School News

Meet Anna, Fayerweather's New PreK-4 STEM Specialist

9/26/2024

Anna Grant

My name is Anna Grant and I am the new PreK-4 STEM teacher! The opportunity to build this program with the support of the Fayerweather community has been nothing short of a dream come true.

I am originally from the Philadelphia area, where I began my career in science education as a staff educator and exhibit manager at a natural history museum. I enjoyed encouraging visitors of all ages to embrace their curiosity for the natural world through themed events, tours of the collections, and teaching classes for visiting schools. But, after a few years of the one-off educational experiences, I realized that I wanted to turn my focus to teaching a more in-depth science curriculum to the same students over time in a school community. Learning and growing with my students as a lower school science specialist teacher for the past 5 years has been incredibly rewarding and I am just so thrilled to share my passion for science education here at Fayerweather.

My approach to teaching science is very immersive and shared inquiry-based; I seek to construct scientific explanations with my students. I use hands-on scientific exploration activities as well as teacher-led demonstrations to facilitate student learning because I want to promote the social aspect and kinesthetics of building knowledge together. Science journaling has been an essential tool in many of my classes, and I use the students’ journals to build consistency from one topic and unit to the next.

One of my main goals in my teaching is for students to intuitively grasp and utilize the steps of the scientific method. I have a strong focus on students’ ‘superpowers of observation:’ a special set of skills that all scientists use to learn about the world around them through exploration and their senses. When my students enter my science classroom, I welcome them as scientists because I want the sciences and scientific thinking to be accessible to everyone.

My classroom displays many natural artifacts, scientific tools, and exciting visuals to create a welcoming and accessible environment for students to develop their love and enthusiasm for science. In my classes, all my students are scientists, and I strive to encourage their development of this identity. Children are already naturally curious about the world around them and they already use many of the same skills that ‘real scientists’ have, such as making observations, asking questions, forming hypotheses, experimentation, and forming explanations based on evidence. As a science teacher, it is my job to attach scientific vocabulary and source material and to provide scaffolding for students to readily connect their prior knowledge with new content.

My educational philosophy is centered on advancing an inclusive, engaging, and student-centered learning environment. I believe in the transformative power of education to not only impart knowledge but also to inspire curiosity, critical thinking, and a lifelong love for learning. As a science educator, I am dedicated to creating an environment where students not only gain scientific knowledge but also develop the skills, attitudes, and values needed to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

In the short time I have been here, I have felt a sense of belonging to this community, and I have felt thoroughly supported by staff and administrators as we build a STEM program that empowers young scientists in our community to engage thoughtfully in the world around them.

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