Pursuing Academia Rigorously:
The Theory and Practice within
Lower School Science
By Brian Donnelly
I
n discussing rigorous academic pursuit, I began to explore how it was incorporated in my teaching. Does rigorous
academic pursuit lie at the heart of science in the Lower School? Not only is the answer an unequivocal yes, but it also
remains true for the entire related STEAM curriculum. After 12 years of working in Saint David’s science program and
continuously updating each unit to reflect best practices, answering this was easy. I have always strongly associated my own
teaching philosophy with rigorous academic pursuit, even if I wasn’t familiar with the specific phrasing when I began my
journey as an educator. As such, it becomes natural to incorporate lessons that help facilitate its growth within the subject.
When I speak on “Rigorous Pursuit” and how I incorporate this aspect of the Saint David’s Mission in the classroom, I feel
it important to preface it with my own history as a student to better understand why I am so passionate about incorporating
it within our curriculum. I became a teacher because of the way I was taught. Many educators’ origin stories start off with
a similar sentence, expanding into how they became inspired by great teachers in their past and developing a drive to carry
on that tradition. My story conversely involved struggling to stay awake as the professor would droll on with their lecture.
I would study from the notes, pass a test, and subsequently forget the information in order to prepare for the same routine
the following week. After lengthy introspection, I realized the system I was involved in had failed me. This realization
16 • Saint David’s Magazine