“I absolutely love sharing new information with students and engaging them in a topic. Seeing the look on their faces when they’re trying to figure something out and listening to their conversations as they go back and forth – ‘This is the answer.’ ‘No, I think this is the answer.’ – until they agree or realize one of them is right, is so rewarding. The ‘Aha! I get this!’ look is the best.

I want them to walk out the door at the end of the school year a better, smarter person. Grants are a great way for teachers to exercise the freedom of the art of teaching, and to make that happen.

Kids these days need hands on experiences to make that happen. The grant I got from BEMC was for materials for activities and learning games that go along with the curriculum. We’ll play Energy Bingo, which at first is hard, until it becomes fun and competitive. When we’re studying ecosystems the students will create old-school dioramas, and there is a Biomes in a Bag game that goes along with that. Instruction, then a project, then a game, is a great way to learn.

‘There’s an art to teaching, coming up with ways to help students learn, that is so important. For example, we used milk chocolate, butterscotch, and white chocolate chips to simulate the rock cycle. Chopping them into smaller pieces simulated weathering. Then we wrapped them in foil and stood on them to simulate compaction and cementation. Opening the foil packets, they could see the layers of color and recognize it as sedimentary rock. Then we folded it back up and squeezed it hard between our hands, applying the heat and pressure that creates metamorphic rock. They thought it was terrific!

Although my students are learning, test scores are not my ultimate measure of success. I want to teach students how to think, I want to build a relationship with them, and I want them to walk out the door at the end of the school year a better, smarter person. Grants are a great way for teachers to exercise the freedom of the art of teaching, and to make that happen.”