Morah Jean Myers
Faculty Award Recipient
Morah Jean Myers proudly tells everyone she has the best job at BPY. 14 years ago her neighbor Morah Jessica invited her to interview for the elementary science teacher position and it’s been a great source of pride and excitement ever since. Jean sees her role as a facilitator of inquiry, where she guides students to learn through experimentation and hands-on modeling to figure out how the natural world works. Her classroom is appropriately named the Discovery Room. Jean is especially proud of the development of the outdoor classroom and trails next to the school. She values helping students develop a sense of wonder and awe of nature. She and her students can be found searching for evidence of active winter animals, performing water chemistry tests in the brook, searching for evidence of erosion and of course, swinging on the vine. Her love of nature carries over to the animals in her classroom, where students learn compassion, courage, and respect for living creatures. Jean is inspired every day by the curiosity and insight of her students.
One of Jean’s favorite aspects of her work is the collaboration and support of her fellow teachers and staff. She explains that working in this team environment helps her continually learn and develop her craft of teaching and she is grateful for the support and friendships around her. Jean’s passion for teaching science began in Kenya as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Following that, she taught high school in NYC and earned two master's degrees from Teachers College at Columbia University. Jean’s commitment to developing youth women of courage and character are seen in her volunteer efforts with Girl Scouts. She was a leader for 14 years and serves as a Service Unit Manager in her town. She was awarded the Mitzi Golbek Spirit of Girl Scouting Award. Jean is the mother of three children, Nicky (23), Mandy (20) and Ella (18). It is in large part due to the support and encouragement of her children and husband Elmer that she has been able to be dedicated to her teacher's life.