Faculty Profile
Ushering in a Bold New Future
This summer, Ensign Simmons ’02 will arrive at The Tatnall School campus, his thoughts ricocheting between fond memories and possibilities for a bold new future. Simmons was appointed as Tatnall’s Innovation Coordinator, a new position that will include the librarian’s responsibilities. But his greater undertaking will be to expand the school’s use of technology both in systemic ways and granular adjustments to curriculums. “This new challenge is, if I’m being honest, a little daunting, but it’s also exciting,” says Simmons, who began his tenure at the school on August 1. “I’ve been working through some ideas, and I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running. I appreciate that there may be some reluctance about the humanities going full-technology, but I’m confident I can generate some excitement about ways we can further incorporate it.” Simmons was a teacher for the last 14 years, most recently at Sanford School, a private school in Hockessin. He taught the full spectrum of high school mathematics, from algebra I to advanced placement calculus. He also taught physics and developed his own STEM electives for electronics and robotics, among others. Technology has been both a core feature of his curriculums and a means by which he could enhance his lesson plans. While he gets excited thinking about the hands-on nature of his STEM classes, Simmons came to understand over the last year that technology’s greatest value in education is in deepening the connection between teacher and student and, in turn, increasing understanding. “Meaningful education can still take place in a remote setting,” he says. 10 :: TATNALL TODAY :: SUMMER 2021
Come the start of the new school year, the most visible sign of Simmons’s presence, he says, will be the “reimagining” of the library. “We’ll be consolidating the book collection and bringing in new technology, which will make the space feel new,” Simmons says. “But I’m going to make sure that it retains the homey vibe that I remember from my days as a student.” That’s the other part of his story: Simmons graduated from The Tatnall School in 2002.
It was really a place where I could explore my curiosity freely, whether in the classroom, on the playing field, or even backstage. As a student, I was grateful for that. Now, with my new role, I’m hoping to help today’s students expand their imaginations. — Ensign Simmons ’02 Tatnall’s Innovation Coordinator
As an alumnus, he says he’s feeling “a little extra incentive” to make the most of the opportunity. Simmons remembers Tatnall as the place where he began to come into his own. He enrolled at the school for his ninth-grade year after attending The Independence School, in Newark. “It was really a place where I could explore my curiosity freely, whether in the classroom, on the playing field, or even backstage,” he says. “As a student, I was grateful for that. Now, with my new role, I’m hoping to help today’s students expand their imaginations.”
