“I loved STARS because you made me feel smart.” – T
This one statement sums up STARS for me. I will forever be grateful for my girls, especially because I’m sure that they taught me more than I ever taught them.
Archive for December 2011
The nervous system,
Brain, spinal cord, and neurons,
Controls reflexes
I am going to cry like a baby on Thursday.
I am so proud of the Blue team. Each and every one of them, regardless of attendance, significantly contributed to the investigation as a whole and made the team what it became. They learned science. They did science. They became a team and worked together. They put me in the best mood every Thursday at 2 pm.
Words cannot explain the elation I felt when I heard D what kind of research she would like to continue with next semester based on the results of this investigation. My face hurt from smiling so much after watching A and T show visitors how to swab and asking them what they would be interested in swabbing. These girls have grown so much in 10 weeks. They’ve helped me grow as well.
So this is why my eyes will be filled with tears on Thursday. They will be tears of sadness because I will not be able to work with these wonderful and talented young women next semester and they will be tears of joy for the outstanding work that they have completed during this fall semester. I could not be more proud.
So here’s the deal. I talk a whole lot about being a teacher because I want to go out and change the world and make science fun and make science relevant to students’ lives, etc, etc. And yes, I’m going to do that. But when I say I’m going to change the world, I mean so much more than that.
This YouTube video has been floating around on Twitter this weekend and has been getting a huge number of hits. I sobbed the first time I watched it because it hits so close to home with me.
Jonah is not the only person bullied at school. He is not the only person who feels like everyone hates him. He is not the only person who hates himself.
So here’s my struggle. My job title next year will be biology teacher or chemistry teacher or special educator. But I know that I will have so many more unwritten job titles: counselor, confidant, role-model, mentor…the list goes on. I am not only responsible for the content that each child learns in my class, but I am also responsible for each child’s well-being in that school. I can not stand idly by while a student dreads coming to school because of a fear of interacting with other students.
Fellow teachers – watch this video. Let Jonah share his story with you, and then use his story to help you commit to making a change in every students’ life that walks through your door.