LAUREL FACULTY
SPOTLIGHTS GETTING TO KNOW LAUREL’S DEPARTMENT CHAIRS
Elen Roberts, History Department Chair Elen Roberts has been with Laurel School for nine years and has 14 years of teaching experience. While her curriculum changes from year to year, Mrs. Roberts is currently teaching Social Studies 8 and Feminism & Gender through American History in the Upper School. Her passion for history ties into her love for a good story. “I see history as storytelling,” she said. “Narratives are so important in shaping how we think about who we are as people, as individuals, as a culture, and as a society. . . the whole thing about lenses and choices is fascinating to me.” At Laurel, students from a young age become civically engaged and are urged to become careful and critical observers of history and the world around them. Mrs. Roberts said, “Using a thematic approach, students explore
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a variety of primary and secondary sources, analyze different accounts from underrepresented voices in history, consider multiple perspectives, discuss current events, and make deep connections between history then and humanity now.” Mrs. Roberts and her colleagues act more as facilitators, encouraging students how to think versus what to think. “Our focus is on how to think like a historian, read like a historian, and write like a historian. These skills deepen even further in Upper School, as students learn and practice how to research, engage, evaluate, and write like critical historians and consumers,” she continued. Pulling from LCRG research, engaging in civil discourse is a cornerstone of every Social Studies and History classroom at Laurel. “Now, more than ever, it is our responsibility that Laurel girls graduate from our program feeling confident in using their voices to engage with those they disagree or are challenged by in ways that are meaningful, productive, and move the conversation forward,” said Mrs. Roberts.
