Après TFS - Amy Teitel '03
In this edition of Après TFS, we sit down with historian, author and Class of 2003 grad, Amy Teitel.
TFS: Please describe the path you took after TFS.
AMY TEITEL: I think my path was the least linear path possible. After TFS, I attended King’s College in Halifax, which I highly recommend, and did the Foundation Year Program. Eventually, I ended up pursuing a combined honours in History of Science and Classics, two entirely impractical and, you’d think, unemployable things to study, but I loved it.
TFS: What does a typical day look like for you?
AMY TEITEL: Currently, I’m writing a book about the nuclear bomb and all of the YouTube content I create ties into the book’s topic.
TFS: What gives you the most satisfaction in your work?
AMY TEITEL: One thing I like is the immediacy of the results I can get. If I post five short social media videos a week, plus my longer YouTube content, I get metrics. When something does well, it feels like I’ve hit on something interesting to people, sparked curiosity and communicated clearly, which is my job.
So, day-to-day success is tricky. But when you step back and see that something real is taking shape, that’s the best feeling.
TFS: How did your experience at TFS help you get to where you are now?
AMY TEITEL: One thing that really helped prepare me for university was the Extended Essay we had to write at TFS. Everyone thought it was annoying at the time, but it helped enormously in post-secondary. All the TFS students I knew at King’s definitely didn’t struggle with essays as much as everyone else. Learning how to research, how to write and how to structure your thinking was really helpful to me.
TFS: How has French language and bilingualism impacted your career?
AMY TEITEL: I think it’s impacted my career in ways I don’t always realize. I did a video years ago about research showing that learning multiple languages as a child makes learning languages as an adult easier, and that’s certainly been the case for me. I’ve studied French, Latin, Ancient Greek and German! I’ve been able to pick up a bunch of different languages, which is awesome.
TFS: What skills or lessons from TFS do you find yourself applying most often in your work?
AMY TEITEL: I would say discipline. TFS really focused on making you a well-rounded student. I do have enough discipline to work through hard things, and I think that's probably the best lesson that TFS left. Because at the end of the day, you might not use a lot of what you learn in high school in your adult life, but having the ability to sit down and work on something difficult — that’s a lasting skill.
TFS: What was your most memorable experience at TFS?
AMY TEITEL: It has to be a toss-up between the gym show — which I don’t know if it even exists anymore — and a play I did in Level V.
AMY TEITEL: Try everything. TFS prepares you to follow a firm path, which is great, but don’t be afraid to stray from the path and try different things. If I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t be doing the weird, wonderful things I get to do now.
You’re coming out of TFS with such a leg up: you know how to research, how to write, how to work hard. Bring that into everything you’re even slightly interested in. You never know what might open a door. I was just fascinated with the Apollo program; I didn’t expect to work on a NASA mission or become a documentary expert. But I pursued that interest with discipline, and the opportunities appeared.
So, don’t close yourself off. Stay open.
TFS: What do you wish you had known while at TFS that could have better prepared you for life after graduation?
AMY TEITEL: Honestly, I don’t think I would have done anything differently. Every sideways turn helped me figure out what I actually wanted.
If anything, I wish I’d known there were more options than being a doctor, going into business, or following a strict academic path. There are so many other things you can do that are just as viable and just as respectable, even if they don’t look like what people expect.
Back
AMY TEITEL: I think my path was the least linear path possible. After TFS, I attended King’s College in Halifax, which I highly recommend, and did the Foundation Year Program. Eventually, I ended up pursuing a combined honours in History of Science and Classics, two entirely impractical and, you’d think, unemployable things to study, but I loved it.
After that, I completed a program at Centennial College in public relations and corporate communications, but it really wasn’t for me. So I went back and did a master’s degree at York in Science and Technology Studies, which I also realized I didn’t enjoy. I love research and learning, but writing something just to satisfy a board of proctors wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to create something I could be truly proud of.
I was told that I don’t write like an “academic” while working on my master’s thesis, so I decided that I was going to go off on my own and become a writer. This was around 2010, when blogging was becoming popular. So I spent all my free time writing. Eventually, piecemeal opportunities started coming together. Universe Today was one of the first outlets I wrote for, then Discovery News, then other bits and pieces that helped me keep going. Eventually, I moved into YouTube content because I realized people like listening more than reading. That led to a job with Discovery Digital Communications, writing and hosting short-form science videos.
Meanwhile, I’d been pitching a book about pre-NASA history, and a publisher eventually asked if I wanted to write one. Fast-forward to now, and I'm working on my third book.
TFS: What does a typical day look like for you?
AMY TEITEL: Currently, I’m writing a book about the nuclear bomb and all of the YouTube content I create ties into the book’s topic.
I usually wake up at five in the morning, sit down and start writing. I look at my calendar and decide: do I have a few days to dive into the next chapter, or just one day before appointments, so I should focus on YouTube instead? Whatever it is, I’m writing something. I try to write for six or seven hours early in the day, and then deal with whatever else in the afternoon.
I always have enough projects on the go that if I’m exhausted and can’t see straight, I can switch to something else. That gives me a break on one side while still moving forward on another.
TFS: What gives you the most satisfaction in your work?
AMY TEITEL: One thing I like is the immediacy of the results I can get. If I post five short social media videos a week, plus my longer YouTube content, I get metrics. When something does well, it feels like I’ve hit on something interesting to people, sparked curiosity and communicated clearly, which is my job.
But at the end of the day, I’m a writer. A really satisfying day is when I can see a chapter start to come together or when I uncover some fascinating detail in the narrative. The problem is there’s no immediate feedback. Writing a book is such a solitary pursuit. You don’t know if it’s good. The work makes sense to you, but you don’t have many readers at that stage. It’s hard to know if you’re pushing yourself enough or too much.
So, day-to-day success is tricky. But when you step back and see that something real is taking shape, that’s the best feeling.
AMY TEITEL: One thing that really helped prepare me for university was the Extended Essay we had to write at TFS. Everyone thought it was annoying at the time, but it helped enormously in post-secondary. All the TFS students I knew at King’s definitely didn’t struggle with essays as much as everyone else. Learning how to research, how to write and how to structure your thinking was really helpful to me.
TFS: How has French language and bilingualism impacted your career?
AMY TEITEL: I think it’s impacted my career in ways I don’t always realize. I did a video years ago about research showing that learning multiple languages as a child makes learning languages as an adult easier, and that’s certainly been the case for me. I’ve studied French, Latin, Ancient Greek and German! I’ve been able to pick up a bunch of different languages, which is awesome.
The real impact, I think, is the mental flexibility. For instance, I’m examining a lot of German documents for my work and while I can’t fluently read the documents, I can get through some of the material because of that background.
I still love that I'm able to speak French and I try to keep that skill alive. I’ll watch French TV shows just to keep my brain active. It’s really nice to have another language.
So, although that was a bit of a roundabout answer, bilingualism has been very useful to me.
TFS: What skills or lessons from TFS do you find yourself applying most often in your work?
AMY TEITEL: I would say discipline. TFS really focused on making you a well-rounded student. I do have enough discipline to work through hard things, and I think that's probably the best lesson that TFS left. Because at the end of the day, you might not use a lot of what you learn in high school in your adult life, but having the ability to sit down and work on something difficult — that’s a lasting skill.
TFS: What was your most memorable experience at TFS?
AMY TEITEL: It has to be a toss-up between the gym show — which I don’t know if it even exists anymore — and a play I did in Level V.
The gym show was wild and fun. I was a gymnast, so I ended up on the TFS gym team with two of my friends. One day, Mme Odeur had us perform for the whole school. We were doing tumbling lines and mini-tramp demos in the MPR. Looking back, it was a little odd but kind of amazing.
The other one was a musical my friend wrote called Voulez Vous. It was this mix of Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Mamma Mia. At one point, I had to do the “Kathy Seldon behind-the-curtain” thing from Singin’ in the Rain. But the best part was the bilingual signage. Because TFS signage had to be bilingual, the poster said: “Come see Voulez Vous Thursday night” and then in French: “Venez voir, Do You Want Jeudi soir.” It still makes me laugh.
TFS: What advice would you give to current students?AMY TEITEL: Try everything. TFS prepares you to follow a firm path, which is great, but don’t be afraid to stray from the path and try different things. If I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t be doing the weird, wonderful things I get to do now.
You’re coming out of TFS with such a leg up: you know how to research, how to write, how to work hard. Bring that into everything you’re even slightly interested in. You never know what might open a door. I was just fascinated with the Apollo program; I didn’t expect to work on a NASA mission or become a documentary expert. But I pursued that interest with discipline, and the opportunities appeared.
So, don’t close yourself off. Stay open.
TFS: What do you wish you had known while at TFS that could have better prepared you for life after graduation?
AMY TEITEL: Honestly, I don’t think I would have done anything differently. Every sideways turn helped me figure out what I actually wanted.
If anything, I wish I’d known there were more options than being a doctor, going into business, or following a strict academic path. There are so many other things you can do that are just as viable and just as respectable, even if they don’t look like what people expect.
