This week, we spent Mon-Thurs teaching something called the Summer Sleuths, in partnership with the Illinois Math and Science Academy. Sleuths is a kind of science summer camp for students entering the 5th - 9th grade, and they spend 4 days investigating a problem developed specifically to teach kids about problem definition, research, critical thinking, data gathering and analysis, and presentation of results. You know - science. They are four very, very full days. And we were all really, really tired.
Comparing notes afterwards, we found that many of us had a similar thought: that if four days of this were so demanding, how on earth would we handle a full school year of it?
To our amusement, we found that we all rationalized our way to a list of reasons that this experience was actually more demanding than teaching a regular class, and that it wouldn't be so hectic once we got into our own classrooms. And we may have been right about some of that, but the conclusion is inescapable for the 13 of us in the class who are to become teachers: we're going to be working our asses off in our new careers.
That said, this week was simply awesome. I can't wait to start in the fall.
Dear Ben,
ReplyDeleteit's very interesting to read your new experience in teaching. My family and I wish you all the best for this new path of your life. The best wishes from Germany!