At The Baldwin School, the journey through Upper School chemistry is more than just a series of experiments; it is a narrative carefully crafted by Lindsay Davis, Upper School Science Teacher and Grade 11 Dean. With 24 years of teaching experience — 12 of those dedicated to the Baldwin community — Lindsay has become a cornerstone of the student experience, acting as a mentor to nearly every student before they graduate.

 

For Lindsay, teaching was never just a career choice; it was a calling. "I always wanted to be a teacher. My mom is a teacher and my grandmother was a teacher, so I feel like it was just in my genes," she shares. Her passion for chemistry specifically ignited in 10th grade when she took Honors Chemistry. "I was great at it ... it just clicked! Within a few weeks, I told my chemistry teacher that I was going to be a chemistry teacher ... and here I am."

 

Lindsay approaches the complexities of atoms and chemical reactions through a method she calls "The Story of Chemistry." By breaking challenging topics into intentional, smaller steps — a process she refers to as scaffolding — she makes the subject accessible and empowering.

 

Her goal isn't just to provide answers, but to guide students to find them. "When students ask me a question, I rarely just tell them the answer straight out," Lindsay explains. "It is a lot more empowering for them if I ask smaller, scaffolded questions back at them, helping them to arrive at the correct answer on their own." This method ensures that students develop deep conceptual understanding and critical thinking skills that benefit them long after they leave her lab.

Beyond the periodic table, Lindsay is deeply committed to fostering leadership and confidence in her students. “Confidence can be verbal or written,” she explains. “If a student isn’t initially comfortable speaking up, maybe they confidently write down the answer to a question I’ve asked instead. Or maybe it’s how they know the exact procedure prior to starting a lab and can execute the experiment with ease.”

 

Her dedication to helping students find their voice is deeply personal. As one of only a few women majoring in chemistry during college, Lindsay experienced firsthand the importance of being heard in traditionally male-dominated spaces.

 

“My parents wanted me to be bold, be heard, and be a leader,” she says. “And I want my students to have those same opportunities. If they don’t learn to speak up in a loving environment like Baldwin, how are they ever going to do so at college and beyond?”

 

As the Grade 11 Dean, Lindsay supports students during what she calls the year things "get real!" Between challenging academic loads and the start of the college process, she helps juniors navigate new pressures while taking ownership of their roles as student leaders. She carefully balances guidance with independence, helping students grow through both successes and mistakes. “It’s about giving them choices, but being happy with whatever choice they pick,” she explains. “And if a student leader makes a bad decision or gets into a sticky situation, it’s guiding them … toward what a better way to handle the situation would have been.”

 

One of the most meaningful traditions Lindsay helps oversee is Baldwin’s beloved Marching-In Ceremony. Held each spring, the event marks the moment juniors step into their roles as the oldest students in the school community. “Marching In is the culmination of the preparation they put into learning their class song,” Lindsay says. For her, traditions like this create memories that students will carry for a lifetime. “Traditions are one of my favorite things about Baldwin,” she says. “It’s the special memories when the class came together to create or implement something fabulous.”

 

Even after 24 years in education, Lindsay says the work remains exciting because every year, and every student, is different. “I love seeing the look a student gets on their face when they learn something new or get their question answered … it’s the ‘aha!’ look,” she shares. “I want my students to enjoy the learning process, even if they might not love chemistry.”

 

For Lindsay, the most rewarding moments are the small ones: a shared joke in class or hearing from alumnae who felt prepared for the rigors of college. Her final piece of advice for every Baldwin girl reflects this deep connection to her students: "Keep in touch with the teachers who made a difference in your life. That will mean more to your teachers than you can ever know.”