AHA members are involved in all fields of history, with wide-ranging specializations, interests, and areas of employment. To recognize our talented and eclectic membership, AHA Today features a regular AHA Member Spotlight series.

Jessica Young is a high school history teacher at Oak Park and River Forest High School, Oak Park, Illinois. She lives in Oak Park, Illinois, and has been a member since 1973.

Alma maters: AB, University of Chicago, 1971; MA, Columbia University, 1973; MPhil, Columbia University, 1977; PhD, Columbia University, 1988

Fields of interest: modern Europe, modern world

When did you first develop an interest in history?
Around about the time I learned to read. I remember being fascinated by one of my father’s books, a picture history called The American Past by Roger Butterfield, copyright 1947. I now own that copy.

What projects are you currently working on?
I am working on a curriculum to teach students how to write their own textbooks to learn about specific current events in their historical context.

Have your interests evolved since graduation? If so, how?
I trained as an American historian. My interest in European history began when I was first assigned to teach it some decades ago. In addition, I have become interested in psychology. It provides tools to help young people in both their intellectual and personal struggles.

Is there an article, book, movie, blog etc. that you could recommend to fellow AHA members?
For lovers of historical fiction I recommend C. J. Sansom’s Shardlake series—mysteries set during the reign of Henry VIII. The hero is a lawyer and a hunchback.

What do you value most about the history profession?
One of my mentors liked to say “Everything has a history” and it is true. Whenever a student asks “why,” or “how come,” or even “when” that kid’s natural bent is implicitly historical. Kids naturally want to know history whether they know it or not. Historians make the world make sense.

Why have you continued to be a member of the AHA?
People sometimes say “Don’t you get tired of teaching the same thing year after year?” But history teachers do not teach the same thing year after year because we are always learning new information and new interpretations. That is the contribution of good scholarship to secondary education. Teachers need to love their subject but they also need to know it. The AHA contributes to my knowledge and my enthusiasm.

Other than history, what are you passionate about?
Besides my family, I am passionate about helping students love history and become responsible citizens.

AHA members are involved in all fields of history, with wide-ranging specializations, interests, and areas of employment. To recognize our talented and eclectic membership, AHA Today features a regular AHA Member Spotlight series.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.