Steve Amann is a veteran teacher, having been at Bryn Mawr now for 25 years. “It’s a great gig,” he says, “because this is really a wonderful learning community. You get this opportunity to really help kids grow up and become interesting, thoughtful, caring adults.”

Read more, and watch the video below, to find out about the many contributions Steve makes to the Bryn Mawr community!

What role does technology play in your classroom?

It’s a tool, and I think we’ve done a very good job of realizing that it is a tool we can use, but that it doesn’t control us. Specifically, in science, it’s really good for data collection and data analysis. It’s also easy for any student to find video tutorials, though students don’t always have the experience to know which of these are useful, valuable, correct and well-crafted, versus those that might have false information or not explain things well. To help with this, I frequently suggest resources, and I also encourage students to send me anything that they think is useful so that I can check it out.

You are a member of the new ninth-grade transition team. Why was this team created, and what is the benefit to students of having this team in place?

There is a big transition, a steep learning curve, between eighth and ninth grades. We’ve always been aware of it, but I think anything more that we can do to hold that in the spotlight and think about what the girls are going through is beneficial. It has always been my sense that by February or March they have really transitioned, but really, in September, they are still eighth graders. Therefore, helping that transition happen smoothly and more quickly is a good thing. And the truth is, ninth graders come into this division not knowing the teachers and having no reason to trust us. So we as faculty and ninth grade teachers have to work hard to build their trust. We have to look out for them, and think beyond our own classes about what the overall picture is for them. Finally, our faculty culture is known to be very helpful, very open, very welcoming – but with that comes an expectation that students will seek us out, have a conversation and ask for help. Some of our ninth graders aren’t really ready yet to ask, so we have to go to them and offer help – we have to be proactive. I think having the ninth-grade transition team in place is going to help us find ways to be even more proactive.

What’s your favorite time of year at Bryn Mawr?

My favorite time is always fall – the weather is cooler, the leaves are beautiful, we’re in a good routine at school, and by October everything is really running smoothly. Also, my favorite school tradition is Founders Day, which always takes place in the fall. I love the fact that we have this celebration of our founders, our history, our faculty and staff, and that we get all the divisions together – what a great day.

You’re on a deserted island. What three items would you most want to have with you?

Music, books – or one big anthology – and the companionship of either a person or a dog.