NCCE25?
I am always looking forward to meeting, chatting, and learning from all the incredible teachers and educators that attend the conference. I gain so much from the extra side conversations. I is always something that fills my cup up and reinvigorates my love for teaching.
Please share something you learned from being part of the NCCE community.
One thing that I’ve learned over the years is that there are LOTS of incredible people across our region that are passionate about education and improving the lives of the students that we teach.