We’ve all seen it happen. A child who once declared “I hate math” comes home from a summer program glowing, talking a mile a minute about coding or robotics or some experiment that went wonderfully wrong. What changed? Rarely was it the subject itself. Almost always, it was the person teaching it.
A great STEM teacher doesn’t just deliver content — they shape how a child sees themselves in relation to the world. They plant seeds of curiosity that bloom long after the program ends. Here’s what I’ve learned about what separates the good from the exceptional.
The best STEM instructors are obsessed with questions. Not because they don’t know the answers, but because they understand that the process of discovery is where real learning lives.
Watch how a teacher responds when a child asks something unexpected. Do they give a quick answer and move on? Or do they lean in and say, “That’s a great question — what do you think?” The second response signals something important: this instructor knows that curiosity is the engine, and their job is to keep it running.
STEM is not a spectator sport. If your child is spending most of their time watching demonstrations or filling out worksheets, something is off. The best programs put tools, materials, and real problems in children’s hands quickly — because that’s where the learning actually happens.
You can explain how a bridge holds weight for twenty minutes, or you can hand a kid some popsicle sticks and tape and let them figure it out. The second approach doesn’t just teach engineering principles — it teaches persistence, creative thinking, and the confidence that comes from building something real.
STEM is fundamentally about iteration. Scientists run experiments that don’t work. Engineers build prototypes that collapse. Programmers debug code for hours. Failure is not the opposite of success in STEM — it’s part of the process.
Look for an instructor who responds to a wrong answer or a collapsed structure with genuine curiosity rather than disappointment. Who says “interesting — why do you think that happened?” rather than moving quickly past the mistake. That response, repeated over weeks and months, builds the resilience your child will carry into every hard thing they ever try.
The best STEM educators don’t teach in a vacuum. They pay attention to what their students care about — the sports they follow, the games they play, the questions they asked last week — and they find ways to connect the material to those things.
This isn’t just good pedagogy. It’s how children learn to see STEM everywhere, not just in a classroom. When a child realizes that the physics in their favorite sport is the same physics they’re studying in a program, something clicks. That connection — between what they love and what they’re learning — is what makes the curiosity last.
A great STEM instructor doesn’t have a mental image of what a “STEM kid” looks like. They know that curious, capable thinkers come in every shape, learning style, and background. They differentiate naturally — not as a compliance checkbox, but because they’re genuinely paying attention to who’s in the room.
Watch for whether the instructor notices the quiet kid in the corner who’s figured something out. Whether they give space to the child who works slowly but deeply. Whether every student — regardless of background, learning style, or prior experience — feels like they belong in that room.
You can’t fake this one, and kids can absolutely tell the difference. An instructor who is genuinely lit up by the subject — who geeks out about something, who brings in a cool discovery they just read about, who clearly thinks in STEM even outside the classroom — creates an energy that is contagious.
Passion isn’t about being the loudest person in the room. It can be quiet and deep. But it’s always present in the best teachers, and it communicates something essential to your child: this stuff is worth caring about.
Great STEM educators understand that learning doesn’t end when class does. They share what children are working on in ways that invite follow-up at home — not with homework necessarily, but with conversation starters, questions to explore, or connections to notice in everyday life.
An instructor who keeps families in the loop isn’t just being courteous — they’re extending the learning beyond the classroom walls. That partnership between educator and parent is one of the clearest signs that a program takes its mission seriously.
Questions Worth Asking When You Evaluate a Program
These questions will tell you more than any brochure:
- How do you handle it when a child gets frustrated or wants to give up? Listen for specific strategies, not platitudes. “We encourage them” isn’t an answer — you want to hear what that actually looks like in the room.
- Can you share an example of a lesson that didn’t go as planned — and what you did? Educators who can answer this with specifics are the ones worth trusting. It shows they’re reflective, honest, and genuinely invested in how children learn.
- How do you differentiate for kids who are moving faster or need more support? Great programs have a real answer ready. Generic ones will fumble. You’re listening for evidence that they actually see each child as an individual.
- What does a typical session look like — how much time do kids spend doing versus watching? You want to hear “mostly doing” before you hear anything else. If the answer is heavy on instruction and light on building, that tells you everything.
Finding a great STEM instructor is worth the effort — because when you find one, the impact goes far beyond any single program. The right teacher can shift how your child sees challenges, how they relate to learning, and ultimately, how they see themselves.
That’s exactly why Gotham STEM evaluates not just programs, but the environments they create — because the person at the front of the room matters as much as the curriculum on paper.
Have you encountered an exceptional STEM instructor or program in NYC? We’d love to hear about it — your recommendations help us build a better resource for every family in our community.