Teacher brings history lessons to life

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Do you remember that one teacher who always took the extra step to make learning fun? A teacher at McKinley High School is in the spotlight for a class that's just as entertaining as it is educational.

Keith Hughes is making learning cool. Students in his social studies classes at McKinley High School in Buffalo eagerly go to classes and leave with a sense of accomplishment.

Precious Lugo said, "He's a really good teacher. He knows how to teach and make us enjoy the class."

Hughes brings textbook lessons to life. Instead of always lecturing, students act out history lessons. They produce videos on a green screen and then upload them to YouTube. Students can then go back and use the videos as study tools.

In a district where attendance is a problem, Hughes' teaching method seems to be one solution.

"There's a lot of news stories about attendance. It's definitely an issue. But I think as a teacher the best thing that I can do is make it attractive to come to school. To have an engaging lesson where the kid doesn't want to miss class," he explained.

Malcolm Easterday said, "Lets just say I had 60s before this class came along."

This innovative history teacher isn't only helping students in his classroom, he's also helping people across the country. He's created a YouTube channel called "Hip Hughes History," and it's received more than 320,000 hits.

Mr. Hughes is getting students to improve their grades and even though it may be difficult for some of them to acknowledge it, but they think it's pretty cool, too.