Christopher M. Todd, a Social Studies teacher at Windsor High, has been named the 2013-2014 Windsor Public Schools "Teacher of the Year." Todd also recently was selected as Connecticut's 2013 Fellow by the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation, and was honored by the prestigious Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
Todd, 32, who has taught at Windsor High for almost a decade, was nominated and selected by his Windsor peers. He will be formally honored at the district's Opening Day Meeting in August and at the September Board of Education meeting, and will pursue the application process for Connecticut's Teacher of the Year.
"I entered teaching with the goal of taking my passion for history and using it to make whichever social studies course I was assigned relative to the interests' of my students," explains Todd. "I strive to break away from the chains of mundane memorization of dates, individuals and events that too often lose students who have high levels of historical curiosity but are unable to see the relevance and significance of the past. Whether or not every student who enters my classroom initially has a passion for history, they leave my classroom as stronger students who understand and analyze the world around them at a level greater than which they began."
Todd teaches Civics, Advanced Placement Government and Politics, and U.S. History. He is completing the curriculum for a "U.S. Military History" course that he developed for Windsor High and will teach it to 10th through 12th graders this fall. The innovative course will explore the modern U.S. military experience from 1890 to present, focusing on World War II through the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. He also is Windsor High's Head Boys Swimming & Diving Coach and Assistant Girls Swimming & Diving Coach.
"I am very pleased that Chris Todd was selected by his peers to serve as the Windsor Teacher of the Year," states Windsor Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey A. Villar. "He is a dedicated teacher who inspires students and is a leader among his peers."
"Chris Todd is an amazing teacher whose strength is connecting the students with the content in his subject area to make it meaningful," adds Russell Sills, principal of Windsor High. "Lots of teachers understand students, and many know their content, but the real artistry in teaching is being able to connect the two in very powerful ways."
The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation selected Todd as Connecticut's 2013 Senior Fellow. Only 56 fellowships were presented this year to promising and distinguished teachers of American history. He also was invited by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History to attend a week-long, fully funded summer seminar at the Pritzker Military Library in Chicago about "The History of the U.S. Military Forces from World War II to Operation Enduring Freedom."
Todd received his undergraduate degree in History from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and holds a Masters degree in Public Policy from Trinity College.
He lives in Ellington with his wife, Melissa, and their son, Cooper, and is co-chair of Ellington's Economic Development Committee.