Misha Matsumoto Yee is Gilder Lehrman's History Teacher of the Year

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is pleased to announce that Misha Matsumoto Yee, a history teacher at St. Andrew’s Schools in Honolulu, Hawaii, has been named the 2022 National History Teacher of the Year.

Matsumoto Yee received her Master of Arts in American History from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and is currently the Upper School Social Science Department Chair at St. Andrew’s Schools – The Priory, an all-girls K–12 program with a college preparatory school. She teaches AP US History, AP Government and Politics, US History, US Government, World Cultures and Religions, and electives including Independent Inquiry and a Model United Nations class. She helped to create the Global Leadership criteria at St. Andrew’s Schools.

Misha prepared students to attend the American Judicature Society (AJS) National Conference in December 2021, where St. Andrew’s Schools was the only high school in attendance. She has served as a reader for the College Board’s AP US History Exam since 2018. She also presented at the Hawai‘i Council for the Humanities’ Democracy and the Informed Citizen workshop in 2018; her presentation integrated the use of comic books as primary sources in American history curriculum

“It was a surprise and an honor to have been named the National History Teacher of the Year,” says Matsumoto Yee. “The Priory students, with their enthusiasm and curiosity, motivate me every day. I share this honor with them and with my colleagues, all of whom have a love of teaching that translates to a profoundly rich learning experience for our students, preparing them to engage with purpose as young leaders.”

She continues: “I enjoy witnessing students see themselves represented in their nation’s history. Through learning about groups and communities they identify with, they become passionate learners and understand the importance of learning history.”