Saturday, July 4, 2009
I should be so lucky...
Monday, June 22, 2009
Can you say "Ooooof"
WOW! What a trip it has been. I never thought I would be so busy! Orientation finished up last week and I was wiped. We went hard for two strait weeks, learning about teaching theory, classroom management and created out classes. We even went on a overnight camping trip at Lake Elmo. The whole orientation experience was good. I got to know all the teachers and got to craft my two sweet classes.
The main class is my “Icons of Science” class. This class covers the history of science. I decided that in order to be a good scientist, you need to understand where science came from. This is the approach I decided to take with my core class. We will start out learning about where the scientific method came from, then go on to Newton and Darwin (among others) and finish the class with looking at current developments in science. We are even planning on having a debate between Darwin and Lamarck! Rob (another teacher) and I are going to dress up and combine our classes that day and debate in front of our classes. The students will then write up their thoughts about the debate and choose a winner.
My other class is called Bear Grylls: A BSP Story. This class will introduce the students to camping. We will show them how to pitch a tent, cook food over a fire and how to use a compass. I thought this would be a great class for a bunch of city kids. I have the pleasure of co-teaching with Noam Wiggs, who is an avid camper as well so it should be a blast!
Most importantly, today was the first day of class with the students. I got up a 5:30 AM (the earliest I have woken up in many years) in order to get to work by 6:45. After meeting with the other teachers, fumbling over the Breakthrough Cheer and handshake, the students arrived on the scene in full force. We took some time to meet all of them and then it was off to class.
There was a huge variation between these middle schoolers! Some of them are as tall as I am, some of them don’t seem to be much bigger than a my-size Barbie. Some are super talkative, some I scarcely heard a “peep” out of during class. Of course, we also have the usual students who do not participate and those who are model students. Im sure after the first few weeks everybody will have come out of their shell (its hard not to in this program).
The one thing I really am getting into with this program is its enthusiasm. The students have a cheer for everything! We created a program cheer that at first I was irritated with, but now its great. I am also finding myself getting students really excited about the cheer too! Ugh, I’m turning into a cheerleader (not that I have anything against that- if you would have seen me in the stands of my high school football games, you would know that I was really into the cheers!). Its just more proof that Breakthrough is taking over my life…
Anyway, I’ve got to get some sleep before tomorrow. Day two awaits me!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Our "orientation?" Perhaps it is our "Disorientation?"
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Aiming high-Grad Schools
So, I graduated a few days a ago...sort of. I call it my pseudo-graduation. I have managed to complete all the degree requirements for my Ecology, Evolution and Behavior major and my Psychology minor. To be a teacher though, I need a few other classes which I will finish up over the next year. Seems as though to be a teacher you need to be a little more well rounded in biology than I am currently. On the plus side, this will allow me to take a Philosophy of Science class and Jim Cotner's beer class (not a requirement for teaching school). The extra year before graduate school wont hurt either. I get to teach another biology class because of it and have a little extra time to search for teaching programs other than the one at the University of Minnesota.
Searching for teaching programs is quite an interesting endeavor. I've always assumed I would just enter into the M.Ed./ Initial Licensure Program for Secondary Science Education at the U but given the 22 years I've already spent in Minnesota I think it may be time for a change of scenery. I think I will aim high this time around when searching for schools. Columbia's Teachers College is one of the best education schools in the country and its science education program sounds solid. Stanford's STEM program sounds wonderful and the plethora of financial aid doesn't hurt either. I have also wanted to attend Stanford ever since visiting the campus in high school. I was very impressed with Johns Hopkins SIMAT program which is all based around a year long internship. Northwestern is highly ranked, but seems to follow a traditional practicum and student teaching format-not much different than that of the of U of M. On the upside, the school much closer to home than Stanford, Johns Hopkins or Columbia. I suppose some more research and contact with the programs are needed before I decide my fate.
Closer to home I have options as well. The U's program is top notch and given my SEPGM (Science Education Partnership for Greater Minnesota) internship which was a partnership between the College of Biological Sciences and the College of Education, I have a pretty good shot at getting in. Hamline has a great science teaching program and it focuses a lot on environmental education which I would like to get into. There is also the Saint Paul Teaching Fellows program which sounds similar to Teach for America, just within Saint Paul Public Schools. That would allow me to start making money next year, which would be great since I've already spent a boatload of my parents' money.
In other-words, I have some pondering to do. Within the next few weeks I will be bombarded with heaps of literature on all the different programs to help my decision making. Boy will I feel cool getting mail from such prestigious schools! Also, apparently Stanford's program requires the GRE, so I suppose I better get studying for that.