Gail Gant knew St. John’s was the place for her when her students welcomed her to the School by singing her name in a harmonious melody. Every time she walked through the door, the students had a routine of jumping up and serenading her.
Gant first came to St. John’s in 2006, 19 years ago. Throughout her time at the school, she has taught only seventh-grade earth science.
Gant notes that the school has changed a lot in the time she has been here. Gant’s favorite project, the weather balloon experiment, allowed students to design and send a box of materials to be tested in the atmosphere. The project has since been discontinued, but Gant still remembers her fond memories tied to the project.
Before joining the science department at St. John’s, Gant taught earth science at TH Rogers Middle School. Some of her students from TH Rogers are now teachers at The School, including biology teacher Emily Reppart, math teacher Eric Gao and physics teacher Michelle Chen.
Gant first discovered her passion for earth science while studying at the University of Texas, especially taking a liking to geology.
“I always found it interesting,” Gant said. “I liked other things as well, but geology was the direction I went in.”
After graduating from the University of Texas, Gant had the opportunity to further her interest in geology and learn more about the history of the Mediterranean area by going on archaeological digs and photography trips. She pursued these activities in Israel, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece and the Republic of North Macedonia.
As a retiree Gant is looking forward to working in her yard more and traveling at different times of the year when it will be less crowded. She is also excited to sleep in late.
“I’m just ready to go at my own pace,” Gant said.
Gant will miss working with her students and coworkers. She believes that St. John’s is a great atmosphere to work in and that it is evident that students love to learn.
Gant’s favorite part about working at St. John’s was receiving notes or visits from former students. Gant recently got an email from a former student who is now a science teacher. The students reached out to Gant to tell her about how she is using the skills she learned in Gant’s class to teach a mineral identification lab to her students.
“It’s nice when you hear from someone who you taught years before and they send you a nice note or show up out of the blue,” Gant said.
Gant hopes that students come out of her class with a greater appreciation for the planet and a sense of responsibility for it. Gant also advises her students to seize opportunities and make the most of their circumstances.
“If some opportunity comes your way, I found that if you say yes, you won’t ever regret it.”
