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Alumni

An Interview

wi Dr. Ari Easley-Houser

Before coming to D-E, History Department Chair, Arika “Ari” Easley-Houser taught at Rutgers Prep and several colleges and universities, including Montclair State University and New York University. A socio-cultural historian focused on United States history, she received her Ph.D. from Rutgers University and a certificate in school management from the Harvard Business School. She was recently selected for a National Association of Independent Schools Fellowship for Aspiring School Heads. Now in her third year of heading the department, Easley-Houser speaks to the importance of historical inquiry for students and how the history curriculum must reflect and respond to the diversity of students. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What has been your primary focus as history department chair?

I would say ensuring that our curriculum is cutting edge and culturally responsive is a big one. Looking at what’s going on at the university level and our market of schools, it’s important to think about what our students are reading and writing about in history. Our curriculum needs to reflect our students. For example, in my first year at D-E, I proposed to teach African American history, which we added to our curriculum. Last year for 9th grade we switched the naming of the class. It used to be Ancient Medieval World History, but now it’s Early World History. I like that because it de-centers “medieval time” because it is only a term used to describe Europe. [And] it didn’t represent actually what the curriculum covered. This year we switched one of our 10th grade options, AP Euro, for AP World, a course that was first administered in 2002. AP Euro is typically a course that 70% of high school students take as seniors, and while our [sophomores] have performed well, it’s a big leap to come from 9th grade to that course. The AP World course will be more aligned to the goal of the department to ensure that all students are covering two years of world history, from Early World History as 9th graders to Modern World History as 10th graders with different levels [including college placement, honors seminar and AP]. So each year, we are trying to slowly but surely evaluate our curriculum, tweak, and improve it.

But I would say one thing that appealed to me, [and one reason] why I came to D-E is that I like the US history curriculum and how we have so many lenses. I think it’s so unique; it’s kind of a thematic approach to US history. There are so many options, too: we have a History of New York City class, Hollywood History, the American Presidency etc.

How does the department collectively address refining curriculum?

The teachers who teach the different courses work together to discuss the curriculum and share resources. We also try to ensure that we are moving along towards similar end goals and themes that we cover. There are team meetings by grade, and we also have department meetings once a month. Each year if we are making any curricular changes, those changes get included in the course of study guide that students see when selecting courses for the following school year.

As a department leader, I try to be collaborative, and I am lucky to work with such a talented and passionate group of teachers. They care about the kids, are super experienced, and they all come from such different backgrounds, including a lawyer, a museum educator, training in medieval studies, European studies, etc. One of our newest teachers, Dominic Vendell, has training in Southeast Asian history and background in colonization and imperialism with Indian relations with Great Britain.

Moving forward, I want to make sure that we continue to have great teachers, particularly as we have a lot of veterans in the department. I also want to make sure that our faculty reflect points of view that are diverse, to mirror the diversity of our students because I think that’s important.

You mentioned how you want the curriculum to be culturally responsive. Can you elaborate on that?

I think about the students in the room and their own personal histories, [including] many, especially in this area, many immigrant families, second generation, sometimes first, third generation, but all from different places around the world. So for me, I think culturally responsive teaching is about thinking about the changes in our demographics. You look at our recent census that we just had, and think about all the changes and how those demographics impact what we teach and what our curriculum looks like.

And the books that we assign have to reflect that. If [culturally responsive content] is not in a textbook, then you’re going to have to supplement it with other materials, other visual aids, current events going on, so that students are aware of why history matters. If they don’t see a relevancy to today it just doesn’t make sense. You won’t understand the present.

Lee Selected for Special Professional Development Opportunity

This spring Madie Lee, Upper School Equity & Diversity Engagement Coordinator and a history teacher, was selected as one of 120 teachers enrolled in a professional development course sponsored by National History Day, a nonprofit that seeks to improve the teaching and learning of history. Lee’s enrollment in the Historical Argumentation Webinar Series is funded by the Library of Congress. Featuring resources from the Library of Congress, the course is designed to give teachers strategies to help their students “think like a historian” and use evidence to develop a solid historical argument. Lee shares her thoughts about the course so far.

On what she’s taken away from the course:

That I have so much more to work on in this field! I have enjoyed learning about historical argumentation, and the consistent work with reading and writing skills has improved my own understanding of how to structure my writing, what feels important to highlight or prioritize, and important aspects to consider for truly persuasive writing. Contentwise, I have a newfound appreciation for primary sources and how to effectively use them, while considering their contextual information.

On what she is looking forward to bringing back to D-E:

What’s been awesome about the course is that there are so many aspects that feel tangible to bring back and implement within the classroom. The Library of Congress provides an incredible depth of primary sources that can be evidence for historical writing, and the course has refined my understanding of not only what’s out there to use, but also how to use it. We have also been provided comprehensive worksheets and tools for historical argumentation that can be immediately used to scaffold my own students and their writing, which was already my main motivation for applying for this course in the fall. How do you bridge the past to the present?

So that’s where you have to be careful. I find many students and—many people just in general—are very “presentist.” As a historian, you don’t want to be “presentist,” as in you don’t want to just start in the present. Yes, we can see themes and continuity from the past to today’s events, but we don’t want to leap. You must understand the context of different moments, and how there have been some changes. And then sometimes regressions. It’s a process, [for example] when you study the Founding Fathers. They wrote things that they didn’t actually mean. And then they tried to hide and not mention slavery in the founding documents. I think we’re also at this moment where people are trying to deny history. Thinking about the present, we’re right now into such a tense time with our fractured country politically, that history is at the epicenter of so many of these debates, how it is taught the curriculum, people going into protests and going to school board meetings, and saying they don’t want to teach about.

How do you handle the fact that history has become so politicized?

We’ve done PD (professional development) workshops with our department called “Facing History and Ourselves.” One of the questions in a current events workshop that was posed was: “How do you address your politics?” Also: “How do you address politics in your class?” I stood on the side that you want students to see you as a mediator—that you’re someone who should be a facilitator of debate, and you should be respectful of both sides. But we don’t allow offensive statements. That’s where you have to draw a line.

You can’t have anybody in the room feel that they don’t belong because of their identity. I don’t tolerate that. That’s where I feel like you have to assert yourself just as an educator, but also I attach it to the mission statement, the school, and to our code of conduct.

So then how do you consider those perspectives and foster that discussion in the classroom? How do you navigate through it?

I just try to be very sensitive, I try to call out statements. We’re in a classroom, there has to be dialogue. It’s called civics for a reason, right? It can be tense. [I’ve had to follow up with students after class to make sure they are OK.]

What do you imagine for the future of the department?

I’m excited about developing more partnerships with the Lower School because that was something in the [most recent] accreditation [renewal self-study] report; the report found that the scope and sequence was better for Middle and Upper [Schools] but then Lower School is kind of doing its own thing. And I know the former Lower School principal made some modifications, but there’s still some improvement; there’s still some things they can do.

Seventh-grade teacher Matt Schade has developed a curriculum that has students researching world problems. What else is especially exciting in the Middle School these days?

What they do is a lot of debate about world problems, and they’re doing it [in interesting ways]. I’m really impressed with it. What’s nice is now we’re looking at other resources. So this year, in fact, we purchased a resource from TCI. [The Teacher’s Curriculum Institute offers dynamic activities and adaptable lesson plans].These projects are like little opportunities that kids can do that can kind of make learning more engaging. So they’ve been using some of those this year.

Eighth grade is the curriculum that’ll probably have more drastic changes, because the current name of the class is Revolutions. And that’s not really what the curriculum is about––that class I feel like really needs to be much more centered on identity, your family, really thinking about America, thinking about the voices, and the fabric of this country. The 8th grade is so diverse, and they did a project on Ellis Island last year, and you can feel that excitement when they’re proud of their identities. And I think you want to make sure that it just reflects, again, back to culturally responsive teaching and the curriculum. Instead of just focusing on revolutions, we want to think about: Who is an American? Who gets to decide who’s an American? Because, of course, over the course of American history, that has changed. I love that guiding question. They’re ready, and that age group is so hungry to learn more.

What do you want a student leave D-E with? What do you want in their toolkit?

By graduation, I hope they leave with a curiosity about how the world has come about, about how our nation has gotten to this point, and hopefully being thirsty to learn more and learn deeply. Also, knowing how to write a thesis and have a strong toolkit for writing. When our students come back from college, they tell me that they now help their friends who didn’t get the [skills development] support that we try to provide. Because whether you’re in STEM or history, you’re going to need writing and critical thinking skills.

Reimagining the Present and Past: The D-E History Department

Developing critical thinking and writing skills is fundamental to every history class. As students progress through D-E’s history curriculum, they also acquire new knowledge on the world they think they know. We spoke with a number of history faculty members to learn more about how they approach pedagogy and why historical inquiry is crucial in lifelong learning.

Vena Reed, 6th Grade History

Hailing from Yorktown, VA, Vena Reed arrived at D-E in 2020 to teach the 6th grade history class called “Creating Cultures.” The course ranges from the beginnings of human history to the rise of ancient civilizations like Greece and Egypt. Teaching a foundational skills course that is an important introduction to Middle School academics is a rewarding, yet challenging, process for Reed.

“The biggest thing with sixth grade is modeling,” she said. “I will teach them a skill like annotating. However, if I’ve determined that they’re not where I thought they were, I go back and do more guiding. It’s about being patient, modeling for them to get to a place where they can do things independently.”

With a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in secondary education from Virginia Commonwealth University, Reed taught the humanities at Success Academy Charter Schools prior to coming to D-E. Having inherited the curriculum from Ben Fleisher, who now teaches in the Upper School, Reed collaborated with her colleagues to introduce resources from the Teachers’ Curriculum Institute to diversify the reading sources available. At the same time, she joined the departmental collaborative effort to continually improve vertical integration between all three divisions, with the “Profile of a D-E Graduate” as a guide.

Reed believes that teaching ancient history requires making creative and accessible connections to the past. Thus, conversations about current events are opportunities to tackle often difficult questions related to the curriculum.

“People get fearful when something is political,” Reed explained. “Politics can be defined as who gets what, when, where, how, and why they get it. If you look at politics through that framework, then sports could be defined as political. The other thing I emphasize is to not make assumptions. I think framing what politics could look like and having different lived experiences in the classroom is exciting and cool rather than scary.”

Reed positions herself as a facilitator of discussions, offering frameworks that enable students to dig into complex issues, ask thoughtful questions, and lead class discussions on their own terms. For students to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, Reed believes they must know that they are cared for. “One thing I learned in grad school is this great quote from Nel Noddings, an educational philosopher, who said, ‘Students don’t care what you know until they know that you care.’” That philosophy grounds Reed’s pedagogy. During the onset of the pandemic, Reed would begin class with a “Question of the Day” to have students get to know one another before getting into class material. Small gestures like that, combined with the class preparation from Reed and other history faculty, create a strong learning community––one that is rooted in care.

Matthew Schade, 7th Grade History

Matthew “Matt” Schade always knew that teaching was going to be a part of his life. He recently discovered that in his second grade time capsule he had written that he wanted to be a teacher when he grew up. Originally from Philadelphia, Schade had only imagined working in public school until a colleague pointed him toward independent school teaching. Now in his seventh year at D-E, Schade is grateful for the school’s sense of community and its students. “When I tell people I’m a middle school teacher, I get this ‘oh boy’ reaction,” Matt explained. “But I really love middle school kids. To me, they’re young enough where they haven’t fully formulated their worldviews, yet they’re also old enough to really start digging into some complex ideas. I have the best of both worlds in a lot of ways.”

When Schade first began teaching at D-E, he inherited the legacy of former history teacher Betsy Carson. “Creating Connections” centered around key civilizations like Ancient India, China, and West Africa. From that foundation Schade and fellow 7th grade history teacher Pooja Patel decided to shift towards more a nomadic and concept-based curriculum. Drawing upon global case studies, the curriculum centers around such questions as: What are the roots of conflict? How do we define oppression, and how do people resist it? Seventh graders tackle these complex issues over the course of the year through projectbased units.

As a capstone learning experience, students learn about the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and choose a topic of individual interest to research and present to their classmates. A process of skill building and scaffolding enables students to conduct research on their own. Real examples help ground the concepts students are learning.

“So when we discuss exploitation, marginalization, and cultural relativism, what’s key is really giving them those concrete examples to then tie back those ideas to,” Schade explained.

“It’s also a matter of repetition because they often won’t digest it the first time, and that’s expected. Once you appropriately scaffold concepts for them, it’s incredible to see them learn.”

When the Syrian refugee crisis was ubiquitous in mainstream media from 2015 to 2017, Schade sought to seize the opportunity to connect history to current events, while also helping students develop leadership skills. Teaming up with 3rd grade teacher Michelle Sussman, the 7th grade history team created a children’s stories project centered around themes of migration and displacement. Students wrote original stories and shared them with Lower School students, embracing the experience of serving as role models to younger students.

Schade is comfortable with the idea that learning at the middle school level is messy and can’t be scripted to the letter. Rather seeking to provide a “perfect” lesson plan, he strives to leave students curious and eager to learn more. “I can nitpick about what didn’t go right here and there, but if I felt like the students were engaged and leave in a great place despite challenging conversations, that is successful day.”

Alex Russell-Walker, AP Art History

Alexander “Alex” Russell-Walker’s journey to teaching began halfway across the world in Vietnam. It was after teaching English there that he decided to commit to teaching full-time. Receiving his master’s degree at Columbia University’s Teachers College, he has taught history at Yeshiva University and at the Bronx High School of Science. At D-E, he teaches students in every Upper School grade level. He has taught 9th and 10th grade history courses and electives such as Hollywood History and the Holocaust. He loves giving students new perspectives to understand the world, especially with AP Art History. “I like to think of it as one of those culminating courses that seniors can take,” Russell-Walker said. for example, emphasize the figures having supposedly perfect and unattainable bodies.” Rather than judging good or bad, he said, we should be asking, “What is the purpose of this?”

Challenging cultural associations to different motifs and symbols is part of what makes art history exciting. Even better, in Russell-Walker’s view, is when students take ownership of their learning and bring in their own cultural background to conduct research. Russell-Walker always begins with the class examining a work of art together. Students immediately react with different opinions on what a piece might mean, and Russell-Walker dives in with them to further investigate an artwork’s context. He considers learning about history to be a collaborative process.

In 2016, Russell-Walker received a Sloan Grant, providing him the opportunity to travel to different elite art museums to further his own study and pedagogy. When the circumstances of the pandemic allow for it, Russell-Walker is eager to bring students to the art, reintroducing museum trips into the curriculum.

“Art history is beautiful because it is this coherent whole. It’s all the same subject matter of religion, death, sex, humans, bodies, and love. It’s like one of the most beautiful and easy ways of saying humanity has a lot of the same issues.”

With such universal topics and complex concepts, RussellWalker realizes that it takes time for students to think like an art historian. While he has the responsibility of preparing students for the AP exam, he also seeks to give a broader educational experience. Rather than giving definitive answers to what an artwork means and how it relates to its time period, Russell-Walker implores his students to think critically about what’s being presented. “One of my favorite themes throughout our history is thinking about why we look at ‘good’ art as being representational of reality,” he said. “Greek sculptures of men,

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