Abigail Esbrook
Teach Blue Fellow
As an educator, striving to improve your curriculum reminds you that you are a learner as well. As a history teacher, I cannot expect my students to 'do' history if I am not doing it as well. Actively pursuing the discipline of history outside of the classroom helps me gain new perspectives on content and delivery. Being aware of current issues regarding historical trends and incorporating it into my lessons ensures that students see the connections between the past and the present, thus making classroom work authentic and relevant.
Problem of Practice
For decades, the focus on a meaningful social studies education has diminished due to larger shifts in education and the economy. From kindergarten to high school, students are pressured to excel in STEM fields in order to prepare for careers in emerging industries. Mastery of both the English language and mathematics remains essential for standardized tests and university entry—thus solidifying their emphasis in high school curriculums. In contrast, history is seen by many students as irrelevant or inconsequential, often viewed as a memorization exercise to meet graduation requirements rather than an engaging, practical discipline with broad consequences for individuals and society.
About Abigail Esbrook
Abigail is about to embark on her eighth year of teaching social studies at Novi High School. Originally from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, she has a deep appreciation for all things nature and history. At Novi High School, Abigail is currently teaching U.S. History and Big History, and serves as the Content Area Leader for the Social Studies department. She also runs Novi Astronomy and assists with Novi’s award-winning Esports program.
Accounts from Abigail Esbrook
Teachers don’t have to frame our nation’s history as either a celebration or a broken promise. What if we defined it as unfinished work? Doing so sets up all sorts of possibilities that put students in active roles. One is to invite students to construct family histories that add to our understanding of a narrative of our past and how it got us to the present.
For many students, the study of history seems interesting at best, irrelevant at worst, and rarely their priority. The good news is that there have been great strides in reframing this classical model of history education.