Good news - I am loving my job! I was a little nervous going into my first day, but once I got in the classroom again, I was excited to hang out with kids again and see what a typical day would be like. Although each program is only 90 minutes, and we do anywhere from 1-3 programs a day, it's EXHAUSTING! This is when teacher's get a break - I will have turn on the charm and excitement for all 90 minutes for all 3 sessions. We have 4 programs per grade level (K-5), so when all is said and done, I could be trained on about 24 lessons, but I'm guessing I'll stay somewhere in the upper grades.
The first program I trained on was called "Matter Matters" with first graders. Oh man, they're so cute. This program is a lot of fun because while we teach them about solids, liquids, gases, density, and properties, they're mostly in it for the slime and the volcano.
The next lesson was called "Sounds Like Fun" where the second graders explore how sound is made, what it travels through, and the workings of the ear. They love playing with the tuning forks, making an ear (complete with ear wax) and making sound slime.
The next lesson I did was for 4th graders at a Catholic school, which was an experience itself... Adaptation Station is a fun one because we bring in a few animals to talk about animals adapting to their surroundings. I've seen this program twice now (technically 5 times...) and I've seen 2 tarantulas, a scorpion (which glows under UV light - way cool), 2 fire-bellied toads, a red-eyed tree frog, an eel, a Mountain Horned Dragon, and 2 chameleons. I wasn't sure how I'd do with the animals, but I love them - even the tarantula! Not the scorpion though, he freaks me out. The chameleon is SO cool - his eyes are awesome. No slime though, the kids don't know what they're missing!
The last program I've been trained on so far is a program for 3rd graders called Zoom To The Moon! After talking about astronauts, moon phases (I get it now, by the way!), and the sun, we get to blow off water rockets and make space mud. This will be the first lesson I do on my own, so I tried to pay close attention.
My favorite story so far comes from Friday when I did Zoom to the Moon. The instructor I was working with was asking the kids if they know what kinds of food astronauts cannot eat while in space. The answer is food with crumbs, as they can jam their system. The kids were mentioning things like potato chips, bread, and crackers, when one kid frantically raised his hand.
Kid: "Fried Chicken?!?"
Scientist: "Yeah, you're probably right, no fried chicken."
Kid turned to his friend and said "I can NOT be an astronaut."
This kid loves fried chicken SO MUCH that his dreams of becoming an astronaut have been shattered. Poor guy.
Although there are a few things I don't love about the job, I'm really excited about getting out there on my own to put my own spin on things. I'll miss having more interaction with kids other than for just 90 minutes, and I'll miss teaching other subjects, but I don't have to do grades, report cards, or communication home. Basically, I just make slime all day long, and kids love me for it.
Right now...TOTALLY jealous that you are back and working with kids! Although you mention that you'll probably stick to working with the upper grades, I think you'll fall in love with the little ones...=)
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