Inside BPS: Emily Flores - History in The Making
By Sean Mason
Communications Intern
Emily Flores is not only a historian of the classroom, but also of life. The new Head of the Social Sciences at Brockton High School has traveled to seven countries, all of which have some historical meaning in her eyes.
"Growing up, my dad would always give us a background of everywhere we went on vacation," said Flores.
The former history teacher is in her first year as Head of the Social Sciences and it is a big change. Not only does she still maintain her duty as a classroom teacher, but now, she also has departmental responsibility. Her teaching load has been reduced, but that isn't necessarily a benefit, according to Flores.
"I miss having more exposure to students," she said. "I went from teaching three large classes to now one small AP US history class. I love working directly with the other teachers, but nothing quite fills the void of dealing with that many students on a one-to-one basis."
In her new position, Flores fills a large role in determining the curriculum for the entire history department at Brockton High School. She also is in charge of managing all of the faculty's wants and needs. It's safe to say that her plate is quite full.
"Balancing everything, from teaching a small AP class to dealing with the latest problem with our curriculum, has been the most challenging aspect of this new job," Flores said. "Sometimes, I feel like there aren't enough hours in the day, but that's when you have to say to yourself 'you have to keep rolling.' "
Although teaching a class and managing a department is a challenge, there are some benefits to doing both, Flores said. As a teacher, she knows exactly how students react to teaching styles and specific aspects of the curriculum, which helps her when determining what exactly to place into the curriculum.
"The further away you get from the classroom, the less perspective you have on how the curriculum actually affects the students and staff," Flores said. "Teaching a class means that I am directly affected by my actions as an administrator."
Flores' favorite historical era to teach is from the beginning of World War I until the end of World War II.
"I love to teach patterns of behavior and both World War I and World War II are perfect examples of how patterns of behavior are repeated throughout history," she said.