Joan Gillman, a Science Teacher at The Browning School, has shaped the minds and futures of hundreds of students over her remarkable 43-year career. Known for her hands-on learning approach and interdisciplinary curricula, she ignites students’ natural curiosity about the world around them. She not only educates her students but also instills in them the values of compassion, inclusivity, and respect. Joan empowers the next generation to make meaningful contributions to the world.
When Joan was growing up, most science teachers were men. She believes it is vital for boys to see that a female science teacher has a great deal to offer in the world of science. “As a woman, I hope to project a positive image so that when my students graduate, they will remember that women can make a difference in the world, too,” Joan says.
Looking to the future, Joan plans to continue teaching both lower and middle school science, remaining committed to her vision of seeing students make a positive impact on the world.
The Growing Up Years
Joan discovered her passion for teaching during her high school. At her school, students were required to participate in a community service program to graduate. To fulfill her obligation, Joan volunteered in a lower school, where she taught elementary school children how to play a recorder.
“I tutored small groups in math and organized games in the playground,” she says. Her work particularly impressed the head of the school. Joan remembers that she admired her ability to include all children in the playground games, not just those who showed special athletic skills. In addition, she taught children how to swim at the local JCC, including those with special needs, and worked as a substitute ballet teacher at a nearby dance studio. “It was a great feeling to be able to help the children become less afraid of the water and more confident in their skills,” Joan says. She also had fun teaching the young students the joy of movement at the dance school.
Even as a young child, Joan was interested in science and engineering. She still remembers experimenting with different solutions in her bathroom. “I was sure I would come up with a new product if I kept mixing different powders and liquids together,” she says. The young Joan was also fascinated by the weather. She remembers measuring the snowfall rates using a yardstick, checking the temperature and barometric pressure, along with enjoying the snowfall-created natural beauties in her yard.
As she had an older brother, Joan found several opportunities to explore her creativity. Together, they created robots out of shoe boxes. “We would also design and make model cities using Kenner buildings sets and Lincoln logs,” she recalls. “I still remember the name we selected for our new city, Kinderkamack Village.”
“Little did I realize that the skills I was developing as a youngster would serve me well once I became an educator,” Joan adds.
Working at The Browning School
Joan joined The Browning School in 2018. She currently teaches 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students, and she serves as a 6th grade advisory. Joan leads The Green Team, the school’s K-12 grade club.
The Browning School, founded in 1888, is an all-boys independent school in New York City. More than 400 + students attend the school. Its mission is to “create men of intellect and integrity to contribute meaningfully to our world,” and its four guiding values are Curiosity, Honesty, Dignity, and Purpose. Joan points out that the school’s commitment to equitable practices and social impact is not a supplement to the curriculum; rather it permeates all aspects of the school’s curriculum.
According to Joan, the school follows evidence-based educational practices and provides opportunities for professional development to their teachers and staff, enabling them to stay up-to-date with the latest educational philosophies. She highlights that the staff intentionally “cultivates deep relationships with every boy so that he can grow into an excellent student, dedicated friend, and decent man – whose lives will influence others for the better.”
As a Science Teacher, Joan tries to tap into students’ sense of wonder to develop lessons that fulfill their interests, in addition to helping them become proficient in different scientific topics. Her ‘Fourth Grade Straw Rocket’ unit highlights how she achieves these aims. She explains that for this topic, students are required to develop a rocket that can fly the maximum distance. They get to work with different variables, including the length of the straw, the number and style of fins, the size of the clay nose cone, and the angles for launching the rockets. “What I love about this project is that the students use their math and measurement skills along with their science knowledge,” Joan says. “They note all of the characteristics of their rocket, including its mass before going outside to launch their devices.”
She also shares that the students get to choose three different launch angles. Once everyone has completed their launches, they then analyze the results. According to Joan, during the analysis, the students try to determine the ideal launch angle, the best length for the straw rocket, the ideal size for the nose cone, and the recommended style and number of fins. Equipped with this new knowledge, the students redesign their rockets and try again. “This is such a fine learning opportunity for the class,” Joan points out. “The learning doesn’t stop with the first trials.” She encourages students to apply their new knowledge and improve their rocket designs. Joan has found that this activity is one that the students remember for years to come.
‘Hurricane Relief and Environmental Racism’ is another unit Joan has developed – and now teaches to her sixth-grade science students – at the Browning School. She points out that she could develop it due to the school’s commitment to equity and diversity.
The mission statements of three relief organizations were examined by the unit, and the students evaluated whether or not the organizations followed their missions when providing relief after major hurricanes. Based on their findings, the students were asked to come up with solutions to eliminate these biases, Joan says. While this could be a challenging concept to teach, she found that with the right approach, the students were willing to gain insights about this subject and come up with relevant ideas to eliminate some of the injustices they discovered.
From the start of her career, Joan has prioritized maintaining the natural wonder and curiosity every child has about the world around them. She says, “While science can sometimes seem like a daunting subject, I’ve always made it a point to teach students that they’re powerful and can use their knowledge to make a difference.”
Challenging and Rewarding Experiences
Joan believes that educators are grappling with the challenge of addressing climate change issues without frightening the students. She points out that children need to understand how the world works so that they can make wise decisions as adults and help bring about positive changes in the world.
As a leader of The Green Team, Joan is empowering her students to go out into the community to show how even small changes can make a difference. Each week, her students decide on a “Green Action of the Week”: such as remembering to turn off the lights when leaving a room, using both sides of a paper, recycling correctly, and avoiding cracking pencils in half. Student also posts signs all around the school to remind fellow students and teachers to do their part to help the environment.
Joan points out that her dedication to environmental education goes beyond the classroom. She actively encourages her students to participate in community-based environmental projects, such as clean-up efforts in Central Park and conservation activities. According to her, through these experiences, students not only learn about the importance of environmental preservation but also gain practical skills in leadership and collaboration. “I foster environmental consciousness to help my students understand the critical challenges facing the planet,” she adds. “I am happy to say that this has also inspired some of my students to take up roles as environmental advocates in their future careers.”
Additionally, Joan feels that teaching science to a wide range of different age groups can be both rewarding and challenging. “I find that I like to make my lessons as hands-on as possible,” she shares. In grade 2, they have an engineering unit in the Fall that allows the students to design and build their own skyscrapers and bridges. Students also learn about buildings and bridges from around the world. Joan says, “It’s so heartwarming to hear the students celebrating their own cultures when they spot structures that they are familiar with from their own countries.”
According to her, a major challenge she has encountered as an educator is keeping up with all of the new technologies. She recalls that when she first started teaching in 1982, she was just using a blackboard and chalk. She can still remember the first time someone put a computer in her classroom. “I didn’t even know where to find the switch to turn the machine on,” she says.
Now, she can’t even think about not using technology in her classroom. “Each of the classrooms at The Browning School has a SmartBoard,” she informs. “I absolutely love how this technology has impacted my teaching.” She explains that it has become much easier to make lessons engaging. She can show a video or slideshow in class, find an image of an animal the students are interested in studying, or write the class notes in different colors – this helps students who struggle with tracking.
Since Joan teaches in multiple divisions, she has been using four different online platforms. She points out that her youngest students use Seesaw, older lower school students use Google Classroom, fifth graders use Toddle, and sixth-grade students use Canvas. “That is a lot to keep track of, but each platform is age-appropriate,” she adds. In 2024, she learned about a new online platform called Toddle, which she is using with her fifth-grade students.
A Life-long Learner
Joan strongly believes in lifelong learning. Throughout her 43-year career, she has continued to take professional development courses. Three of the courses she applied for and was accepted into were offered at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Joan says that this was a very exciting experience for her, as she has always been interested in astronomy. The courses provided her with an opportunity to follow her passion while at the same time offered her the platform to share her ideas and strategies with fellow educators.
“At my last workshop at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Agency, I actually got the chance to see the new James Webb Telescope being built,” Joan says. “What could be better than that!” She has also attended courses at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, where she took workshops on paleontology, climate change, animal science, and more. In the past, she has also taken courses at the Cornell Ornithology Lab. In 2017, Joan was one of twelve teachers selected to participate in the GLOBE Weather Field Test Program in Colorado. “I’ve always had an interest in meteorology, and this provided me the chance to test out a new weather curriculum for sixth-grade science classes,” she says.
In the Fall of 2018, Joan decided to undergo a three-part process to become a National Geographic Certified Educator. She explains that Certified Educators are equipped with the knowledge and skills to incorporate Nat Geo’s use of storytelling, exploration, and science into their teaching practices. And, in the summer of 2022, she applied for a grant to become a Modern Classroom Project educator. Joan says that this five-week online course guided her through the steps to set up a self-paced classroom designed to meet the needs of all students.
In addition to attending professional development workshops every year, Joans stays up to date with the latest scientific advancements by being an active member of the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), the Science Teachers Association of New York State (STANYS), the Science Council of New York City (SCONY), and Science Educators for Equity, Diversity, and Social Justice (SEEDS).
“As an educator, it’s important to continue attending professional development opportunities,” Joan says. “So much has changed since I began teaching 43 years ago, and I attribute my long career to embracing new techniques and ideas that I have acquired through workshops, courses, and science conferences.”
Not only has Joan attended workshops, but she has also been actively involved in teaching and working at numerous professional conferences. “It has been such a rewarding experience teaching my fellow educators and helping them become passionate for science education and enthusiastic about their teaching career,” she says.
Message to Aspiring Women Leaders in Education Field
Joan advises aspiring women leaders to be willing to “give 100 percent” when working in a male-dominated society. “We’re just as capable as men, and society needs to see us succeeding in all of our endeavors,” she says. “Women have so much to contribute to the world, and they can be leaders and positive change makers.”
