JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Daniel Flint loves to teach history. Absolutely loves it.
When he was nominated for Florida History Teacher of the Year, he was ecstatic.
His students at Westside High in Jacksonville told him he would win. He was doubtful.
"I about hit the roof because I didn't think I'd actually win," Flint says.
The award comes from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, a non-profit, which is dedicated to history education.
His students just bubble with compliments about him, saying everything from how he doesn't stand like a statue at the front of the classroom to how he creates a fascinating environment in his classroom.
How many history classrooms have a periodic table of constitutional amendments?
The students point to various items around the room and say, "What's that?"
One is a figure of a WW2 paratrooper. "There were 46 items they carried when these guys jumped out of the aircraft," Flint tells his students. All that equipment could weigh up to 150 pounds. The paratroopers, typically not older than 20 years of age, often weighed 50 pounds less than their gear.
Flint's students say he's brought WW2 alive to them. It's probably his favorite period of history. He's told the students about how the paratroopers jumped in the pitch dark behind enemy lines at the beginning of D-Day in Normandy, France.
Their heroism played a significant role in the Allied Forces' victory to beat the Germans and begin the annihilation of the Nazi war machine.
"They went in the dark, missed their drop points, but still got the job done because they were so well trained," Flint tells his students.
The WW2 soldiers' bravery is not lost on the high school students. Eternity Kador says, "It actually brought me to tears because it was so crazy to deal with. A 17 or 16-year-old kid out of high school. You're fighting for others' freedom. And you're fighting for your life."
Flint has taken his passion for teaching about D-Day a step above and beyond visual aids. He joined up with RCPT, the Round Canopy Parachuting Team from Palatka.
He trained to make parachute jumps from airplanes. That way he could come as close as possible to experiencing what the real paratroopers felt on D-Day. "On my first jump, I was halfway down and thinking, 'Oh, my God, this must have been what it felt like, except I wasn't being shot at. I can't even imagine what it must have been like for those guys to hit the ground," Flint says.
The experts from RCPT went to the 75th Anniversary of D-Day in Normandy. Flint plans to return with them for the 80th Anniversary and make reenactment jumps.
And, of course, he'll bring back even more excitement about teaching history to his students.
Flint plans to give his students another opportunity soon. They'll talk virtually with an actual Rosie the Riveter from WW2, Mae Krier. Her bandana was put on the space station to honor her.
It's just one more example of how Flint brings history off the computer screen to his students.
Asked what they'd tell students who say history class is boring, Flint's students pipe up with, "You haven't been in Mr. Flint's class."
James Basker, President of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the group honoring Flint, says, "Teachers are the lifeblood of our students' education, and these are the best of the best."
Flint will compete against the winners from around the country for the national award, which carries a $10,000 prize. Ten finalists will be announced in September; the overall winner in October.
Meanwhile, Flint is boosting up his own students at Westside High. "I know all of you guys are going to do fabulous this year," he tells them in the course of a normal class period.
Perhaps "normal" in the wrong word. And that's a compliment to Flint.