Prisma’s innovative online school prepares kids with the skills they’ll need to thrive in the future, while keeping their love of learning alive. Our team of educators have a diverse background of experience on the cutting edge of teaching and learning, whether they’ve worked in brick and mortar schools or online. In our Meet the Team blog series, you’ll get to read more about the amazing educators behind Prisma.

Emily Bannon joined Prisma in summer 2024 as a Curriculum Designer for our Middle School program. This year, she's primarily focusing on designing Co-Lab Workshops that build teamwork and communication skills connected to each theme. For more on how Co-Lab Workshops build learners' collaborative problem solving skills, check out this recent post.

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Where are you based? 

I currently live in Mendon, Massachusetts, near where I grew up. I have 2 children and it is so nice to be around family!

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Tell us a little bit about your background in education prior to joining Prisma. 

I have known I wanted to work in education since I was in 4th grade! I have always been passionate about learning (and school) being an opportunity for people to discover new topics and skills they are passionate about. 

I studied Communication Disorders at UMass Amherst, and stayed there for a fifth year to get my Master’s degree in Elementary Education. After that I taught 4th grade in Wrentham, MA for 7 years. During that time, I got to work with learners in person and virtually. 

As a 4th grade teacher, I developed a 4th grade science curriculum and multiple interdisciplinary projects. I discovered a love of creating and designing learning opportunities that are challenging and fun! That new love led me to becoming a curriculum designer at Prisma!

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What is your favorite aspect of being a curriculum designer at Prisma?

Being a curriculum designer at Prisma feels like my dream job everyday! It has been so fun designing workshops that challenge learners to develop real-world skills while integrating academic concepts like outer space, environmental science, and even game theory! Every time we design for a new theme, we get to create a whole new world of unique and energizing tasks for learners.

As the lead designer of Co-Lab at Prisma Middle School, you’re developing workshops that build learners’ teamwork skills. How do you approach that challenge? 

Designing Co-Lab is a lot like participating in a Co-Lab workshop. It is all about COLLABORATION! To create the most engaging and effective workshops for learners, I collaborate with so many of the amazing people at Prisma. We start with a team-based skill, and a narrative that fits into the theme of the cycle. Then, I build that idea by discussing it with designers and coaches to craft a learning experience that is exciting for learners and designed for them. 

For example, in one upcoming theme, our teamwork skill focus is Discussion. We wanted learners to practice having thoughtful deliberations, analyzing data from a variety of perspectives, and making decisions in the best interest of everybody. I don’t want to give too much away, but the narrative that went best with that skill was high-stakes, involving outer space travel and building a new human society. 

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You have two daughters! Though they’re too young for Prisma, as a school community built from the beginning to incorporate parent perspectives, I’m curious: What are your goals for their education? 

My greatest hope for my daughters is that they develop a love of learning! I have no idea what the world will be like when they are grown up, so I hope their school experiences help them build a love of learning so they can feel confident growing and adapting in any environment.

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What do you like to learn about, or what is something new you learned recently? 

I enjoy learning about a lot of different topics, which is a major plus of being a curriculum designer. WIth every new theme I get to learn about new topics! I also really enjoy learning about neuroscience and how the brain processes and learns new information, especially related to language.