Joseph Hills puts no true-or-false or multiple-choice questions on history tests. The Lake Braddock teacher provokes thought processes the students express in essay-style answers. By challenging the students, year after year, Hills has earned the honor of Fairfax County Public Schools Teacher of the Year for 2004.
"History is written by people who weren't there, so the students have to examine the facts and draw conclusions," Hills said. He calls his thought-provoking style "inquiry teaching."
"I like them to decide," said Hills, who wants them to "come to the conclusions based on the evidence."
Hills uses a set of skulls to exemplify this. By looking at a skull, very few facts are known, but the evidence is there for a lot of hypotheses.
"There's a lot of things that can be learned from the past by the evidence. Sometimes they have to think outside of the box. The guidance I give them is through selected readings," Hills said.
Lake Braddock juniors Anna Puglisi and Katie Lindemuth were in Hills' class as freshmen. Lindemuth remembered a project involving the skulls.
"We looked at the shapes of skulls. You could tell what they ate and stuff," she said.
Puglisi said the lessons involved other objects as well.
"He had lots of objects that he would show us," Puglisi said. "He teaches the ideas."
HILLS STARTED teaching with the Fairfax County Public School system in 1960 at Fairfax High School, in the building that Paul VI Catholic School now occupies. He moved on to Marshall and Langley before arriving at Lake Braddock in its second year as a school. He's been there ever since and has taught 42 years of summer school as well.
Hills grew up with a natural curiosity which he brings to the classroom. With world history, or world studies in the schools, Hills relates the history to today's world. His teachings on religion, which are directly related to history, can be equated to events in the Middle East today.
"With these kids, you have to relate to current life, or they'll eat you alive," Hills said.
Hills' classes are predominately advanced placement, or honors classes. Before the Standards of Learning tests (SOLs) became a factor in the curriculum, world studies was just one class, so he had to cover all of world history in 180 days. It is now divided into “pre-man to the year 1500” and “1500 to present.” He specializes in the earlier history class.
After 44 years of teaching, Hills tries to mix it up as well by focusing on one particular aspect. This year it's the Silk Road era of China.
"There is a curriculum we must follow for SOL purposes," Hills said. "I decided this year to specialize in that one."
Hills' sons Matt and Cory were students of his as was a current Lake Braddock assistant principal, David Thomas. Matt Hills, Class of 1995, went on to graduate from the University of Virginia, and Cory, 1999, is attending graduate school in Australia.
Another son went into the Air Force.
Sharon Hills, his wife, is a teacher at Northern Virginia Community College. The studious atmosphere at the Hills household was set for their sons.
"We kind of feel sorry for our two boys. We made sure they did their homework," Sharon Hills said.
Now David Thomas is one of Hills' bosses at Lake Braddock. Thomas was hired into the social studies section of Lake Braddock, completed some administration classes on his own, and moved up.
"I brought a good person into the system. I'm proud of him for that," Hills said.
When Hills turned 55, retirement was still a long way off. He was still motivated by the student's desire to learn. With the students growing up, and a different class year after year, things always change.
"I never meet the same person twice. They're the real reason I didn't quit at 55," Hills said.