Sarah Ghrawi
B.A. (Honours), M.A., Ph.D. ABD (History)
Subject: Language Arts / Writing
What will my child walk away with? The ability to think critically, communicate persuasively, and grow as an independent, reflective learner equipped to succeed both within and beyond academia. My doctoral research in 20th-century Canadian history and my role as a Writing Instructor at York University give me a precise, research-grounded understanding of what strong academic writing actually requires.
What can families expect? A student-centered teacher who works alongside students rather than above them. I have presented research at international conferences including New York University and institutions in Mexico and Peru, and I bring that global academic perspective into how I teach students to develop and defend their own ideas.
What does class actually feel like? Collaborative and intellectually rigorous. I work closely with students on the specific, technical dimensions of written communication: how to construct an argument, how to deploy evidence, how to revise with genuine purpose. Students leave with concrete skills, not just general feedback.
How do you challenge a curious mind? I raise the standard for what counts as a strong argument. A student who can write a competent paragraph needs to learn to write one that is genuinely persuasive to a skeptical reader, and that gap between competent and compelling is where the most valuable learning happens.
Credentials and Experience Ph.D. candidate in History, York University (funded by the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship). M.A. in History, York University. Honours B.A. in History, York University. Research focused on immigrant women entrepreneurs in Canadian luxury spaces in Montreal and Toronto from the 1940s to the 1980s. Academic training in 20th-century Canadian history, Indigenous studies, art and fashion, transnationalism, and oral history methodologies. Writing Instructor at York University. Research presented at NYU, the Academia Nacional de Historia y Geografia in Mexico City, and the Universidad Autonoma del Peru.
Why Sarah? Why Brain Power?
My research recovered the stories of women whose contributions to Canadian culture had been largely overlooked, and my teaching reflects that same commitment to making sure every student’s intellectual contribution is visible and valued. Brain Power’s model gives me the space to do that properly.