This week, SJS News sat down with Emily Frost, Head of Science Department and MYP Science and DP Physics Teacher, to learn more about what inspired her love of the sciences and the power of science in the classroom and beyond.
Thank you for joining us Ms. Frost. Take us back to the beginning of your education career. Where did your love of science come from?
I think it started even before school. Growing up in Edmonton, my dad ran a construction company and I was always in the garage playing with his tools, trying to build random things. And when we would visit the family farm in Ireland I got to watch how they took care of the cattle. I thought it was fascinating how my grandad and my dad would have to calculate the CC units for their vaccinations. You don’t usually think science is in labour or farming, but it’s everywhere.
I think that curiosity really flourished in junior high school, and as I got older I loved how science gave me the “why” behind things. And I wasn’t one of those students where my grades came easily to me. I had to work for it, but I loved that the physics could explain, for example, why we have to be at a certain speed limit on a bank on the highway. It explained why my grandfather had to give a specific amount of vaccine to his animals. And I thought that was really cool.
Was there a particular project or teacher that really had an impact on you?
I had a fantastic science teacher in Grade 8, Mr. Bradley Ostapowich. He really embodied a passion for science. He even had pet snakes in the classroom. One of the most memorable projects with him was when we were challenged to build a contraption that would cook a hot dog in the sun. I failed terribly! But it’s like I try to tell my students today, it isn’t about the outcome, it’s about the process. The IBO doesn’t care if you get terrible results in your experiment, they want you to be able to explain what went wrong and how you’d fix it. It’s in those moments I think about my little hot dog oven and how it was stone cold on the sunniest day.
How did you decide to become a teacher?
It wasn’t my plan from the start. I first did my Bachelor’s of Sciences at the University of Alberta, where I specialized in Biology. But I am a fourth generation teacher, on my mom’s side, so I was really familiar with the career and it felt like a natural step for me. I coached a variety of sports, and that experience of teaching in an athletic context led me to look back at education because I love sharing in learning moments. Education was the opportunity to combine my love of science with having the honour of sharing the “aha” moments with students. It’s really special to be on that path with people. So after my BSc I took the after degree program to get my Bachelor’s of Education. Then I went over to England and taught there for a few years, before moving to Vancouver to start working at SJS.
What do you love about SJS?
This question takes me back to my very first day of classes. There were students who I didn’t teach and I wasn’t going to teach because they were already past taking my classes, and yet they went out of their way to introduce themselves and say “hi.” That was really special, and having worked here for three years now, that connection has only become stronger as I’ve gotten to know the students better. It was a great first impression and still holds true now.
Why is science an important part of the IB Programme, especially in the MYP or DP years?
Personally, I feel it’s allowed me to be more authentic to the kind of teacher I want to be in my teaching style and pedagogy. The IB ethos is all about student-led learning, asking students for their opinion and having discourse in the classroom. That’s what science is. It reminds me of being that kid in the garage building random stuff and asking questions, being curious about the world. Science is IB, in my opinion.
At the core of what we’re teaching are the Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills. You can apply those skills to any context, and science just happens to be ours as a department. We are building those skills to enable our young adults to go off on their own and thrive, even when they no longer have the structure of high school to guide them. I think the Programme is set up really well for that.
What does it take to be “good” at science?
That’s a tough one, because it takes more than just curiosity. You’re not always going to be deeply interested in what you need to learn for the curriculum. I loved biology in university but my botany course was a grind. Photosynthesis did not excite me. It’s the work ethic that gets you through those tougher moments. It’s easy to get bogged down by the details in science, but it’s important to zoom back and look at the bigger ideas because that’s where you see the application of those concepts.
Anyone can be “good” at science when you focus on the work ethic and the foundations that you will build, less so the specific subject matter. And the skills you gain from science will be looked upon highly by others, because of the rigour, discipline and organization that’s required. In the long run, it opens doors because it gives a foundation that can be applied to other areas of school and life.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
I like to stay active. I play on a few co-ed soccer teams. I love skiing and travelling. I’m up for any adventure. And then I like to follow that up with some good coach potato time.
