Meet Hailey Baumstein (BA,'17, history; MA,'22, education policy, organization, & leadership), a social studies teacher, girls' cross country coach, and assistant track coach at Homewood-Flossmoor High School. She began her career at Thornton Township High School before transitioning to her current role, where she teaches U.S. government and economics. She credits her history degree with helping her connect students’ understanding of current events to the past and empowering her athletes through sports history. Hoping to inspire greater change for students and athletes, Baumstein pursued a master's in education policy, organization & leadership with a concentration in diversity and equity, graduating from the University of Illinois in 2022. Read on for a Q&A with Baumstein to learn more about her career.
Why did you decide to pursue a degree in history?
I've loved history my whole life, from my humble beginnings "playing" with the free Encarta Encyclopedia disk that came with our Windows 98 and reading every American Girl book to filling up my senior schedule in high school with all of the history APs and elective courses. But strangely enough, I had long pursued to be a sports journalist, and I applied (and was accepted) as a journalism major. In the fall of my senior year, immediately after I applied, I realized how great it would be to work with history ALL DAY as a job. I was enrolled in AP European History, and we had the most enriching conversations. I couldn't believe that people can exist without knowing what happened in the past that inevitably continues to shape the social, economic, and political landscapes that we currently live in, and I realized that I wanted to be that bridge for students in the future. Too many people have had the Ferris Bueller experience of history classes, and I wanted to ensure more students have the learning experience I had.
Did you pursue higher education after undergrad?
Most teachers go back and get another degree for a variety of reasons. But, I struggled to decide what I wanted to go back and study. I don't ever see myself as an administrator in a building because I want to stay with students, and I knew that I wanted a degree that would allow me mobility within and outside of education. My early teaching and coaching experiences combined with the political and social climate of 2020 left me wanting to pursue greater change for students and athletes. All biases aside, Illinois had the most perfect choice for me to fulfill that goal. In 2022, I graduated with a Master's in education policy, organization, & leadership (EPOL) with a concentration in diversity and equity in education. I knew when I applied that we were nearing an era of social and political upheaval or turmoil, whatever you may say, and I wanted to be on the right side of history. Ultimately, I want to advocate for students and athletes at either the micro or macro level, protect their rights, and work toward dismantling the barriers that they've faced since our nation & education system's inception. Unfortunately, it seems as if only those who view things through a historical lens can see their faults and not accept them as the norm that we need to mold around.
What is your current career and how does your degree in history inform your work?
My degree directly informs my work as I am a social studies teacher at Homewood-Flossmoor High School (and I am the head girls' cross country & assistant track coach). I have taught Western Civilization (with Clare Crowston's textbook), U.S. History, Latin American History, AP United States History, Economics, and U.S. Government & Politics. I started my career at Thornton Township High School and transitioned here in 2022, so since then, I have only been teaching government. But, it's impossible to discuss the foundation of our democracy and examine current events in government without understanding their historical context. My students and I connect the current to the past, look for the root of these decisions, and use history to inform us about what we, as individuals, believe the government's role is in our democracy... and what we can do to make it the best version of itself.
Honestly, history also informs my work as a coach of young females, as well. Coaching is one of my passions, and my philosophy as a coach is to uplift our team to believe that we can do things that challenge ourselves in a positive way... to be better than we were yesterday and to prove to ourselves that we can handle hard things. We work to empower one another daily, and we work to honor the legacy of those before us. We take pride in learning about and following past and present women runners, especially during the month of March. In undergrad, I researched the politicization of the Olympic Games in the 1960s as a challenge to its original ideals for my senior thesis. The history of sport, most notably women's sports, is a passion of mine because it has directly influenced my entire path. Ironically, the first female gold medalist at the Olympics, Betty Robinson (1928), was an alumna of the first school in which I taught at (Thornton Township)... Katherine Swizer was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon... only 58 years ago... So, needless to say, we pull in history a lot.
What do you enjoy about your work?
I love working with young people and empowering them to do great things, be it academically, athletically, or emotionally. It is truly a privilege to help students find who they are and achieve their goals, most notably in terms of taking action to strive for positive change in the world that we live in. As an educator, I have the privilege of celebrating all victories, as small as improving on a quiz or as large as getting into a dream school or being accepted into an internship at the Capitol.
What does a typical workday look like for you? What is the most interesting aspect of your job?
Our school is on a block schedule, so I teach anywhere between 2 and 5 classes a day. My current workload included honors and at-level U.S. government & politics classes as well as one economics class that we are currently redeveloping to be more civic-minded than straight economics. Our goal for the course is to make sure our students are financially literate as well as aware of how economic decisions affect people's daily lives in both positive and negative ways. As a government teacher, I try to make intense connections between my two courses so that students are able to develop their own beliefs regarding the government, the economy, and related world affairs.
During my planning periods (I get 1-2 per day), I am contacting parents or grading... the usual. But I also try to recreate, edit, and make more relevant all of my lessons. Especially in this new presidential administration, I've realized that I need to more deliberately teach some components of our government and how it functions so that I can hopefully help young voters be more aware.
What advice do you have for students interested in pursuing work in your field?
Remember your why. History is a powerful, yet overlooked discipline. Whether it's an obscure event, an entire World War II saga, or the art itself, something drew you to history. It is a privilege to work in a field that we love, though work does get mundane and drags you down. Our study allows us so much power to impact current affairs and make discoveries that can absolutely change the future, so remind yourself when you get lost in the day-to-day.
Also, the career you choose when you're 22 will not be your career for life, though it can be. Find something you enjoy, and you may stay there forever, or it may lead you to a new passion through self-discovery or networking. People who study history should know more than anyone that things are supposed to change, and a degree in history provides you with enough flexibility to move onto a variety of job opportunities.
What is your proudest achievement?
I have two. In two years, I have registered over 500 students to vote, and many graduate students have emailed back reporting how happy they were that they got to vote! I've also been working with a variety of nonprofit organizations and local businesses to host an evolving camp/educational event for runners on the South Side of Chicago and Chicago suburbs. The nonprofits include organizations that provide sports bras and information regarding breast health, mental health specialists, nutritionists, exercise scientists & physical therapists, as well as local government officials. We share the goal of empowering young female athletes to handle hard things on the track in order to handle hard things in life, with the ultimate goal of maintaining girls in sport so they can maximize the lifelong benefits from their participation.