In the heart of Manhattan, a city of towering buildings and where the world never seems to end, lies a sanctuary of learning. This is The Browning School, an all-boys school where the unyielding roots of curiosity and compassion take shape.
At the forefront of this nurturing environment is Joan Gillman, a committed personality who has devoted 43 years of life to shaping young minds. Her journey is not just about teaching science to lower and middle school. It’s about a personality who understands what it takes to be a lifelong learner, care for our mother earth, and, most importantly, become compassionate human beings who care for each other.
We feel privileged to feature Joan Gillman on the Cover of this inspirational edition, The Top 5 Visionaries Shaping the Future of Education, 2025 and share the incredible stories where eminent personalities shape the future.
A Passion for Teaching
Joan’s story began when her fascination with science and engineering grew up with her. She distinctively remembers how, as a child, she kept experimenting with different possibilities in the bathroom, to come up with a new solution.
She was also obsessed with snowfall, measuring the rates using a yardstick and taking note of the temperature and barometric pressure. Her brother also joined her creative adventures and helped build robots made of shoe boxes. While she did all of this to fulfill her curiosity, she had no idea that these were the skills that would become the core foundation of her career as a passionate educator.
The foundations of her career took shape when she was in high school. The school had a mandatory community service program required for a student to graduate. It was there that she decided to fulfill her obligations and volunteer in the lower school. There, she taught elementary school children, tutored a small group in Math, and organized games at the playground.
At the same time, she also taught children how to swim at the local JCC, including some developmentally challenged children. She also became a substitute ballet teacher at the local 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. What fun I had teaching the young students the joy of movement at the dance school!” she recalls.
The head of the school—at which Joan was sowing the seeds of her career—was really impressed with her ability to promote inclusiveness amongst the students. Joan made sure every child she catered to, respected their peers and built bonds on the foundation of compassion, dignity, and respect.
“I believe it is important to give each child an opportunity to shine. Even if they do not become world-class performers, the experience of playing with all of their peers will help them comprehend how to get along with others,” she says. “If they only choose friends who are the strongest athletes or performers, they will never know the incredible experience of seeing a child hit a baseball for the first time or seeing a peer finally succeed in a task they have been working on for a long time.”
For Joan, it is of high significance that students comprehend how the world works, and they make decisions that are not only wise but are based on multiple factors. And nothing brings more happiness to her than seeing her students become passionate about education and become lifelong learners.
Working Her Magic at The Browning School
Founded in 1888 in New York City, The Browning School is an all-boys independent school elevating the lives of 400+ students from grades K-12. As a teacher there, Joan teaches both lower and middle school science. The ongoing year has her occupied with four second-grade classes, two fourth-grade classes, one section of fifth grade, and one section of sixth grade. She is also a sixth-grade advisor for a group of boys in middle school.
However, most significant of all, Joan is one of the academic leaders of The Green Team. It’s an all-school club that has a core focus on sustainability. The team helps run fundraisers for disaster relief, posts “Green Action of the Week” signs, encouraging students and teachers to reduce their carbon footprint and plans the annual all-school Biodiversity Day. During Biodiversity Day, the entire school experiences workshops, guest speakers, field trips to Central Park, and other activities that remind them of the importance of preserving our planet.
“Through my science classes and Green Team leadership, I hope that this future generation can become fine stewards of our environment as our planet’s survival will depend on them. I truly take my job seriously and hope that I am making a positive impact on my students’ lives,” shares Joan.
The number one challenge that Joan addresses in her class is how to address climate change without alarming the students. She’s of the opinion that children need to understand how the world works so that they can make wise decisions as adults and help bring positive changes. And as a leader of The Green Team, she leaves no stone unturned when it comes to empowering her students to be a part of the community and showing that even small changes can make a difference.
Joan shares, “Each week, the students decide on a “Green Action of the Week.” Some of the examples include remembering to turn off the lights when leaving a room, using both sides of a paper, recycling correctly, avoiding cracking pencils in half, etc. Signs are posted by the students all around the school to remind the students and teachers to do their part to help the environment.”
She also ensures that her curriculum continues to be interdisciplinary and advocates project-based learning. Instead of having students memorize the lessons and then forget them after a few days, Joan makes sure that they learn them thoroughly by completing special projects.
She says that it’s just simpler to use a slideshow, a video, a poster or a talk show to demonstrate the subject clearly and help students remember the information thoroughly. She also gives them the liberty to choose which medium they want to use. “I feel very strongly about making sure that each student under my care can feel comfortable and confident that they can learn the materials being covered in class,” asserts Joan.
Always A Lifelong Learner
When Joan started her teaching career back in 1982, the mainstream medium to teach was just a blackboard and chalk. Technology was something that she never realized would become so mainstream. Fast forward to today, Joan could not even dream about teaching in her classroom without smart technology.
Every classroom at The Browning School employs SmartBoards, and Joan ensures to get the most out of it. She shares, “I absolutely love how this technology has impacted my teaching. It becomes so simple to 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 so that the students that have difficulty tracking can easily see where one fact ends and the next one begins.”
In addition to the smart classrooms, every child at the school is provided with a Chromebook for the school year. With the help of technology, students easily take notes, watch videos, prepare assignments, and share their learning with the teacher and their peers.
As an educator, Joan also understands that it is vital for herself to stay in line with the development as well. Being a lifelong learner, she has come a long way in embracing new techniques and ideas through workshops, courses, and science conferences. From attending workshops at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Agency to becoming a National Geographic Certified Educator, Joan’s pursuit of knowledge has known no bounds.
She’s seen the James Webb Telescope being built, tested new weather curricula in Colorado, and was one of only 12 teachers selected for the prestigious GLOBE Weather Field Test Program. These experiences haven’t just enriched Joan’s knowledge, they’ve brought the experiential elements of knowledge directly into her classroom, inspiring her students to dream big and reach for the stars.
A Joy to See Her Students Succeed
The most powerful testament to Joan’s impact as an educator comes not from her experience or her inclusive teaching methods but from the stories of the lives she’s touched. She recalls a particular moment when teaching about water shortages, a lesson that moved one of her students so deeply that he joined the Green Team and became a part of a fundraiser that raised over $1,000 for water.org. “That’s the power of education,” Joan says. “It inspires action.”
Joan’s approach to teaching is deeply rooted in the belief that every child has the potential to make a difference in the world. “Every child deserves a chance to shine,” she insists. “Whether it’s in sports, academics, or any other area, it’s our job as educators to help each student find their strength.”
It’s this forward-thinking that has earned Joan numerous accolades throughout her career. In 2017, she received the Urhy Teacher of the Year award at the Calhoun School, a moment she describes as one of the happiest in her career. She has also received numerous awards through Marquis Who’s Who, which is something that encouraged her to continue her teaching career. However, for Joan, the real reward isn’t in the awards or recognition; it’s in the daily moments of discovery and growth she witnesses in her students.
Mentoring the Next Generation
Joan’s influence extends beyond her classroom and school. She is passionate about mentoring young educators and sharing her experiences and insights to help them grow in their careers. She believes that strong mentorship is crucial for fostering a supportive teaching community.
One piece of advice that she would like to give other educators is to keep a sense of humor. There can be days when students become challenged, and keeping up with their sense of humor and patience can yield better results not only for the learners but also for the teachers. She also emphasizes asking for help.
“Teaching can be a challenging and exhausting career, but when approached with an inclusive mindset, it can also be the most rewarding profession you can choose”, shares Joan. “Keep up your spirits. The best days are just ahead of you.”
By the fall of 2025, The Browning School will expand and include a new building on 64th Street specifically for the high school. As for Joan, she’s committed to honing her skills and scientific knowledge through more professional development courses and subsequently adding it to her classes.
She also looks forward to taking part in and leading workshops at some of the professional science conferences. Joan is all set to take her workshop experience to the next level as she has already conducted workshops at the NSTA (National Science Teaching Association) conferences, the NSTA STEM conferences, the SCONYC (Science Council of New York City) conferences, and the NYSAIS (New York State Association of Independent Schools) Diversity Symposium. In the current year, she also helped plan the SCONYC conference.
Joan is grateful for all of her involvement and acknowledges that it has been a rewarding experience teaching her peers and helping them become passionate about science education and their careers.
Inspiration is Perpetual
As Joan reflects on her 43 years of teaching, she feels a deep sense of fulfillment. Her commitment to inclusiveness, environmental stewardship, and lifelong learning has left an indelible mark on her students and the school community. Through her dedication to teaching, she is not only shaping young minds but also inspiring a generation to care for the world around them.
Her exceptional journey reminds us that teaching is not just a profession. It’s a calling. It’s about nurturing the next generation, fostering a love for learning, and empowering young minds to make a difference in the world. Through her work, Joan is shaping not only the future of education but also the future of our planet.
As we look ahead, let us celebrate the passionate educators who dedicate their lives to inspiring young learners, just like Joan Gillman. Their impact is profound, and their stories deserve to be told and cherished. Joan’s journey is a compelling reminder that true education is about more than just academics, it’s about building a better world for all.
