The School recently welcomed Nia Gipson as a Middle and Upper School Science Teacher. The Gator sat down with her to discuss adjusting to the new year, escape rooms, and more.
What brought you to Brimmer?
Before Brimmer, I was working at a school in the Allston-Brighton area, and I was the director of STEAM there. I was responsible for teaching in an integrated way; the science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics together, focusing on creative problem solving. When I was looking at changing jobs, I was looking for a school that had that as one of its core teaching pedagogies as well. That was something I saw at Brimmer. The staff is passionate about having students’ problem solve, create, and use innovative tools and technologies. I really saw when I was touring the school and talking to the faculty, that the way I teach in my classes was replicated. Not just in the STEAM classes, but in all the classes at Brimmer.
How has the adjustment been so far?
It’s been fine. The beginning of the school year is always chaotic. No matter where you go, you are always meeting new people and faces. I’ve forgotten more names than I’ve remembered, but every day I feel like I’m learning the students, the school, and the faculty a bit more.
What classes do you teach?
I teach 9th grade biology, Advanced Placement Biology, and 7th grade science.
What do you like to do outside of school?
I do a variety of things outside of school. It depends on what I’m doing in school. I love going to the theater. I love making things. So, whether that is picking up my knitting needles again or using my Cricut, I like making little things. I play a lot of board games. My favorite thing to do, but I don’t do it as much as I want, is going to escape rooms. I love puzzles and challenges. I also love museums!
What do you value the most in the classroom?
As a teacher, I think what I value most is enthusiastic participation. I don’t expect that every student is going to know at the first time. A lot of the concepts I teach are really complicated, but I want students who are curious and enthusiastically say, ‘let’s try it!’
What are you most excited for this school year?
I’m excited to see how soon voice plays out at Brimmer. I’ve been really impressed with student leadership, and the ways the students are actively doing things in the school. Like when Baden [Howard ‘24] is standing up and addressing the student body, or even when we had the upper school meetings, and the students who are running clubs. I’ve been captivated by how much students do at Brimmer. I am excited to see how it manifests in other ways outside of the classroom.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misspelled Nia Gipson’s name. We regret the error.
