“Inspiring Students and Making Science Fun” Motivates Teacher

In May, as the school kicked off Teacher Appreciation Week, three teachers shared with the community their answers to the question, “Why do you love teaching at Ravenscroft?” Here is the response from Middle School science and engineering teacher Michelle Nunalee.

I fell in love with teaching middle school science when I was in grad school. The engineering department facilitated an after-school science program at a local middle school, and I taught lessons there about once a month. A favorite lesson was always the egg-drop challenge, where I remember thinking to myself that only middle schoolers would have such a perfect combination of crazy ideas that actually worked. We had so much fun!

I love teaching at Ravenscroft because I get to have experiences like that every day, inspiring students and making science fun.

In addition to my background as an engineer, I also have a passion for life science and come from a family of naturalists. At Ravenscroft, I have the unique opportunity to pursue both of these interests. I get to teach engineering in my elective and life science in my seventh-grade science class. My favorite part of the day is taking my students outside for our Forest School lessons in seventh-grade science, and I am so excited to teach a Forest School elective next year as well. I am so fortunate to work at a school that supports my interests and professional growth.

Clockwise from top left: Michelle Nunalee and her seventh-grade advisory show off the rocks they collected during a nature walk to mark Earth Day 2019; Nunalee supports Middle School Engineering I students including Mason Foster ’23 during their turbine unit in January 2018; Nunalee (front row, second from right) dresses as Jane Goodall as she and her Middle School colleagues mark Women in History Month in 2019; Nunalee and her husband visit Turnagain Arm in Alaska in the summer of 2022.

At top: Nunalee leads her Science 7 students in a lesson during Forest School last year.

Ravenscroft is a community, and I feel grateful to be a part of it. I love the sense of collaboration among teachers and have enjoyed many successful co-teaching opportunities. I have formed lasting friendships with colleagues and find joy in working with them each day. I also value the relationships I have built with my students over the years. Even when they move on to Upper School, I continue to cheer them on. This year I was able to collaborate with former students through both the science fair and the Sustainability Committee, and I am so proud of the work they are doing.

I have also had the privilege of seeing my own children thrive as part of this community. I can trust that no matter where they are around campus, they are cared for. I can walk down to the Lower School to see Lauren ’34 play violin or perform as Margaret Hamilton for the Second-Grade Time Machine, and this year I have particularly enjoyed getting to see Andrew ’29 play sports for the school teams. After cheering for Ravenscroft teams for many years, it was really special to see him on the trail, court and field in a Ravenscroft uniform. As both a parent and teacher, I am honored to be a part of this community, and I love teaching at Ravenscroft.