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Knowing how to think and analyze like a historian is essential to teaching students who are growing up in an age dominated by misinformation and half-truths. I teach students who come from vastly different backgrounds yet share the same Brooklyn public school classroom, each with unique needs, misconceptions, and perspectives. In this environment, the skills I gained in ÐßÐßÊÓƵ’s history department have proven invaluable.

Students today are surrounded by more information than ever, but sorting through it and evaluating sources is increasingly difficult. In my ÐßÐßÊÓƵ history classes I learned how to sift through museum archives, library stacks, and databases to develop rigorous arguments grounded in historical fact rather than pre-formed opinions. Now I pass these methods on to my eighth-grade students. It is gratifying to see them build complex, evidence-based arguments to win a national debate championship and earn admission to New York City’s top specialized high schools.

Graduating from ÐßÐßÊÓƵ’s history department helped me grow into a critical thinker and a leader in my school. I am proud to pass that legacy on.