History is the cornerstone to understanding the world around you. It illuminates the hidden foundations that today’s society is built on. Students are taught history from ancient civilizations to the present day. History teachers play a crucial role in a student’s education that goes deeper than learning what some consider irrelevant. Students develop critical thinking skills, analytical skills, problem solving skills, and cultural awareness. Mr. Webb, Mr. Tiekeden, Mrs. Bulskis, Mr.Cosenza, Mrs. Collazzo and Mr. Collazzo, have played pivotal roles in the history department’s effectiveness.
Mr. Webb’s fascination with history began as a child. While burying toys in his backyard, he found a horseshoe. His father explained where his house used to be farm lands. This piece of discovered history led him to a career in history.
Mr. Cosenza didn’t plan on becoming a history teacher, but instead was focusing on a career in law enforcement. While he found out he didn’t like it, his desire to help and love of history put him on the path to become a history teacher.
Mrs. Bulskis can not get enough of history. Her natural curiosity, passion for learning and love of history molded her into the history teacher she is today.
Mrs. Collazzo loved her high school history teacher Mr. Duffy. She started out as an English major. But, after taking a few history classes, that changed.
Mr Collazzo’s parents who often spoke about the past started his love for history. But his want to teach came from a great middle school teacher.
History is a never ending subject many spend their entire lives studying and still feel like they only scratch the surface of its intricacies. For a high school student, the amount of information is enormous. Passionate and creative teaching techniques make learning accessible and at Audubon every history class combines instruction time with creative projects, text analysis and group discussion. In Mr. Collazzo’s class you’ll find students
having an in-depth debate over U.S. immigration and the atomic bomb. You drop by Mrs. Bulskis and see her students connecting different novels to historical events like World War II. In A Building, Mr. Cosenza is teaching presentational skills through the colonial times and Mrs. Collazzo’s class is making Buddhist prayer flags. Projects combine knowledge of the topics and creativity to build a deeper and more personal understanding of the historical context.
In all departments, the common complaint from teachers is there is never enough time. History students are instructed on pieces of the human timeline; the topics narrowed down to fit into a classroom setting. Time determines if you will learn about all the battles of the American Revolution, read the diary of Anne Frank, or transcribe Egyptian hieroglyphics. Each history teacher instructs multiple full-size classes at different curriculum levels. A new teacher would allow the department to spread the workload evenly, providing an opportunity to teach other courses focusing on world religion, forensic history, the Holocaust and public speaking.
History is sometimes considered a mundane subject. They say that it has no effect on the current world, but the world was created through history. Audubon High School’s history department upholds this value.
