Nawaz named Tennessee History Teacher of the Year

By Juanita I.C. Traughber, Director of Marketing & Communications

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History has named High School History Teacher Ayesha Nawaz the 2026 Tennessee History Teacher of the Year. She will be honored at the Tennessee Council for History Education summit in November. 

Nawaz, who joined USN in 2024, teaches Humanities to freshmen & American History to juniors, and previously AP American History. She holds a B.A. in International Political Economics from Colorado College and an M.A. in Middle East History from Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada. 

Nominated by former History Department Chair Anna Stern, Nawaz receives a $1,000 prize and a curated collection of American history books and classroom resources. She will be recognized at the Tennessee Council for History Education summit in Knoxville in mid-November and advances to the national competition for the 2026 National History Teacher of the Year award. She also will have the opportunity to participate in teaching workshops across the country during the summer months, she said.

Nawaz’s 15-page application for the award included lesson plans explaining how she uses primary sources in her teaching, among other prompts. Her creative lessons have taken students to the Nashville Public Cemetery and a Native American Pow Wow, studying not only historical moments but also how students are connected to history. That includes using gravestones as primary sources, using marriage & death certificates, obituaries, and other archival records ot piece together a person’s story, and also discussing the many unmarked graves of enslaved and Indigenous people and their lost stories.

“I can really paint and explore. That has been so fun and a beautiful challenge teaching at USN,” Nawaz said, adding that her curriculum on the past comes to life for students today with the support of Head of High School Chai Reddy and even USN’s transportation team, who drive students to field trips. “All the conversations I have with my colleagues here inspire ideas. It is such a humbling experience to be part of a school environment where we're able to experiment, explore, like going back to our Peabody Demonstration School roots. I have a canvas where I can really paint and explore. That has been so fun and a beautiful challenge, and I look forward to building on it.”

Nawaz has also received the E.E. Ford Grant to work on an oral history project with Vanderbilt University and Middle Tennessee State University.

Established in 2004, the History Teacher of the Year award annually recognizes K-12 educators who demonstrate a deep commitment to teaching American history through engaging lessons, creative approaches, and the effective use of primary sources.

“Great history teachers give students more than knowledge of the past—they give them the tools to better understand the world around them,” said Gilder Lehrman Institute President and CEO James G. Basker. “This year’s honorees bring creativity and purpose to the classroom, inspiring students to think critically about the past, understand its relevance to the present and become more informed citizens.”

The Gilder Lehrman Institute also named Fifth Grade Teacher Connie Fink as the Tennessee History Teacher of the Year in 2018. Founded in 1994 by Richard Gilder and Lewis E. Lehrman, visionaries and lifelong supporters of American history education, the institute is the leading nonprofit and nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of American history through educational programs and resources.