New Teacher Feature: Emily Hatez

ISABELLE KLISCH, HARIHARAN SELVARAJ, and PETER KASSOUF, Contributing Writers

Ms. Emily Hatez has returned to where her roots were first set. 

Though she is a first-year teacher in the North Brunswick Township High School (NBTHS) social studies department, Ms. Hatez is drawing on her experience as a student in our school district to inspire her instruction. 

¨I am very excited to be working here! It is very rewarding to be able to work in the school district you grew up in,” said Ms. Hatez, who graduated from NBTHS as part of the class of 2021.

Ms. Hatez credited her mom and aunts for her desire to become a teacher. They also work in public education.

Photo by Sal Rahman

“Since a lot of my family members are teachers, it makes me a lot more passionate about being a teacher. My life goal since I was little has been to be a teacher, so I am very happy to finally reach that goal, and to do it at NBTHS,” Ms. Hatez said.

Her father, Mr. Jason Hatez, a security guard at NBTHS, has also influenced her career path. Mr. Hatez has served as a security guard at NBTHS since 2019, and before that he spent 20 years as a police officer. He has expressed pride in his daughter serving the same school community.

"I am happy that Ms. Hatez got the job and is also getting to work in my hometown,” said Mr. Hatez, who was honored in 2017 by the North Brunswick Township Council for his past military service in the United States Army.

Ms. Hatez is happy to be back in the school that did so much for her, and she is ready to give back by teaching social studies. 

“It is very surreal. I love being able to teach in the same classrooms that I was taught in! I know the impact these classes can have on a student because I began wanting to be a teacher thanks to the history classes I took in North Brunswick,” Ms. Hatez said.

Ms. Hatez has everything to be a great social studies teacher, but most notably is her passion for sharing the importance of history with her students.  

“I think it is vital for students to understand history because it is important to be informed about the past,” Ms. Hatez said “History helps students understand different perspectives and cultures.”