Fresh Spark of Energy and Imagination in the History Department
Media Provided by Sally P. ’26
Honor Clements is a new member of Grace’s History department. After only joining this fall, she has seamlessly integrated into the community.
Ms. Clements was a double-major in Sociology and Latin American and Caribbean Studies in college, and she became interested in history because “it connects to the systems we have in place in the world today.”
Her teaching career began at her former middle school, where she worked as an assistant. Then, through a program at the University of Pennsylvania, she earned her master’s in education while teaching at The Taft School in Connecticut. Ms. Clements then taught history at The Groton School in Massachusetts before returning to New York and joining Grace Church School.
Ms. Clements’ favorite historical era is the Victorian period, particularly regarding imperialism and the differences in its effects on people in economically powerful and colonized nations.
At Grace, Ms. Clements teaches 9th-grade World History, 10th-grade Philosophy, and 10th-grade History of the Americas. As a student in her History of the Americas course, I can attest that Ms. Clement’s classroom has been filled with an immersive energy since the first day of school.
Before Ms. Clements arrived, students from all grades often described History as a subject they didn’t enjoy. Outside of school, history felt distant, dull, and disconnected from their lives.
“I always thought history was just memorizing dates and names that didn’t matter anymore,” said Ambaa K. ‘28. That mindset followed students into the classrooms, where interest was minimal. However, with Ms. Clements, the long-held view had changed, and history no longer looked the way it once had.
Walking into her classroom now means walking into a space that feels alive. “She’s always so happy in class, and she carries a positive attitude into the classroom,” said Chaya M. ‘28, who emphasized her contagious energy.
One of the most noticeable and impactful differences in Ms. Clement’s teaching style has been her “warm-ups.” Rather than starting the class by diving into the material, she begins with games and activities that sharpen students’ learning and curiosity. “I really like it when we play Geoguesser, it gets me into the material,” explained Mathis R. ‘28.
Geoguesser is an online geography game that uses Google Maps Street View to drop players into random locations and asks them to identify where they are based on clues such as languages and surroundings.
“I want to make sure students understand the content while also creating an environment where students feel comfortable and can be their true selves,” Ms.Clements said. “I think starting class without 1000 topics on your mind leads to the deepest and most meaningful learning by grounding ourselves.” These small moments make the whole class feel more prepared and ready to learn.
But her ability to pass on her love of history to her students hasn’t been about the structure of her class alone; it’s also about her enthusiasm. “She brings a lot of passion into our learning and group discussions because of how much she likes our topics,” Mathis added. Chaya said something similar with “I definitely enjoy her class more than last year, and a specific part of that is the warm-ups and fun material that gets me involved and wants to learn.”
In a year full of changes, one thing is clear to Grace students: Ms. Clements didn’t just join the History Program; she brought her own creative learning space that has changed many students’ outlooks on the subject as a whole.
Taylor G. ‘28 is a staff writer for the Grace Gazette