Tom and Ken ( get it) totally put the wonder in wonderful wetlands today. We both taught WW twice. Each time our groups were in the mid twenties. The students were loving it and the adults were loving that the students were loving it. We split the day differently than originally planned. Since we knew they would be going on hikes later in the day Jane had the idea of not including a hike in the WW rotation. Instead, we had three 35 minute stations of , mayhem, dipping and pti/lab. It was great. Having more time with the mayhem game truly allowed me to convey the importance of restoring and maintaining our water quality. Some adults came up and told me they thought the game had a great message. At least someone learned something, haha.
Last Friday I worked with the Wolf Lake 1st graders for Exploring Nature. Holy smokes, what intelligent well behaved 1st graders. Now I know why Wolf Lake Elementary has such a great record of passing AYP, annual yearly progress, the mandated national testing system. Honestly, when driving through Wolf Lake I would not think, "this is a school that passes AYP." Once again it is reinforced how important it is not to act on prejudgements. The students and teachers of Wolf Lake are extraordinary. They will be back for sure.
Last Friday I worked with the Wolf Lake 1st graders for Exploring Nature. Holy smokes, what intelligent well behaved 1st graders. Now I know why Wolf Lake Elementary has such a great record of passing AYP, annual yearly progress, the mandated national testing system. Honestly, when driving through Wolf Lake I would not think, "this is a school that passes AYP." Once again it is reinforced how important it is not to act on prejudgements. The students and teachers of Wolf Lake are extraordinary. They will be back for sure.
I loved the Wolf Lake students. I thought that they were some of the smartest students I have worked with and am glad to have finally made that connection with them.
ReplyDeleteHahaha...3 letter duo (tom, ken). Nice, superheros of wetlands education. Squirm like a scud, crawl like a crayfish and dance like a dobsonfly larvae.
ReplyDeleteI like it! We certainly rocked it today. I never would have thought groups of 20ish would be such a breeze, but it really went incredibly smoothly. This group of 5th graders seemed to have an absolute blast, and I had a blast teaching them. They were like the perfect combo of exuberance and attentiveness.
ReplyDeleteAnd speaking of great groups, "holy smokes" is right when you're talking about Wolf Lake Elementary. I was VERY pleasantly surprised at the knowledge, enthusiasm, and manners that those kids brought. It makes me even more proud/excited to be staying around here longer.