Debra Crow, a school teacher in the small town of Garrison, received the Montana Statehood Centennial Bell Award of Montana History Teacher of the Year Friday morning at the Capitol in Helena.
Crow is the first rural school teacher to receive the award in the 30 years since it was established. The school’s 14 students were honored guests at the ceremony and watched as she received a plaque, books related to Montana History and $3,000 from sponsors of the award – Montana Television Network, Montana Historical Foundation, and the Sons & Daughters of Montana Pioneers. The Montana Historical Society is also a partner in the program.
“Robert Heinlein once said ‘A generation that ignores history has no past and no future.’ I am so flattered and honored to receive this award,” Crow said.
She plans to use the money to purchase historical materials, for field trips, a Humanities speaker and “a few surprises.”
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Tyler Campbell read a congratulatory letter from Gov. Steve Bullock, who wrote that historical knowledge enhances an individual’s life and teachers like Debra Crow inspire students.
Crow has been a teacher for 31 years and has been at the Garrison School since 2014 where she teaches all subjects in grades 4-6 and acts as supervising teacher.
She grew up and was educated in Maryland, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1986 in elementary education at Frostburg State University, graduating magna cum laude; and a master’s degree in administration/supervision in 1994 from Bowie State University, where she graduated summa cum laude.
Crow was a middle school science teacher in Maryland from 1986-2012 when she moved to Montana. For two years she was a seasonal education technician at Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site, where she was a national park interpretive guide, leader of the Summer Explorers Program for youngsters and a mentor to new employees.
Crow said, “I love teaching. Coming from Maryland I did not know much about Montana history and had very little knowledge about Native Americans. So I started doing research at Grant-Kohrs and the Montana Historical Society (MHS) where I met many wonderful people who pushed me in the right direction for teaching Montana history. I find it fascinating.”
She utilizes the MHS lessons and teaching trunks which give students hands-on experience related to a number of topics — gold mining, agriculture, wildlife and birds — as well as Mapping Montana from A-Z, where her students discover the state by traveling from a town that starts with A to a town that begins with Z, learning fun facts and history about each town along the way.
As a Montana teacher, Crow is required to teach Indian Education for All (IEA). Several years ago she worked with a diverse group of teachers to write lesson plans for the National Museum of Forest Service History in Missoula. There she met Mike Jetty from the Montana Office of Public Instruction's IEA division, whom Crow says has been very helpful. Each year a tribal member is invited to the school to talk about his or her culture, which Crow says has been an incredible experience for the students.
Former student Riley Harrison told the gathering, “Mrs. Crow is an amazing history teacher. She goes to the maximum in every subject and makes sure we understand every bit of it. She invited two Native Americans to our school last year. They brought many beaded items that the class could look at. We also learned about the buffalo and how the Indians used every part of it. They taught us a lot.”
Crow teaches cultural diversity to her students using the Gilder Lehrman American History, “A Nation of Immigrants” packet to reinforce that “we all come from somewhere.” Using political cartoons, letters and photographs, her students discuss issues that immigrants had then and continue to face today when they move to a new country.
Crow said she enjoys teaching Montana history because she is a lifelong learner herself, and as a classroom teacher is not afraid to try things. She believes students will learn Montana history if they are involved and invested.
Shirley Peters, who taught at Garrison for 23 years, nominated Crow for the award. She said Crow is an enthusiastic teacher who brings fresh ideas and activities to spark interest in history in her students and she inspires other teachers to attend workshops and conferences. This year Crow presented to the Powell County Rural teachers the importance of Montana history and how the Montana Historical Society can help them with phenomenal resources. She also presented the history of her school and the town of Garrison to Rotary Club in Deer Lodge, and gave them pamphlets about her school and town that the students helped her make.