Anecdotal
Justification
My students are happy. (Watch
them come in after a third grade
session and you'd agree.)
The third graders are happy. Go
watch an activity session and you
could not believe otherwise.
The third grade teachers are
happy. (To date I've never received
anything but enthusiastic responses from teachers.)
I've gone with students to do
an activity for the first time,
prepared to do activities with a class of 20 or so, and had a
principal
stop us
in the hall and ask if we'd mind performing for the entire
third grade
class of
60.
I've had a science team do
three shows each time they went for a
whole year, and I didn't find out until they were putting
together gift
baskets
for forty five third graders in the physics lab getting ready
for their
final
performance, each of which included a personalized tie-dyed
T-shirt,
all paid
for by the science teamers. (I believe three of the four teams
are
doing
multiple shows this year.)
It's a pretty cheap trick
actually. (In fact, it doesn't cost the
school a cent!) And I believe the science team makes a useful
contribution to
the community and should continue.
How many community college or
even university ball players do you
know that have people come up and ask for their autograph?
Every year I
have at
least one student come in with that now familiar I'm - dying
-to -tell
-you
something -you-won't- believe grin on their face. I even had
some
little girl
come running up to me once in the grocery while I was picking
out a
loaf of
bread. She just ran up and gave me a hug and grabbed my hand
and drug
me over
to meet her mom. I had never met her that little girl.
There is an energy between
science teams and third graders that is
surprising.
What do the teachers think?
Here are some samples.
Ann Goree was the first teacher
we visited and she has had a team
every year since. I accompanied the first team in the fall.
Thereafter
they
went alone. I divided them into 4 teams and had each get their
own
third grade
teacher. Ann Goree had one of these new teams that spring, and
has had
a team
every year since. She noticed a change in the chemistry.
Her words: Even though Mr. Nicholson or I may give a better
expressed and more accurate explanation, the kids seemed to
pay more
attention
and be more involved when it was just them and the college
students.
Curious, I went to watch. From time to time I still go to
watch.
Every time I go I am still surprised by the reaction third
graders have
toward
Science teamers. It's like some sort of violation of the law
of
conservation of
energy.
You won't understand until you
go watch.
Just about any science team
will do. In twelve years, I've never
had anything other than enthusiastic response from third grade
teachers.
Here are two notes from
teachers this year.
Thank
you
so
much
for
sending David
and Jennifer to my class. They were absolutely
wonderful.
I
have
pictures
that
IÕll send as
soon as possible. You would be proud of how they
worked with the
children.
Our
principal
wanted
to
get you to
send more students. The third grade teachers
need them,
too!
She asked me to give you her email. She loves
SCIENCE!!!!!!
Hooray!
Kim
Smith-Principal, Stephens Elementary
Email:
kasmith@alex.k12.al.us
Please
send
David
and
Jennifer
again.
We loved them.
Thanks
again!
Lucretia
From:
"Vicki
Spraggins" <vspraggins@alex.k12.al.us>
Date:
December
4,
2009
9:52:15
AM
CST
To:
<nnicholson@cacc.edu>
Subject:
thanks
Thank
you so much for allowing the science
team to come visit us this semester. The kids have learned so
much from
them. We have asked them to come back next semester, if
at all
possible.
Will try to send pictures from today with the hovercraft
later.
Vicki
(Pictures
of
Science
Team
Activities
are available here) science_teams_in_picts.htm